Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan joke around in prepartion for the upcoming Disney Night on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

If you were focused on the performances during Sunday night’s episode of American Idol, you might have missed the announcement.

American Idol is already accepting audition videos for Season 23.

And past contestants continue to be eligible to participate as long as they didn’t win the show.

Singers born between June 2, 1995 and Feb. 15, 2010 are eligible to compete on Season 23.

Head to AmericanIdol.com if you’re interested. Most of the rules are spelled out here. And you can head here to check on eligibility.

Honestly, it sounds pretty easy. There’s virtually no restrictions on what you sing in the video submission; even originals and already created videos are fine.

But do watch what you wear.

And don’t plan on running for office at the same time you’re auditioning for Idol. Apparently, that’s strictly prohibited.

Of course, most of the news between now and Season 23 is likely to be focused on who will replace Katy Perry on the Idol judging panel. Though I’d describe it as more of a cheerleading panel.

Apparently, Katy suggested Jelly Roll at some point. But Lionel and Luke are apparently planning to return and I can’t see Idol producers going with an all-male judging panel.

I think the spot is likely to be filled by a female pop artist.

Meghan Trainor would seem an obvious choice. She recently served as a guest mentor on both Idol and The Voice.

And don’t forget, she was a judge on Fox’s The Four, a singing show so bad it was barely watchable and lasted just two seasons. That said, Meghan wasn’t the problem.

Meanwhile, congrats to Idol’s casting department for doing a phenomenal job of rounding up talent for Season 22. Here’s hoping they’re just as successful for Season 23.

So help them out and get those auditions submitted.