Report: Aretha Franklin Wants to be a Judge on 'American Idol'

Aretha Franklin performs in New Orleans.

American Idol has had a tough week, with star hosts Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez both announcing that they're leaving the show within days of each other. But the enterprise could now finally see a change in its fortunes, thanks to the Queen of Soul.

CNN reports that in response to an e-mailed query, Aretha Franklin said that she is interested in joining the show as a judge. She said that she has been a longtime fan of the show as a viewer, and would like to take an more active role. She also added that she would bring Patti LaBelle to join her as sidekick. 

Fox has not yet commented on the possibility of adding the 18-time Grammy Award winner to the American Idol judges' table. 

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Report: Aretha Franklin Wants to be a Judge on 'American Idol'

Aretha Franklin performs in New Orleans.

American Idol has had a tough week, with star hosts Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez both announcing that they're leaving the show within days of each other. But the enterprise could now finally see a change in its fortunes, thanks to the Queen of Soul.

CNN reports that in response to an e-mailed query, Aretha Franklin said that she is interested in joining the show as a judge. She said that she has been a longtime fan of the show as a viewer, and would like to take an more active role. She also added that she would bring Patti LaBelle to join her as sidekick. 

Fox has not yet commented on the possibility of adding the 18-time Grammy Award winner to the American Idol judges' table. 

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Aretha Franklin to Reunite with Clive Davis for Next Album

Aretha Franklin speaks with Clive Davis during her birthday celebration in New York.

Aretha Franklin celebrated her 70th birthday this weekend with another landmark: the decision to reunite with her former mentor, record executive Clive Davis, for a new album.

During the soul star's party at the luxurious Helmsley Park Lane Hotel in New York on Saturday night, Franklin announced in a brief interview that she had signed a new contract with Sony Music Entertainment, where Davis serves as Chief Creative Officer. Davis signed Franklin to Arista Records during her career slump in the Eighties, a move that reinvigorated her career and helped to define his.

"I have re-signed with Clive Davis, so I’m recording with Clive again," she explained, continuing that the pair would meet within the next month to decide what material they would include. Davis accompanied her at the gala, which also included guests Diane Sawyer and Willie Wilkerson (Franklin's brief fiancè earlier this year) and included the crowd's rendition of Stevie Wonder's take on "Happy Birthday."

Franklin and Davis's Eighties parternship under the Arista umbrella yielded numerous hit albums, including 1980's Aretha, 1982's Jump to It and 1985's Who's Zoomin Who?

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Aretha Franklin to Reunite with Clive Davis for Next Album

Aretha Franklin speaks with Clive Davis during her birthday celebration in New York.

Aretha Franklin celebrated her 70th birthday this weekend with another landmark: the decision to reunite with her former mentor, record executive Clive Davis, for a new album.

During the soul star's party at the luxurious Helmsley Park Lane Hotel in New York on Saturday night, Franklin announced in a brief interview that she had signed a new contract with Sony Music Entertainment, where Davis serves as Chief Creative Officer. Davis signed Franklin to Arista Records during her career slump in the Eighties, a move that reinvigorated her career and helped to define his.

"I have re-signed with Clive Davis, so I’m recording with Clive again," she explained, continuing that the pair would meet within the next month to decide what material they would include. Davis accompanied her at the gala, which also included guests Diane Sawyer and Willie Wilkerson (Franklin's brief fiancè earlier this year) and included the crowd's rendition of Stevie Wonder's take on "Happy Birthday."

Franklin and Davis's Eighties parternship under the Arista umbrella yielded numerous hit albums, including 1980's Aretha, 1982's Jump to It and 1985's Who's Zoomin Who?

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Aretha Franklin Remembers Whitney Houston

Aretha Franklin performs a tribute to Whitney Houston at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.REUTERS /SHANNON STAPLETON /LANDOV

I met Whitney when her mother, Cissy, who was singing with me, brought her to one of my recording sessions. She was around nine or 10, with little red pigtails and her hair parted in the middle. I think Cissy had instructed her to be very quiet, because she didn't say too much after that. She was just very quiet and very attentive, a pretty little girl.

By the time she was a young lady, Luther Vandross and I were talking about her. She knew how to be glamorous and graceful. She had class. She knew where she was going. It was clear her and her mother both had a similar quality to their voices – the genetics were just unbelievable. Just like her mom, she was one of the great sopranos.

I especially loved the high note on "I Will Always Love You." "The Greatest Love" was another great one. She really put those two away. In 1989, we recorded the duet "It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be." We had a lot of fun that day. I was delighted to see her come along the way that she did. Like a lot of artists, Whitney lost her way. But she found it again.

I would like to take this moment to caution young artists the same way that my dad cautioned me when I reached my peak. He said, "No matter how good you are, and no matter how successful you are, one day, the applause is going to die down. One day the hallelujahs and the amens are going to stop. One day, the fans might not be there. So know what you're going to do when that day comes."

But Whitney's mother taught her how to be a fighter. On her last tour, she had lost the top range of her voice, and some of the audiences were not very kind. But night after night, she stood there like a champion and gave her very best. She seemed to be getting it back – I saw some of the previews for Sparkle, and she really looked great, fresh and healthy. So when the news came out she had passed, I was stunned. I just couldn't believe it.

Gospel was Whitney's foundation and background. She was raised on the Word and she certainly praised the Lord. The rest of it just wasn't that important. One of Whitney's favorite songs was "Yes, Jesus Loves Me." And if Jesus loves you, what is more important than that?

As told to Patrick Doyle

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Aretha Franklin Remembers Whitney Houston

Aretha Franklin performs a tribute to Whitney Houston at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.REUTERS /SHANNON STAPLETON /LANDOV

I met Whitney when her mother, Cissy, who was singing with me, brought her to one of my recording sessions. She was around nine or 10, with little red pigtails and her hair parted in the middle. I think Cissy had instructed her to be very quiet, because she didn't say too much after that. She was just very quiet and very attentive, a pretty little girl.

By the time she was a young lady, Luther Vandross and I were talking about her. She knew how to be glamorous and graceful. She had class. She knew where she was going. It was clear her and her mother both had a similar quality to their voices – the genetics were just unbelievable. Just like her mom, she was one of the great sopranos.

I especially loved the high note on "I Will Always Love You." "The Greatest Love" was another great one. She really put those two away. In 1989, we recorded the duet "It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be." We had a lot of fun that day. I was delighted to see her come along the way that she did. Like a lot of artists, Whitney lost her way. But she found it again.

I would like to take this moment to caution young artists the same way that my dad cautioned me when I reached my peak. He said, "No matter how good you are, and no matter how successful you are, one day, the applause is going to die down. One day the hallelujahs and the amens are going to stop. One day, the fans might not be there. So know what you're going to do when that day comes."

But Whitney's mother taught her how to be a fighter. On her last tour, she had lost the top range of her voice, and some of the audiences were not very kind. But night after night, she stood there like a champion and gave her very best. She seemed to be getting it back – I saw some of the previews for Sparkle, and she really looked great, fresh and healthy. So when the news came out she had passed, I was stunned. I just couldn't believe it.

Gospel was Whitney's foundation and background. She was raised on the Word and she certainly praised the Lord. The rest of it just wasn't that important. One of Whitney's favorite songs was "Yes, Jesus Loves Me." And if Jesus loves you, what is more important than that?

As told to Patrick Doyle

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Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin to Perform at Whitney Houston's Funeral

Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin attend the BET Honors Pre-Honors Dinner in Washington, DC.

When Whitney Houston is laid to rest on Saturday, she will receive an all-star tribute. Both Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder are confirmed to perform at the singer's memorial service in Newark, New Jersey, a spokesperson for the Houston family told Reuters today.

The service will take place at noon at the New Hope Baptist Church, where Houston attended and performed in her youth. Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio anticipates thousands of fans attending and has urged people to watch the ceremony from home, as it will be streamed online and broadcast on network television.

Police have also issued subpoenas for Houston's medical records after the discovery of prescription drugs in the Beverly Hills hotel suite where Houston died on Saturday, at age 48. An initial autopsy has been conducted, but the details have not been released. The Los Angeles Coroner's office has called this standard prodecure.

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Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin to Perform at Whitney Houston's Funeral

Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin attend the BET Honors Pre-Honors Dinner in Washington, DC.

When Whitney Houston is laid to rest on Saturday, she will receive an all-star tribute. Both Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder are confirmed to perform at the singer's memorial service in Newark, New Jersey, a spokesperson for the Houston family told Reuters today.

The service will take place at noon at the New Hope Baptist Church, where Houston attended and performed in her youth. Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio anticipates thousands of fans attending and has urged people to watch the ceremony from home, as it will be streamed online and broadcast on network television.

Police have also issued subpoenas for Houston's medical records after the discovery of prescription drugs in the Beverly Hills hotel suite where Houston died on Saturday, at age 48. An initial autopsy has been conducted, but the details have not been released. The Los Angeles Coroner's office has called this standard prodecure.

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Aretha Franklin Ends Three-Week Engagement

Aretha Franklin and Willie Wilkerson attend the BET Honors Pre-Honors dinner at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

Aretha Franklin has called off her engagement to William "Willie" Wickerson only three weeks after announcing their plans to wed. "Will and I have decided we were moving a little too fast, and there were a number of things that had not been thought through thoroughly," Franklin told Us Weekly in a statement. "There will be no wedding at this time."

The Queen of Soul, 69, had previously announced elaborate plans to marry Wickerson in Miami Beach this summer, with a reception aboard a private yacht. "We will not comment on it any further because of the very personal and sensitive nature of it. We appreciate all of the many well wishes from friends," Franklin and Wickerson added in their statement.

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Aretha Franklin Ends Three-Week Engagement

Aretha Franklin and Willie Wilkerson attend the BET Honors Pre-Honors dinner at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

Aretha Franklin has called off her engagement to William "Willie" Wickerson only three weeks after announcing their plans to wed. "Will and I have decided we were moving a little too fast, and there were a number of things that had not been thought through thoroughly," Franklin told Us Weekly in a statement. "There will be no wedding at this time."

The Queen of Soul, 69, had previously announced elaborate plans to marry Wickerson in Miami Beach this summer, with a reception aboard a private yacht. "We will not comment on it any further because of the very personal and sensitive nature of it. We appreciate all of the many well wishes from friends," Franklin and Wickerson added in their statement.

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