A week after the news that Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi were out, and Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler were in, the game of musical chairs at the judges' table on 'American Idol' shows no sign of ending anytime soon. The search for a new panel is "going to take a little while yet," returning executive producer and 'Idol' housecleaner Nigel Lythgoe told USA Today.

'Idol' fans have been left to wonder: Is Paula Abdul coming back? Are J. Lo and Tyler definitely going to be on the panel? Are David Geffen and other big music industry names still in contention? Here's the latest on who's in and who's out of consideration.

Lythgoe has been saying in interviews that he'd love to bring Paula Abdul back to the show. However, she's locked into an ironclad contract at CBS for her upcoming show 'Got to Dance.' According to E! Online, CBS would sue her before letting her appear on a competing show for at least the next five years. "I love Paula," Lythgoe told 'E! News, adding that he recognizes that bringing her back is a pipe dream. "Paula is under contract to another company so she is unavailable."

For her part, Abdul told TV Guide that she's glad Lythgoe is back at 'Idol,' but she didn't say whether she'd been approached to return, whether she'd be interested in returning if asked, or whether she'd even be able to do so under the terms of her CBS contract. She did say that she's touched by the fan sentiment calling for her return, and that she hopes Lythgoe keeps Randy Jackson on the panel for the sake of continuity. "I think it's important for people to have familiarity with someone," she said.

Lythgoe told USA Today that, while he won't rule out a four-person panel, he favors going back to just three judges, the way it was for 'Idol's' first seven seasons. Still, finding the right mix of personalities continues to be tricky. "The panel really has to appeal to a wide berth - from your 10-year-old niece to your grandmother," a source close to the decision-making process told Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch blog. "I don't think every person who's been rumored for the position necessarily fits that bill." Many of the rumored names - Justin Timberlake, Harry Connick Jr., Shania Twain, Jessica Simpson, and Chris Isaak - are all now "highly unlikely" to land a slot, the PopWatch source says. The source adds that, if Lopez's all-but-finalized deal goes through, the show probably won't hire another woman to sit alongside her.

Another big name mentioned is that of legendary music mogul David Geffen, who's been in the business for 40 years and has boosted the careers of everyone from the Eagles to Elton John to Nirvana. According to Deadline Hollywood, the show's producers approached the DreamWorks co-founder four months ago to be a judge, but the publicity-shy Geffen turned them down. This week, the show has hired another veteran rock mogul, Jimmy Iovine, but he'll be a recurring mentor to the contestants, not a judge.

Bret Michaels has told TV Squad that he's a contender, but his forthcoming heart surgery may well keep the 'Celebrity Apprentice'-winning rocker benched from possible 'Idol' judging duties.

Along with Lopez, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler is still all but confirmed to be a judge - much to the consternation of Joe Perry, his bandmate of four decades. The guitarist told the Boston Herald he was irked to learn of the singer's potential new gig the way the rest of us did, via the Internet. He said he confronted Tyler about it on Saturday, and that Tyler said that the 'Idol' team had told him to keep mum about the deal. "I mean, after working with me for 40 years, he couldn't tell me about this," Perry complained. "Why so secretive? We're told it's a done deal. If Steven is committed to a TV show, that kind of affects the rest of us. We'd like to plan our lives, ya know?"

So would we all, Joe. So would we all.

•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.