BULLETT

There’s no shortage of singers interested in replacing Stephen Tyler and Jennifer Lopez on American Idol, apparently: Following last week’s Mariah Carey rumors comes a report that none other than Aretha Franklin might want to take over for the vacant seat. Which would be a massive coup, and definitely something to stop the show’s ratings slide; Franklin would guarantee the over-50 demographic, at least for the first few episodes, and add instant credibility in terms of artistic presence. (J-Lo is mostly known for car commercials these days, while Tyler is just a shrieking banshee of gums and scarves.) Plus, you just know there would be some kind of tension when a singer would be inevitably silly enough to take on “Respect.” I can imagine her huffy protestations: “Honey, you didn’t TCB!” It would be fantastic.