Could Harry Connick, Jr. Revive American Idol?

Or could Harry Connick, Jr. be revived by American Idol? Those are the questions fans are considering as the crooner is reportedly in talks to join the show’s panel of judges.

While Harry Connick, Jr. has been a staple of American music (and even appeared in some films), we haven’t seen a lot of him in the genre he occupies in the past few years. American Idol seems like a very interesting fit for the singer, breathing new life into a panel that has been dominated by female artists of debatable talent in recent years.

Don’t get your Harry fan on just yet, though — as far as we know, Connick, Jr. is only being floated as an Idol judge. The news isn’t even new news per se, as the velvet-voiced artist was publicly addressing rumors back in May.

Months back, he told Ellen DeGeneres on Ellen that he feels like he might be a bit more of an adviser than a judge, adding that the idea of potentially crushing dreams was a tough one to swallow:

“Well, yeah, I mean I had a really good time! I had a good time mentoring… Judging is a whole different deal; I don’t know how good I would be at that.”

In the same month, the New Orleans homeboy also dished to E! about his Idol judge potential.

Ever the southern gentleman, Harry Connick, Jr. says AI panel judges don’t just have to be honest (or brutal), they also have to be kind if firm:

“I think you need to be completely honest, and I think you need to be diplomatic… I think there’s no reason to be mean, but it is called being a ‘judge.’ You have to judge. That’s what you do.”

Would Harry Connick, Jr. get you to tune into Idol again?