The upcoming season of American Idol promises a few changes and some never-before-seen additions to the show, but pop princess Britney Spears will not be one of them.

The show’s executive producer announced earlier this week that he does not believe Spears is in good enough condition to be a mentor to the aspiring hopefuls on Idol. “I think she needs to get herself together,” said executive producer Lythgoe. He did say, however, that he would have welcomed Spears on the FOX show last season, when it seemed she might be getting herself (and her career, and her personal life) back together again.

If the Idol hopefuls could command media attention the way Spears does, they wouldn’t need reality TV.