After it was recently confirmed that the iconic Lionel Richie is officially a new judge on the upcoming season of American Idol, millions of fans gave him a collective “Go ‘head Richie…do your thang!” Soon after word got out, the production began for the audition phase of the TV singing competition, which is happening right now. Word on the old school curb is that Richie is getting paid nicely and loving every second of his new gig. But now there is news that he’s about to capitalize even more off of his Idol run and we’re not mad at him at for this one.
His Latest Business Move
Apparently, Richie has created his own catchphrase that we’ll more than likely be hearing repeatedly when the show airs. It appears that he’s no fool though, and is now about to use his soon-to-be-popular catchphrase on his own brand of products….a whole slew of ’em in fact. See what was reported below:
Via TheBlast: Lionel Richie is taking his dawg, Randy Jackson‘s lead and coming up with a great catchphrase for his run as a judge on “American Idol,” and he’s plastering it on every piece of merchandise imaginable. Richie has apparently adopted, “Here Comes Da Judge” as his slogan for the next installment of the TV singing competition, which has already started filming the initial auditions. According to documents obtained by The Blast, Richie filed October 13 to trademark “HERE COMES DA JUDGE” and “HERE COMES DA JUDGE — LIONEL RICHIE.”
Here’s a list of the merchandise Richie is expected to be selling with his new American Idol catchphrase sprawled across them:
belt buckles
campaign buttons
sewing boxes
hair ties
t-shirts
rugby shirts
cardigans
bandanas
shot glasses
cork screws
scented candles
underwear
g-strings
lunch boxes
salt and pepper shakers
piggy banks
wine goblets
tote bags
checkbook holders
pen and pencil cups
face plates for cell phones
refrigerator magnets
night lights
His Other Non-Music Business Venture
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about Richie tapping into new non-musical market. In case y’all missed our previous report in May 2016, here it is: Lionel Richie may be ready to get in touch with his softer side, which is something most experts say men should try, although I’m not sure if they necessarily mean doing it the Richie way though. Talk has been floating around about a possible new makeup/cosmetics line Richie may be launching after he recently created the cosmetics trademark, “Hello By Lionel Richie.” This trademark apparently includes copyrights that will protect everything his brand will probably be creating: body glitter, cosmetics, hair bows, nail polish, bath beads, and face masks. Ain’t that something? Maybe Richie is just trying to beat Adele to the punch before she jacks another concept from him (which is what he said she did for her song “Hello”), or maybe these cosmetics are a part of his secret as to how he’s one of the few male celebs that most females say look much better with some age on him.
At 68 years young, the brotha ain’t slowing down one bit. As we reported a few weeks ago, not only is Lionel Richie still performing regularly, he’s also just inked a deal to bring the story of the late great soul artist, Curtis Mayfield to life in a new biopic. Mayfield’s family and Richie are excited to start the project. Do your thang Richie!
