Jennifer Lopez is adamant she didn't join "American Idol" just for the multi-million dollar paychecks - she agreed to become a judge for the sake of her children. Bosses behind the hit TV show ended months of speculation this week by announcing Lopez and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler as the latest additions to the panel, replacing exiting judges Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi.

Lopez is adamant it wasn't the rumored $12 million salary that attracted her to the role, but the thought of staying in Los Angeles for six months with her husband Marc Anthony and their two young twins. And the singer/actress hopes little Max and Emme will be able to finally get into an everyday routine when their mother starts working regular hours.

She says, "We're really happy that we get to be in one place with the babies. This is going to put us here for like six months. It's unheard of for us. The babies can do dance class and soccer practice. We're excited about being a little bit of a normal family for a little while."

Lopez also admits she was reluctant to join the reality TV show at first, but Anthony talked her into it. She adds, "I don't know that we ever thought I'd do something like this. But when I was a dancer, was I going to be an actress? Yeah. When I was an actress, was I going to be a singer? Yes. I just think this is another evolution of that - and (Marc) explained it to me like that."