Shimmel Rejoins L.A.

BACK TO L.A.: Despite rumors to the contrary, Kevin Lawrie will not be L.A. Reid's right-hand man at Epic, but there's a new name in the mix from Reid's storied past that is making the rounds. Speculators are speculating that the X Factor judge is about to name Mark Shimmel, his onetime trusted cohort at LaFace and Arista, to a high-ranking post at the completely overhauled label. The well-liked Shimmel is currently Head of Music at Turner Networks. For more I.B. Bad tidbits, see the complete column here. (11/4p)