Mariah Carey on 'American Idol' poll: Will she make a great judge?
Published Jul 24 2012, 11:41 BST | By Alex Fletcher
Simon Cowell's Crunchy Nut Cornflakes probably tasted a little bit sour this morning. After years of courting Mariah Carey, she did the unthinkable and signed up for his rival reality series American Idol as a judge.X Factor USA will not be short of drama with Britney Spears on board, but the addition of Carey to Idol's roster is a trump card in the battle of the big name divas.
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Carey is gearing up for a musical comeback with a new single lined up for August, so a regular TV gig should be pretty good PR. But how will she fare under the media focus that surrounds the biggest show on American TV?
The myths and stories that surround Carey's diva behaviour are pop legend. Mariah "doesn't do stairs" Carey apparently insists on 16oz plastic bottles of Evian backstage and is rumoured to have included bunny rabbits, puppies and kittens on her riders in the past. Another story claims that she once ordered four vehicles to carry her 60 pieces of luggage while on tour in China.
Let's hope exec-producer Nigel Lythgoe knows what he's going to get himself in for with this judge.
Early reports claim that Carey is getting a record-breaking (and breathtaking) $17 million (£11 million) for the single series of Idol. Lythgoe will think that she's worth every penny of that cheque if she can turn ratings around and help him get one over Cowell and The X Factor.
J Lo and Steven Tyler brought a new freshness to Idol two years ago that managed to fill a Cowell-shaped hole and suggest that the show still had a lengthy future. The revolving door of judges has swung around again and Carey might just be the secret ingredient to make Idol 3.0 a megahit.
Do you think Mariah Carey will be a great judge on Idol? Or has the show had its day? Share your verdict below and vote in our poll:
I think next season american idol should be in four judges format which consist of Randy Jackson, Katy Perry, Mariah Carey and Blake Shelton.
July 25th 2012 at 10:27am(+1 like)
mariah is the hbic
July 24th 2012 at 11:48pm
I'm a lamb and this is exciting
July 24th 2012 at 10:50pm(+1 like)
i'm surprised she said yes I remember her doing an interview around 2008 where she said she had no right to judge other people as she remembered how hard it was starting out when she was young.
personally I think this was a career move to promote her next album mariah has a certain sense of humour non fans might not get.
July 24th 2012 at 9:55pm
I don't remember being particularly gripped by her comments during her masterclass on X Factor a few years back - for a woman with such a wide vocal range, she seemed pretty monotone through the whole thing. But she is obviously qualified to judge and her famous diva-like tendencies could be a new catalyst for the show's energy.
July 24th 2012 at 8:50pm