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Mariah Carey to Join American Idol Panel
Wednesday 25th July 2012 | Osh
American TV Network Fox has announced that Mariah Carey will join the judging panel of American Idol.
Steven Tyler, the front man of Aerosmith and Jennifer Lopez both left the panel, which concluded its 11th series in May. With Simon Cowell’s X Factor USA and The Voice proving to be serious competition for American Idol, it was essential for them to get an A-List star.
In response to joining the panel, Mariah said “I am so excited to be joining ‘Idol’. I can’t wait to get started in the fall and I will see you in January.”
The 42-year old will join long serving judging panel, Randy Jackson, who is also her joint manager.
According to one report, Mariah Carey will get a lucrative deal. The pop star will get $18 million (£11.5m) for her one year contract with the option to renew it.
The ratings of American Idol have decreased because of competition from X Factor USA and The Voice. Last year’s finale was the least watched in its history, as its young adult viewers are shrinking. In addition, a number of former winners have failed to make an impact and succeed in the industry.
There has been no formal announcement of the third judge, but Fox Entertainment chief Kevin Reilly said “Not being the only game in town now, we need to keep things fresh.”
He added “We have the biggest names in the business, like Mariah Carey, interested in doing this. So for the next couple of weeks it will be a matter of picking the right one, with the right chemistry, making the deal and finalising.”
There’s no doubt that the Grammy Award winning pop star is a great addition for American Idol, but they need another A-List star to match the judging panel on X Factor USA. The new additions to Simon Cowell’s team include the likes of pop princess Britney Spears and former Disney Channel star Demi Lovato. The decision on the third judge on American Idol could be important as to how many people view the next series.
Simon Cowell took a pop at Mariah Carey by saying she could struggle as a talent judge. He took an unusual U-turn and turned his usual praise for the pop star to criticism. The 52 year-old mogul said “I think she’s going to find it difficult to say “no” to contestants.”
To add salt to the injury, Simon said that he’s got the better judging panel for the X Factor USA. He said “Britney is quite mean, which I think you will discover. They ate harder to please than me or L.A. (Reid). They are happy giving people a ‘”no”. They definitely have their own opinions.”
He wasn’t wrong too. At the auditions, Britney said “You can’t destroy that song; sweetie” and “I want to know who let you on stage.”
There’s no doubt that Britney is a strong character and isn’t afraid to voice her opinions, but what approach will Mariah take? Will she be the calm judge and as Simon said, she’ll find it difficult to day “No”, or will she prove to go in the opposite direction and be as honest as Britney?
With the addition of Mariah, ratings for American Idol may potentially increase, which is needed if the reality show is to continue and compete with X Factor USA and The Voice.
However, the question is, has American Idol passed its “golden era” with previous winners such as Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks, or do they still remain a strong competitor to their rival shows?
By Hiten Mandalia
Twitter: @Hitz_M
