After a week of speculation, pop diva Mariah Carey has been hired by Fox to be a judge for American Idol’s twelfth season. Carey is expected to receive a salary of about $12 million.
Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly gave his thoughts behind the casting decision. “It’s the biggest recording artist than any of these [singing competition] shows have ever had. It’s an artist many of these contestants have tried to emulate. [The deal] only concluded only hours ago. Not being the only game in town we need to keep things fresh.”
Carey is one of the biggest artists around, selling over 200 million records worldwide. Carey’s manager, Randy Jackson, is likely going to remain as a judge on the panel, but the search is on for his male counterpart. Idol is trying to cut costs, so their third judges will probably be a cheaper option.
It will be interesting to see if Carey, another diva like former judge Jennifer Lopez, will be able to help Idol’s declining ratings.
We're looking for writers and editors to join the team. Interested? Apply today!
Let’s Be Friends!