14 DAY TRIAL // American Idol is now almost judge-less. After the departure of Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler over the weekend from the panel, and amidst speculation that Randy Jackson might follow them, word is out that producers have been in “serious talks” with none other than Mariah Carey for the job.
Reports are saying that, for the 12th season, producers might want to revamp the entire panel of judges in a bid to attract wider audiences and, of course, to boost chances of beating rivals The Voice and X Factor US.
The latter, for one, is bound to attract a lot of attention when the second season premieres, if only for the first shows, to see how Britney Spears and Demi Lovato fare as new judges.
As such, AI needs to step up its game – and what better way to do that than by bringing none other than Mariah Carey on board.
Once considered for X Factor, which she refused saying she was “too legendary” to do this type of shows, Mariah is now meeting with Fox bosses to see whether she could join AI for at least one year, People magazine reports, citing sources familiar with the situation.
“Upon Steven Tyler's confirmation that he will not return to the American Idol judges' table – and amid buzz that Jennifer Lopez is likely following in his footsteps – Carey, 42, may be making her way to the Fox singing competition,” the celebrity publication writes.
“She's in play. They are in serious talks,” a source close to the situation says.
As we also noted over the weekend, both Jennifer and Steven announced they would not be returning for the 12th season, which would have been their third.
Tyler dropped out to focus on Aerosmith once more and their upcoming tour, while Jennifer said she could not return because she had her music and her acting career to think of first and foremost.