Posted by | Ray Cornelius
Well, it’s official! Mariah Carey is a judge for American Idol.
The big announcement was made yesterday by Fox Networks that the Grammy-winning singer would be joining Randy Jackson for next season with the hopes of boosting ratings for the show.
“It’s the biggest recording artist than any of these [singing competition] shows have ever had,” said Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly during a press tour on Monday. “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 will fill one of the spots that was left open with the departures of Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler. Though it was not revealed how much she would receive for the gig, Carey asked for $17 million which would make her the highest paid talent in reality show history.
Idol has not yet revealed its third and final judge.