Posted by | Ray Cornelius
Fox has released a new promo picture of new American Idol judges Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban. The photo also features a noticeably slimmer Randy Jackson and of course host Ryan Seacrest is posted in the middle.
According to the THR, Idol will kick off on January 16 with a two–hour premiere, followed by a one hour show the next night. Reality chief Mike Darnell is remaining hopeful the new judges will boost the ratings and insist that the recent feud between Carey and Minaj doesn’t concern him.
“Part of the complaints we’ve had over the last several years, even though we’ve had some really good judges, is that they all agree,” he said. “So we sought to get a group that would have diverse opinions. The banter is amazing. It’s fun, funny, energetic; there’s almost never a lull — there’s cross-talk. There’s everything you want. To get that, we have a very opinionated, passionate group, so there has been some drama.”