Idol News: Mariah Carey Is Officially An American Idol Judge

It's official! In the wake of Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez' confirmation that they are indeed leaving American Idol, FOX just announced that Mariah Carey is now on board as a judge on the hit reality singing competition. I wonder what Simon Cowell is feeling right about now? Haha.

According to Fox Entertainment Chief, Kevin Reilly,

"I think it's the biggest recording artist that any of these shows have ever had. It's an artist that many contestants have tried to emulate, have tried to have sung the songs, have tried to have hit the notes and because it really was concluded only hours ago, our new judge cannot be with us."

Mariah Carey herself gave a brief statement following the announcement,

I am so excited to be joining Idol, I wanted to be there today and I wish I could have been there myself to tell you. I can’t wait to get started in a couple months.”

Reilly didn't confirm, however, if Randy Jackson will be back for his 12th season, but he mentioned that he played a big role in bringing Mariah Carey on American Idol.

Surprised? No. Excited? Well, I'm not jumping up and down about this because I seriously don't know what Mariah will be like as a judge in the live shows - once the season gets beyond the edited part and the taped auditions, that's the time her judging ability will be put to test - but at least it wasn't a downgrade.

Talent-wise, Mariah Carey is possibly the most vocally talented judge in any reality singing competition - yes, Christina Aguilera you have to move over. Haha - and that's a very good thing for American Idol. She brings star power, which should help following the departure of both Steven "beautiful" Tyler and Jennifer "goosies" Lopez. I think she's more credible as a judge than the auto-tuned singer from the block in terms of singing, plus she's kooky and unpredictable, which will be pretty entertaining. 

Imagine how she will react when a contestant butchers her song! Haha. Heck, I can even see her say to Phillip Phillips, "You don't have enough range, listen to this G8", and then all the dogs in LA start to bark. Haha. I kid. But seriously, she would give this upcoming season a ratings boost at the very least, and American Idol can also help with her comeback - not that she needs it really, but still. Just ask how the show helped Jennifer Lopez be relevant again. Haha.

She made a good mentor during Season 7 and she seemed genuinely interested in them as a group, but then again, I said the same exact same thing with Jennifer Lopez when she mentored during Season 6. Admittedly though, I'm interested to see her as a judge. As long as she never says, "you look beautiful tonight baby" or "that gave me goosies", she'll be fine.

This upcoming season will be crucial to the future success of American Idol, but I said that as well after Simon Cowell left the show after Season 9, so I'll still keep an open mind. For now, next vacancy..