Mariah Carey Chosen as American Idol Judge

A singer has finally been chosen to join the ranks of “American Idol” judges. Last Monday, July 24, Fox Entertainment announced its decision to have Mariah Carey as a judge. Carey along with another unknown judge will be replacing the seats of Jennifer Lopez and Steven Taylor. 

With the The 12th  Season of “American Idol” is scheduled to air next year in January and Fox is hoping to see an increase in viewers.

“The Grammy-winning pop star is receiving just shy of $18 million a year for a one-year contract with a renewal option, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. The source, lacking authority to discuss the matter publicly, spoke on the condition of anonymity.” (CBS News).

Now that the second judge has been chosen for the show, a third judge will be searched for. So far there are no confirmed statements on who the third judge will be. Fox has stated that Ryan Seacrest will be back to host the show.

The “American Idol” show first debuted in 2002 and started its reputation as a star creator when Kelly Clarkson was chosen as the winner. Since then, the show has ran for 10 years, with finalists living in the starlight after each season. The star finalists include Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Adam Lambert, Chris Daughtry, and Jennifer Hudson.

However, the show never had a true singer as a judge to critique the chosen competitors’ voice talents. Since her first release in 1990, Mariah has sold more than 200 million albums throughout the globe. With Fox choosing this famous pop goddess, viewers can now be happy to see a singer famous for her voice talents being a judge for other singers.

Next year’s season should be a very promising one to see. 

Photos courtesy of David Shankbone, Gaga Skidmore, and Sgt. Michael Connors – 302nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment via Wiki Commons.