0 Mariah Carey is new 'American Idol' judge

BEVERLY HILLS, California - Mariah Carey will join “American Idol” as a judge next season, Fox announced Monday, bringing her star power to the show that remains a ratings leader but has seen its viewership and pop culture status diminish.

“I am so excited to be joining ‘Idol,’” said Carey, addressing the Television Critics Association via Fox entertainment chief Kevin Reilly’s cell phone, which he put on speakerphone for the hotel ballroom meeting.

She couldn’t be on hand with the group because “this kind of all just happened really quickly,” Carey said in her brief remarks. “I can’t wait to get started in the fall... and I will see you in January.”

The show, which saw judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez exit at the end of last season, will be back on the air for season 12 in January.

Reilly called Carey “the biggest recording artist that any of these (talent) shows has ever had,” adding that she was the “artist that many of these contestants have tried to emulate, have tried some of the songs, have tried to hit the notes.”

Playing the drama up, Reilly placed a call to Carey and put her on speaker.

“Hi, Mariah. How are you? It’s Kevin,” he said. “We do have a deal, don’t we? Yes!”

Reilly said he was “thrilled” to confirm reports that Carey was being courted by Fox and said the deal was freshly signed within the last few hours.

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 person familiar with the negotiations. The person, lacking authority to discuss the matter publicly, spoke on condition of anonymity.

The exit of Tyler and Lopez left original judge Randy Jackson and started a guessing game about potential replacements, with Carey at the top of the list.http://beta.philstar.com/new/cms/frame.aspx

As one of music’s best-selling singers, she could provide the clout “American Idol” needs to compete in an increasingly crowded talent show field. Besides Fox sibling “The X Factor,” which recently added Britney Spears and Demi Lovato as judges, there’s NBC’s “The Voice,” which boasts Christina Aguilera among its big names.

“Not being the only game in town now, we need to keep things fresh,” Reilly said. The search is on for a third judge, and he promised another impressive pick. It could a star or someone like music executive and “Idol” mentor Jimmy Iovine, who wasn’t a household name when he joined, Reilly said. But, he added, after 12 seasons “we need to have something to talk about.” Source:http://www.philstar.com