Major mayhem surrounding Idol judges

Photo: Contributed

Nicki Minaj

The American Idol you see when you tune in this upcoming January will look drastically different than what we’ve been accustomed to over the last few years. Jennifer Lopez is out, Steven Tyler is gone, and Randy Jackson may not be back (as a judge).

The show’s producers have made it clear that their primary objective is to shake things up, and hopefully a new judging panel will do the trick for them.

Mariah Carey has been officially sworn in as a judge, and will hopefully provide some Paula Abdul-like moments of incoherence and lunacy. But who else will be joining her?

Yesterday, there was a crapload of media speculation that rap star Nicki Minaj would be filling up one of the remaining judges’ seats. The reports were fuelled by a story in US Weekly that claims one of their sources swore up and down that a deal with Idol was essentially fait accompli, and that Minaj is in. Almost every mainstream media outlet picked up the story.

But is Nicki really joining Mariah?

Don’t be so sure. While I admit that a deal with Minaj is likely to go down, the Hollywood trades – which are normally all over Idol judge deal stories – have remained mum on the subject. Which tells us that no deal is in place, at least not yet. As of this writing (mid-morning Tuesday) none of the Hollywood trade websites have any mention of new Idol judging news.

Wanna know another interesting name that was thrown out today as a strong candidate? Enrique Iglesias. People.com reported this morning the Latin superstar is being seriously considered for the show, quoting “a source.”

And to add a little more fuel to this out-of-control speculation fire, TMZ has just reported (late morning) that Kanye West is also in talks to lend his talents as a judge. He'd be interesting, as long as they restrain his penchant for interrupting.

Aren’t you getting sick of all the judge speculation this year? It was bad enough when the show was wooing Tyler and Lopez, but this off-season has definitely been annoying. I’m not sure a revolving door of judges is good for any show, whether it’s Idol or The Britney Spears Show X-Factor.

Let’s assume that these rumours are true, and we’re good to go with Mariah, Nicki and Enrique and/or Kanye. What do you think of this wild assortment of personalities? As much as I hate to admit it, I think this could be good for the show. While Steven and J-Lo brought a wealth of experience to the table, they weren’t all that exciting to watch. Their ability to be critical was called into question after their first season together, and their critiques of the contestants’ performances this past season seemed forced, and at times lacked sincerity.

Mariah and Nicki (and certainly Kanye) would change this.

Where the careers of Tyler and Lopez were cooling off when they signed on, Mariah’s is lukewarm and Nicki’s is red hot. They have nothing to gain by conforming to the Idol way of things. I can see them filling one giant collective bag of crazy, with tremendous potential for huge arguments. It may even turn into one giant-sized version of the Hunger Games where only one singer survives. And can you imagine Nicki trying to tone down that incredibly foul mouth of hers? Let the fireworks begin!

Although nothing is set in stone, this new judging panel – should it come together – would be a great step toward bringing back lost viewers.

Stay tuned here for new details as they come up…

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.