American Idol Shakeup, Mariah Carey 15M Deal, Adam Lambert Low Budget Option

Brace yourselves kids. Entertainment sites such as The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, TV Line et all will be playing a tit for tat game, in an attempt to out-scoop each other, until the new American Idol judges panel is officially announced.

It’s tedious, with new reports constantly coming, usually adding very little to what we already know. But there’s usually that one new nugget of detail that has me reluctantly creating a brand new post.

Tonight, on the heels of The Wrap reporting that Mariah Carey is thisclose to a deal to sit on the judges table, Entertainment Weekly weighs in.

While Mariah Carey is still deep in negotiations with TPTB, the list of secondary members of the wish list according to EW, include Janet Jackson, Katy Perry (Uhmmm. She’s already said no), will.i.am, Kanye West, and Fergie. I think the operative phrase here is wish list. Doesn’t sound like Idol has reached out to any of these folks yet.

Sources say Mariah would probably score a paycheck on par with Jlo’s. Negotiations started at around $12 million a season, the same as Jlo’s first year, though will probably end up closer to her second-year rate of $15 million.

EW sources also expect Randy Jackson to stay put, especially if Mimi (he manages her) comes on board.

EW’s source claims that FOX has tried for weeks to convince Jlo to stay on another year, but it’s unlikely that more than one “mega-million-dollar diva” will wind up on the panel.

This report suggests that FOX wants Mariah to sign for less than Jlo’s current demand of 17 million dollars, while the Wrap reports Mariah would score closer to the higher number.

EW is also reporting that for the 3rd seat, FOX is considering Adam Lambert as a lower budget option and consider him somebody who could bring a sharp edge that’s been missing from the panel since Simon Cowell left two years ago.

Finally, despite reports about executives looking to cut Idol’s budget, that whatever cost cutting measures are taken, Idol’s overall production quality will remain unchanged.

Via Entertainment Weekly

About mj santilli 35184 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!