Judges Confirmed For Season 12

Well it's finally confirmed, the judges for the 12th season of American Idol have been announced. Let's run through them and then we'll see if we think it's gonna work out.

Mariah Carey

 

I think that she has a wealth of experience, and if Jennifer Lopez can judge then so can Mariah Carey. She has been around the music business for a long time and I think she probably has a lot to bring. I don't know how her personality will translate onto the show. Will she be more like the flimsy/tepid Steven Jackson, somewhere in the middle like Kara Dioguardi, or honest and real like Simon Cowell? I hope for the latter than the former. 

Randy Jackson

His experience on the show is really the only draw for me for him(a nod to a Randy Jackson line). I don't really care for some of his comments, or lack of comments.  I am only glad he is around because I think an entire new panel for an older show is a bad idea. This is now the 5th reincarnation of the judges panel, he has to step it up and be the head judge like he should have been the past couple of years without Simon.

Nicki Minaj

This is a very interesting choice. We have heard that Mariah Carey isn't exactly pleased that this younger and currently more popular female singer is joining the panel, but Mariah signed her contract before this deal was made, and I'm sure the millions of dollars that she is getting will help her deal with the situation. Minaj is very current and popular. She's on the level of Demi Lovato from X Factor, in that she hasn't been around a long time. It'll be interesting to see if that will hurt her at all. I've seen Minaj on several talk shows and she seems to be pretty entertaining, we'll see if that carries over onto this show.

Keith Urban

 

Well he is probably one of, if not the biggest name in country music. He brings a lot of legitimacy and experience. He was a mentor/judge on Australia's The Voice, so he should know his way around a reality show. I hope that his tastes aren't just on country stars, but he opens his mind to a lot of different sounds and voices.

Our Take: 

-Well we are back to the 4 judges format which I hate. I know that The Voice and X Factor and several other shows do this format, and that's exactly why I hate that American Idol has decided to as well. When Kara Dioguardi joined Randy, Paula and Simon everything always seemed so rushed and scattered, and it only got worse when Paula left and Ellen Degeneres was brought in. I would have preffered a 3 person format.

-The group is definitely eclectic. It's a mix of country, R&B, Pop and Rap, and whatever non-sense that Randy brings. I'm interested in if they will gear their likes and dislikes based on the genre of music or if they are open to anything.

Advice For The Judges

STANDING OVATIONS Enough with the standing ovations. Only get up if it really moves you. Last year they got up so much that they forgot how to sit down.

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM  Can only help. These are young adults, they don't know everything, help them, don't just tell them they are great or perfect. You don't have to be nasty, but be honest.

KEEP IT SIMPLE. Don't go on and on. Keep your remarks simple, to the point and the audience will respect you more for it. The audience can tell when you are playing a role or trying to get a laugh or a have a moment.

Well Good Luck to Mariah, Randy, Nicki and Keith. Keep checking back here for more breaking news and developing stories until we come back for a brand new season in January. See you soon. 

New Judges Rumors

Well it's been crazy in the Idol world this past summer. So far the only judge confirmed is Mariah Carey. She signed for a very lucrative multi-million dollar deal pretty early on, almost as soon as the Jennifer Lopez leaving announcment came in. She is famously managed by Randy Jackson.

So it was crazy to hear that he would be leaving the Judge's Panel. With little to no confirmation it was all but confirmed that Randy would be gone and possibly Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban or Enrique Iglesias would join the panel.

Now we are hearing that Randy Jackson is coming back to the show. Listen, I am no big Randy Jackson fan, but I am a fan of stability, and for a show going into its 12th season, Ryan Seacrest can't be the only person that has been around since the beginning. Since Simon and Paula vacated their seats Randy has been the head judge. He still needs work on his critiques and his silly outdated trite comments, but with a whole new panel, including his own artist Mariah Carey, it doesn't hurt to have him around. I do hope that he takes the criticism that he has gotten and uses it to step up his game.