LOS ANGELES – “American Idol” returned on Wednesday with the tantalizing promise of fame, fortune and feuds — and that's just among the celebrity panel hired to find the next pop music sensation. Singer Mariah Carey, rapper Nicki Minaj and country artist Keith Urban made their debut as judges when the TV talent contest begins its 12th season on Fox. “All three judges are eminently qualified. It's a good spectrum in terms of embracing hip-hop, country and pop,” HitFix.com music blogger Melinda Newman said. “What everyone is going to be looking at, sadly, is how Mariah and Nicki Minaj get along, instead of focusing on the contestants,” she said. Carey, with more than 200 million album sales, the outspoken Minaj, one of the most exciting voices in rap, and Urban are expected to revive interest in the contest. Last year average audiences dipped below 20 million, and “Idol” lost its eight-year crown as the most watched show on US television to NBC's “Sunday Night Football.” The new panel, rounded out by old hand record producer Randy Jackson, didn't come cheap. Carey is reported to be earning approximately $18 million for the season, Minaj about $12 million and Urban $8 million. “‘Idol' used to have the playground all to itself. After four months of ‘The Voice' and ‘X Factor' last fall, are audiences still going to be excited by ‘Idol'?” Hibberd asked. The new season of “Idol” was making headlines in September, when video of Carey and Minaj arguing during early auditions was leaked online. Minaj also was reported to have threatened to shoot Carey, who said in a TV interview last week that she had hired extra security while filming the show. — Reuters
