Mariah Carey in "Serious" Talks to Join American Idol

In case you haven’t heard, American Idol is going through some incredible changes right now.  It’s such a shakeup that, really, it’s hard to know whether show can survive.  When Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell left, people thought that the reality competition would suffer but the producers made the genius choice of keeping Randy Jackson, a judge that the audience was familiar with, and adding Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.  Not only was their chemistry decent but having two actual current musicians adding credibility to the competition.  Plus, Lopez was more helpful than many expected and no one can argue about Tyler’s entertainment value.

Now, the Aerosmith frontman has officially quit so that he can focus on his band, Lopez has voiced her uncertainty about her future on the panel and there have been rumors about the producers wanting to replace Jackson. Maybe it is time for something completely fresh but they would have to pick the perfect people to completely revamp Idol and, if the rumors are true, they may already have one megastar interested in filling the role.

Could Mariah Carey be the savior Idol execs are looking for?  The 42-year-old, according to a source says: "She's in play. They are in serious talks."

Really, it could be just as beneficial to her as it could be for them.  Look at what it has done for Lopez’s career?  She was able to perform on the show, promote herself and being on people’s television screens every week allowed her to connect with viewers in a more intimate way.

I hope it happens. I think it could be just what Carey needs to springboard her career back to where it needs to be.