American Idol Judges Announced At Last! Can Nicki And Mariah Get Along?

Finally, the full line-up for the American Idol judging panel has been announced. It's been such a long time coming and has received so much media coverage, that you'd be forgiven for thinking that the race to become an American Idol 2012 judge is what the show is all about. You would be wrong. There's a whole, lengthy talent show contest to come after this debacle. The actual race. To become one of the American Idol winners.

It was probably not much of a surprise to see Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban sat alongside Mariah Carey and Randy Jackson at the New York photo-call yesterday (September 16, 2012) but we reckon they'll make for a pretty interesting panel. There have been suggestions that Mariah was none too happy to hear that Nicki would be joining her on the show so it'll be interesting to see how those two get on, for a start. Neither one of them is exactly known for their diplomacy, after all. And how refreshing to see a country music star in the mix; after all, many of the final contestants turn out to have country music leanings so it makes sense for the show's producers to put someone on the panel who really understands the genre.

E! Online posted a photo of the American Idol judges, plus host Ryan Seacrest, who has become a mainstay for the programme; Nicki Minaj was clearly keen to stand out from her colleagues and opted to wear a luminous yellow, pink and orange wig. Beat that, Mariah!