Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Is anyone surprised that Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey won’t be coming back to American Idol?

The only surprise in my mind is that the announcements came so soon.

So often, American Idol has left us to speculate about these things … for months on end.

But Mariah’s management tweeted yesterday that the singer needs to focus on an upcoming world tour. The Miguel song called “Beautiful” has Mariah’s name on it and is apparently an international hit, so it’s time to capitalize on that success, darling.

Nicki tweeted that it’s time for her to focus on music as well.

FOX and Idol producer FreemantleMedia released a statement complimenting Nicki for the “honesty and passion” she brought to the show and said they’re sure Mariah will be an inspiration to “Idol hopefuls for many seasons to come.”

Bottom line: No way was Mariah coming back. She was a disaster, probably the worst judge in the recent history of singing shows. Yep, even worse than Britney Spears on Season 2 of The X Factor.

I mean if I’m going to be bored to death, I’d rather suffer through 10-word critiques from Britney than 350-word critiques. Which is about how many words it took Mariah to tell Lazaro Arbos he missed a key change.

I mean, this was a woman who couldn’t even get a standing ovation right. Twice, she said she would have stood. But once her dress was too tight. And once the train of her dress was caught in the leg of her chair.

Life as a diva is really tough, you know.

As for Nicki, I never expected her to be around for the long haul. Everything she touches — and she does an awful lot of collaborating — seems to turn into Hot 100 gold.

Given the current state of singing show judging, where cheerleading seems more fashionable than critiquing, I though Nicki did a decent job on Idol.

Of course, the judging came with its share of drama, from the feuding with Mariah to the unprofessional Twitter tirades. And let’s not forget when she failed to show up on time for the first show of the Season 12 finals. That was an Idol first.

But, really, what did Idol expect when it signed her on?

Anyway, Mariah and Nicki are now Idol history. So is Randy Jackson. Keith Urban will probably join them as a former Idol judge sometime soon.

So let’s start thinking about a new Idol panel. There’s been lots of talk that the show might want an all-alumni group for Season 13.

If so, here’s my dream panel …

* Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert. He was always eloquent in his dealing with the press during his Idol run, was impressive during his stint as an Idol mentor and would likely be a straight-shooter, willing to criticize when criticism is warranted.

* Season 1 champ Kelly Clarkson. She has said she wouldn’t be a very good judge. But she’s been involved in singing shows in other roles and has never shied away from speaking her mind, even when the topic isn’t singing.

* Season 5 contestant Kellie Pickler. Fresh off her winning season on Dancing with the Stars, Kellie’s profile has never been higher. She’d bring a country presence to the judging panel on a show with lots of country music fans. Not to mention a fantastic sense of humor.

Let the negotiating begin.