Ah, another day, another American Idol judging rumor. But this one is more interesting than most.

Mariah Carey has been one of those names hovering on the fringe of Idol contention for the last few weeks, but chatter about her is now intensifying. E! News quotes an unnamed source as saying that there is significant mutual interest between Idol brass and Carey. The source says that Carey has taken note of what hosting America’s Got Talent for the last two seasons has done for the profile of her husband, Nick Cannon, and believes that Idol can help her in the same way. Neither Carey’s people nor Idol spokesmen had any comment. The source added further that the addition of Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler to the panel is all but official, but there won’t be any announcement until Fox is ready to unveil the entire new lineup.

Like Jennifer Lopez, the big name first connected with the Paula Abdul “nice lady” judges’ seat, Carey has past experience as an Idol mentor. Her appearance on that occasion was less than memorable, but Carey would probably represent an upgrade from Lopez if Idol could land her. She’s an even bigger recording star, with hits of much more recent vintage, and her massive vocal range gives her credibility that neither Lopez nor Abdul have. But despite her history of success, Carey has just turned 40, an age at which most dance divas begin to have trouble selling records (and her last CD did not perform well at all). It would not be surprising if she was looking for a lucrative second act, and despite Precious, it doesn’t appear that’s going to come from films.

It’s still an open question if Carey would have anything worthwhile to say as a judge, but if critical skill were what Fox wanted above all else, they could have just kept Kara DioGuardi and ended all the speculation weeks ago. Clearly, the producers are in the market for a major star.

Tags: american idol, mariah carey