New American Idol

Series 12, episode one
Falling ratings require desperate measures in the world of the talent show. Who knows what Simon Cowell has planned to revive ‘The X Factor’? In the meantime, he’ll doubtless be watching the twelfth series of his rival Simon Fuller’s ‘American Idol’, still dominating in the US but with its powers waning a little. So what better way to inject some interest than with one of the biggest names on the planet? Short of Lady Gaga, it’s hard to think of a more talked-about performer than Nicki Minaj over the past year, and pitting her against fellow newbie Mariah Carey on the judging panel could prove a stroke of genius: a spat between the two divas has already been conveniently caught on tape and duly leaked. Ever-present Randy Jackson and country star Keith Urban will be making up the numbers, while somewhere in there a ‘new singing sensation’ may also be crowned… Simulcast with 5*, where the rest of the series will air.