The X Factor‘s lead judge and executive producer Simon Cowell, has reportedly nixed the inclusion of pop icon Mariah Carey as his personally selected guest judge in lieu of a “bigger star”. Cowell was featured in a Good Day New York interview, held in Los Angeles on September 14, 2011, where he spilled the beans on Carey’s inability to fulfill her hotly anticipated role on The X Factor (US) due to New York City’s unfortunate bout with Hurricane Irene.
Find out who the “bigger star” is rumored to be and read the full story after the jump!
The razor tongued X Factor judge is quoted as saying:
“[Mariah was ready to go on] ‘The X Factor’ [U.S.], but her travel plans were canceled due to Hurricane Irene. Carey has a home in New York City, which was one of the numerous cities affected by the hurricane.”
When he was asked about the “Butterfly” singer’s involvement with the show, Cowell dismissively replied:
“She couldn’t judge because of the hurricane, but I found someone bigger.”
As always, Cowell is as shady as ever and effortlessly snide. With reports of Rihanna recently inking a deal to guest judge on the upcoming talent competition, one can’t help but wonder if she is whom Cowell is referring to.
Sure, if it’s a battle of relevance and trendy hair ‘dos Rihanna would win by an overwhelming landslide. But if it’s a battle of raw talent and musical credibility, there’s no question that Carey is the obvious front-runner. Not to take anything from Rihanna seeing as her [single's] chart achievements put her in a class of her own. But the duality of Carey’s career as a commercial juggernaut selling hundreds of millions of records while maintaining a respected level of artistic integrity is the template any X Factor contestant hoping for a long lasting career in pop music should aspire to.
Speculation aside, it’s a shame the new mother of two’s role (which has been rumored since the show was green lit) has been reduced to nothing. It would have served as a terrific platform to jump start the diva’s third decade was one of Pop and R&B’s most valuable players and to reignite interest from the general [music buying] public. As for Rihanna, expect to see her now confirmed sixth studio album to be heavily promoted during her stint on the show; as well as it should. I respect Def Jam‘s bulldozing method to capitalize on Miss Fenty’s global popularity while it still suits them.
What ever side of the fence you occupy you have to admit though, there’s some twisted irony in the unofficial Princess of Billboard inadvertently sacking the official Queen of Billboard. Oh to be a fly on the way during those telephone conversations…
http://toyazworld.com/2011/09/17/rep...-in/#more-9033
