American Idol is amping up the star wattage.
The Fox singing competition has increased its celeb quotient, adding rapper Nicki Minaj and country singer-songwriter Keith Urban to a Season 12 judging panel that also will feature pop diva Mariah Carey and original judge Randy Jackson.
The new additions, rumored for some time, were announced Sunday by Fox. The quartet was scheduled to attend its first audition session that day in New York.
The panel touches most of the major music bases as Idol, which returns in January, will have its first judges with backgrounds in rap and country. Minaj, 29, known for explicit, animated lyrics and sexy, outlandish costumes, has seen her career powered by two hit albums, Pink Friday (2010) and Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012). The Starships singer uses several alter egos in her rhymes and has a base of rabid fans who call themselves "Barbies."
Grammy winner Urban, 44, who last week announced he was bowing out of Australian's version of The Voice, released his sixth studio album, Get Closer, in 2010. It follows 2009's platinum-selling Defying Gravity. The Nashville-based singer, married to actress Nicole Kidman, was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/tv/story/2012/09/16/idol-names-its-judges/57789354/1
