It’s official. Mariah Carey will take one of the vacant seats on American Idol this coming season.

Just minutes ago the singer-songwriter took to Twitter to announce the good news.

It’s gonna be so much fun working on @AmericanIdol. As a singer-songwriter, I’m excited to help find and nurture new talent. LYM! –MC

— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) July 23, 2012

One of the lead contenders to join the show, Carey’s salary is expected to be in the $12 million range which is the same amount J.Lo saw her first year on the show.

“It’s the biggest recording artist than any of these [singing competition] shows have ever had,” Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly said during a press event today. “It’s an artist many of these contestants have tried to emulate. [The deal] only concluded only hours ago. Not being the only game in town we need to keep things fresh.”

Entertainment Weekly reports that Randy Jackson will stay on board, despite speculations that Idol producers might completely clean house at the judge’s table. Not only did they keep Jackson, but they appear to have brought in a member of his family: the veteran Idol judge is also Mariah’s manager and was involved in her negotiations. As such, he might also take a percentage of her Idol fee.

Now with one judging seat left open Fox is expected to find another male judge to add to the mix. Numerous names have been tossed around, including former AI contestant Adam Lambert. Lambert says he’s happy to be considered.

“Idol has an amazing history of introducing great musical talent, and I was very fortunate to have had the Idol stage play a big part in my career,” Lambert told The Hollywood Reporter. “IF Idol wants to talk to me about Judging, I’d be more than flattered to have that conversation.”

-Annie Reuter, CBS Local

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