Most of us are guilty of referring to Jennifer Lopez as a “diva” at various times, although I think that descriptor is a bit unfair in J.Lo’s case. You rarely hear about her being late or acting in an unprofessional manner, although it’s always ALL ABOUT J.LO whenever she’s around. Well, The J.Lo Show is over on American Idol, with Jennifer and Steven Tyler both leaving the show a few weeks ago. Since they announced their departures, AI producers seem to be looking at everybody from Mary J. Blige to Miley Cyrus to Katy Perry to Kanye West. And of course, Mariah Carey. Well, Mariah was officially announced as the newest judge yesterday! THE MARIAH SHOW is upon us.

Out with the old and in with the new! As Us Weekly first reported July 12, Mariah Carey was in talks to become a judge on the twelfth season of American Idol — and now it’s a done deal. “As a singer, songwriter and producer, it’s going to be fun and rewarding to help find new talent and give back with American Idol,” the five-time Grammy Award winner said in a statement July 23.

“I’m currently in the studio working on my new album and its first single, ‘Triumphant,’ which will be out early next month,” Carey added. “I can’t wait to channel my creative energy as a part of this show which is a massive global phenomenon.”

American Idol creator and executive producer Simon Fuller, 52, says he is “proud to have one of the world’s greatest-ever female singers join our show. Mariah defines the word ‘Idol’ and will inspire every singer that has the honor of performing in front of her.”

Carey’s hiring comes just weeks after Jennifer Lopez, 42, and Steven Tyler, 64, announced their departures from the FOX smash. Judge Randy Jackson, 56, is expected to return for Season 12; he has been with the show since its inception in 2002.

“Randy has been working with Mariah for a long long time and is her co-manager,” Kevin Reilly, president of entertainment for FOX, said. “Randy was very instrumental in doing this deal.”

Carey served as a guest mentor during Season 7 of American Idol, with David Cook covering her hit “Always Be My Baby,” Jason Castro singing her smash “I Don’t Wanna Cry” and Carly Smithson eliciting applause for her rendition of “Without You.”

Previous American Idol judges include Simon Cowell, 52, Paula Abdul, 50, Kara DioGuardi, 41, and Ellen DeGeneres, 54. “I am so excited to be on Idol,” Carey tells Us. “I can’t wait to get started!”

[From Us Weekly]

When I wrote about the possible replacements last week, this is what I said: “You know Mariah would be a glorious trainwreck and people would simply tune in to see THE MARIAH SHOW, also known as American Idol WITH MARIAH CAREY… And Kanye… well, if Mariah is on board, then I really hope and pray that Kanye signs on too. Because that would be MAGIC!! Kanye + Mariah = MUST SEE TV.” I stand by that – what if what if what if American Idol hired Kanye West next and Kanye and Mariah had to sit next to each other and try to out-crazy, out-diva, out-ego each other for months at a time? It really would be AMAZING.

Oh, and the anti-Mariah contingent was already out within minutes of this announcement – TMZ reported that when Mariah was a guest mentor in 2008, she was an unmitigated “nightmare”. Sources say Mariah “was incredibly late for her shoot at the Beverly Hills Hotel, ‘not very nice at all,’ and ridiculously nitpicky about tiny details.” Tiny details like her lighting, her own special wind machine (which she won’t share, even for Kanye), the camera angles, her chair, her makeup, her hair, being contractually allowed to break into song at a moment’s notice, etc, etc. You know the trainwreck is coming. It really will be an epic experience. Simon Fuller is going to rue the day.

PS… We didn’t talk about money, did we? Nick told people last week that if they wanted Mariah, they were going to have to bring the $$$$. TMZ says Mariah’s first year contract is worth $12 million, but I’ve heard other (higher) figures too. Also: it was an either/or thing with Mariah and Jennifer Lopez – producers were interested in Mariah, but they didn’t pursue her until J.Lo stepped away.

Photos courtesy of WENN.