warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Mariah Carey Should Have Never Said Anything

Vanessa Gomez |
November 19, 2013 | 12:00 p.m. PST

Columnist

Mariah Carey said working on "American Idol" was like "going into every day in hell." (Twitpic)
Mariah Carey said working on "American Idol" was like "going into every day in hell." (Twitpic)
Sometimes it feels like the same celebrities are always in the entertainment news headlines, negatively or positively; Justin Bieber, Jennifer Lawrence, Miley Cyrus, just to name a few. But this week, one celebrity surprised many people in an interview bashing a previous job she had. Yes, I'm talking about Mariah Carey. She is the headline of this week's biggest entertainment story. 

The previous judge on "American Idol" was asked by Angie Martinez on HOT 97 FM if she enjoyed her experience on the show. Carey's response?

"Noooo, honestly I hated it," she said, laughing afterwards. 

She continued, "I was led to believe I was the first person signed on." 

She said that she didn't want to sound negative, but clearly she did and just shouldn't have said anything to begin with. She did not blatantly say she didn't know Nicki Minaj was going to be another judge, but it is definitely implied. We all know the feuds that occurred between Minaj and Carey throughout Season 12 though and how they weren't too fond of each other. It seemed like there was too much "diva" in one room for both of them to handle. Carey said she knew Randy Jackson was a judge and thought it wouldn't be a big deal, but she went on to compare it to being in hell. 

"It was like hell, going into work every day in hell with Satan," she said as she covered her eyes and started laughing. "No, I'm just playing," she continued. 

No you're not Carey. We all saw the feuds between her and Minaj and it's pretty clear what and even who she was referring to when she said it was like working in hell with Satan, aka Minaj. She wouldn't have said anything to begin with if she didn't feel that way. Let's back up a bit here though. It wasn't officially announced how much Carey earned for being a judge on the singing show, but Forbes reported that the show spent $54 million on salaries for Carey, Nicki Minaj, Keith Urban, Randy Jackson, and host Ryan Seacrest that season, so we can only guess several million dollars went to Carey. I understand it's hard to work in an environment when you don't get along with people, but this is absurd. If you're earning millions of dollars to be a judge on a singing competition, there shouldn't be this much complaining. Suck it up and quit acting like a diva. Sorry Mariah Carey, but people have to work in environments with people they don't like every day and they are earning thousands of dollars a month, not millions. Sometimes, they quit their jobs if it gets that bad, but a lot of the time, people don't have the option because they have to support themselves or a family. 

I'm just disappointed she even said anything about her bad experience of being a judge on American Idol because she should have just left the subject alone. If she really didn't enjoy her experience that much, then she should have just said exactly that instead of what she did and go into comparing it to going into hell every day. It couldn't have been that bad. 

She also started talking about the "politics" of the singing competition. We don't know what goes on behind the scenes, so I can't comment whether there are politics or not. But what I do want to talk about is her comment about not wanting to deal with the politics of the show and she would have liked to handle giving the singers a chance. 

"I don't have to sit here and do this. I would prefer to just put this person in the studio, record a record with them or tell another producer, you know you should produce this artist because they're beautiful, they can sing, and they're talented," she said. 

She really does live in her own world. Carey, just because you were found when you were young because you have an amazing voice, you need to understand not every singer is that lucky. Not every talented singer can be introduced to a producer and start recording their first album. That is the point of singing competitions, like American Idol, to give these singers a chance. They can't just go into the studio and record an album with you. Most of them have tried putting their name out before going on American Idol and it hasn't worked. If you want to take the singers you thought were talented into the studio, then why don't you do it? 

The cherry on top of everything though was at the end of the conversation when Martinez asked her, "So it wasn't your favorite thing to do?" 

"I like being in a studio better and going on my own tours, etc. So we're going back to that," Carey said. 

Sorry? What? I'm trying to comprehend this right now. You like working on your own singing career Mariah, instead of helping other singers be found? You like working for yourself and bossing other people around because you're in charge? That sounds great. It kind of just solidifies my point that she has no idea what it's like to work in the real world with people you don't necessarily get along with. I mean, I should give her credit for at least finishing out the whole season without quitting right? But then again, she signed a contract so I'm sure she would have lost the millions Idol was paying her if she quit. 

I'm not denying the fact that Mariah Carey is one crazy talented singer. I own her album "We Belong Together," and there are quite a few times I have had the windows rolled down in my car singing at the top of my lungs to "Always Be My Baby." I'm a fan of her singing career. But the bottom line is that she should have handled the interview better. I don't think she should have bashed on working on American Idol like she did because she came off sounding like a diva and just ridiculous. It could have been avoided if she would have just plainly said I didn't enjoy my experience and didn't give the details. 

Reach Columnist Vanessa Gomez here. Follow her on Twitter here



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.

 
ntrandomness