Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesAmerican Idol could end up glittering next season after all.
Mariah Carey is still in negotiations to sign on as a judge, a source exclusively tells E! News.
"She wants it," says the source. "She's seen what America's Got Talent has done for [hubby Nick Cannon] and thinks it will be a good career move."
When contacted Thursday evening for comment, a rep for Carey didn't confirm or deny, responding only that there is "nothing to report."
Several sticking points remain, but we hear that Fox is optimistic that they will make a deal with Carey.
The network did not return a request for comment.
The source familiar with negotiations adds that the show's deal with Steven Tyler is "all but a done deal" and an announcement will be made after the entire judges table is filled.
Right now, the source says, the ideal plan is to have Randy Jackson, Tyler and Carey, with a possible alternating guest judge's chair. "Randy and Mariah have great chemistry," says the source. However, nothing is set in stone as of yet.
In case you never heard Jackson say it before, he and Mariah have worked together. Wink-wink.
The source adds that returning executive producer Nigel Lythgoe prefers a three-judge panel, but what ultimately happens will depend on how the remaining negotiations pan out.
—Additional reporting by Whitney English
(Originally published Aug. 18, 2010, at 6:23 p.m. PT)