With the recent departure of Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul from the reality television show X Factor, we’ve really been thinking about recruiting some new judges for the X Factor. So has everyone else, apparently — as the entertainment news world seems to be focused right now on making fantasy picks. Who would your fantasy picks be to judge the music competition? Mariah Carey? Beyonce Knowles? Or perhaps someone older and wiser who has already enjoyed a long and profitable career in the music business? Perhaps one of the hard rocking women from the Baby Boomer generation? Here’s a few of our suggestions…
Looks like everybody is getting into the act of making suggestions about who to hire as X Factor judges to show creator Simon Cowell. Billboard is offering their suggestions for their Picks to Replace Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger. The Billboard suggestions list is full of pop divas like Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, and Fergie. Other websites that report on reality television news are saying they hope he hires Beyonce Knowles or Madonna. But Mariah Carey‘s name is the one that comes up more often in conversations, and her name is on the Billboard list as well.
The new celebrity mom of twins Roc and Roe is settling in to the motherhood role. Her husband Nick Cannon says if his wife Maria Carey is planning to work on X Factor, he does not know anything about it. As emotionally protective as he is of her, but it is hard to imaging him encouraging her to take a job where she has to work for Simon Cowell, the known terror. She’s be great on American Idol, but not on his show. For that reason, even if he has offered her a ton of money to appear (with rumor mills reporting Cowell has given her well into six and even seven figures), it’s not likely she’ll be willing to take so much time away from her babies and husband to work for him.
While we think Mariah is a sweet lady who would make a great judge (since many of the contestants would most likely be auditioning while singing her songs), we think it’s time to break the mold of the pop diva judge.
With the recent antics of Steven Tyler, we’re really convinced that Steven Tyler on American Idol has set the stage for what America wants, a crazy hard rocker from the baby boomer generation. And with the departure of two female judges, it only stands to reason that the replacement needs to be a woman.
Grace Slick is one rock star who might fill the bill of being an X Factor judge. She is rock and roll royalty as one of the very first true hard rocking women. Unlike American Idol judge Steven Tyler, who at a spry 61 years old and still rocking, Grace Slick is 72, and has not been active in the music business lately. To that end, she may be able to mentor the contestants in a gentle way like Carey could have while encouraging a work ethic that will give these kids a lifelong advantage in the music biz that they could carry through to retirement.
But, hiring Grace Slick would have a disadvantage, as her music tastes are likely to be dated. Finding a judge who listens to new music as well as being someone who helped create the classics will most likely make or break them as a reality television competition critic. To that end, everyone is starting to turn their attention to suggesting Simon Cowell be courting slightly younger (but still hard rocking) women.
What about two women from the same family? How about sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson from the great American rock band Heart?
Heart rose to fame in the mid 1970s with music influenced by hard rock and heavy metal as well as folk music. Ann Wilson is 61, the same age as Steven Tyler, and sister Nancy is 57.
To date, Heart has sold over 30 million records worldwide. Heart has achieved Top 10 albums on the Billboard charts in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2010s with chart singles in each decade. This span of over four decades places them among the most commercially enduring hard rock acts of all time.
Their first Billboard single was “Crazy on You” in 1976. They are probably best known for their 1977 hit song Barracuda.
Besides being two of the most successful female rock stars of the baby boomer generation, Ann and Nancy Wilson are great role models for any generation. Nancy and Ann and Nancy Wilson have done charity concerts for the Canary Foundation a non-profit organization dedicated to cancer research. In 2010 they took part in We Are the World 25 for Haiti a charity single recorded by the super group Artists for Haiti. Earlier this year Ann’s personal gold record from 80′ “HEART” album release was auctioned for charity. Coming up in February they plan to play a benefit for Cal State Fullerton to raise funds for academic enrichment and student scholarships.
We’re not sure if they’re interested in becoming X Factor judges, but they would sure add a mega-dose of creditability to the panel. The Wilson sisters are a credit to the world of rock and roll, and are outstanding citizens. And these ladies still rock!
Who would you like to see become a judge on X Factor now or in the coming years? Let readers know your fantasy picks in the comments section below.