OK, so the word is out that Nicki Minaj is close to joining Mariah Carey and Randy Jackson as a judge on American Idol.

Does she need Idol for a continuation of her career or does Idol need her as a way to pump up ratings for the coming season? Probably a lot of both.

Personally, given the choice I’d go for Adam Lambert but I’d really rather see someone on the panel with a longer shelf life as a judge like , say, Bon Jovi … but then again he doesn’t need the gig…