Headlines over the past week have been dominated by a fiery, often
bitter fight, and we’re not just talking about Obama vs. Romney.We're talking about the nasty feud between “American Idol” judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey.
Behind-the-scenes audition video showed the young rapper ripping
Carey with scathing remarks like "off with your head" and "I will knock
you out.” The jaw-dropping outburst prompted Carey to tell Barbara
Walters that Minaj went as far as to threaten to shoot her, which
reportedly resulted in Carey hiring extra security.
While the hatefest has attracted media attention, the viciousness of
the feud could prove to be extremely problematic to family-friendly
“Idol,” experts say.“I believe FOX hired Nicki in an attempt to recruit a younger
demographic and compete with shows like ‘The Voice’ and FOX’s own ‘The
X-Factor.’
But Nicki is extremely polarizing, and from the moment her
addition to the ‘Idol’ judging panel was announced, there were a lot of
protests from longtime viewers,” Yahoo! Music Managing Editor Lyndsey
Parker told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column, adding that the recent fight
video resembled something of a scene from ‘Real Housewives of Idol.’
“Very trashy and very nasty and that is not what a feel-good,
family-friendly show like ‘Idol’ is supposed to be about. Focus less on
the superstar judges and their crazy behavior, and more on the
superstars the show claims it is trying to discover.”
So can Minaj or Carey bow out of 'Idol' if the going gets too rough?
“The short answer is yes. FOX will not be able to force either Minaj
or Carey to stick with the program against their will,” Adli Law Group
P.C. President Dariush Adli, Ph.D., Esq explained. “FOX may well,
however, have recourse to suing them for damages that it will likely
suffer as a result of their quitting, such as the cost of finding a
replacement, the interruption in the program schedule, negative
publicity, etc.”
Carey is most likely to be able to quit without facing a court action by the network or production team, Adli said.“She can claim a legitimate concern about her safety or at least an
inability to fully focus on her role as a judge as a result of this
threat. Minaj, on the other hand, will likely face a lawsuit if she
quits the program for having brought on the outcome,” he said. “In fact,
if they both quit, Minaj will likely be sued on both contracts.”
Legal experts also noted that Minaj could potentially be given the
boot from the talent-seeking show. After all, let’s not forget that
British songstress Cheryl Cole was dumped from “The X Factor” lineup
during last season’s audition phase, and not because she necessarily did
anything wrong, but rather because of concerns over the panel chemistry
and reports that she may not gel with a U.S. audience.
“Celebrity contracts typically include what is commonly referred to
as ‘morals clauses’ or ‘responsible conduct clauses.’ These clauses
recognize the potential negative effects that a celebrity's on or off
camera activities can have on the program with which the celebrity is
associated,” Adli continued.
“Morals clauses give the program the
contractual right to terminate a celebrity contract in the event the
celebrity engages in certain offending conduct or behaves in a manner
that would reflect negatively on the individual's character, and, by
association, that of the program with which the celebrity is associated
with.”
And according to California-based attorney Anahita Sedaghatfar,
Minaj’s contract would almost certainly contain a ‘termination for
cause’ provision, meaning the “American Idol” powers-to-be could
prematurely terminate her standing under certain circumstances.
“Surely this would include threatening to shoot someone. Similarly,
the contract would likely also contain a provision allowing Minaj to
prematurely terminate it under enumerated circumstances,” she said.
“Call me pessimistic, but I cannot help but believe this whole
Minaj/Carey fight was staged. But stunt or not, we are all talking about
the fiasco and ‘Idol’ is getting a lot of publicity.”
Of course, the captured catfight instantly brought about widespread
speculation that it was all a well-crafted publicity stunt designed to
get tongues wagging and boost ratings, which have slipped prominently in
recent years. Yet according to at least one insider, things are indeed
tense behind the scenes, and its likely there will be limited press
opportunities until it “all blows over.”
And not all publicity is good publicity.
“Fiery exchanges can enhance a show, as they did between Simon Cowell
and Paula Abdul. But they can be toxic,” cautioned veteran
entertainment publicist, Glenn Selig. “It could destroy a show and
morale across the board, and get in the way of producing a good program.
The public needs to see Nicki acting professionally, and if she fails
that they will likely lose tolerance.”
FOX declined to comment on the controversy, and the producers of the
show side-stepped around the widely speculated turn of events.
"This is one of the best, most passionate, dynamic and invested
judging panels we've ever had. We love and support all of the judges
and the fantastic work they are doing, and we can't imagine a better
group to find the next American Idol,” they said in a statement on
Friday. “Despite all the accusations and media speculation -- much of
which is inaccurate -- production is going extremely well today and the
judges are focused on finding the best talent here in Baton Rouge."
