Hasta La Creative!

“American Idol” will begin its 12th season Jan. 16 heavy with hopes that tension between new judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj will reverse, or at least arrest, the show’s eroding ratings for Fox.

The entertainment press has done its part to set up some drama, reporting that Ms. Carey hung up on producers when told she’d be co-judging with the more theatrical Ms. Minaj and posting video of the two in a screaming match. Even if the purported duel draws viewers for the network, however, what will it do to the divas’ own businesses and brands? Here are four things each performer ought to keep in mind:

Not all publicity is good. If there can be only one cautionary tale in post-millennial pop culture, thy name must be Britney Spears. The years since her well-publicized 2007 meltdown have found her healthy-ish but visibly anxious and uncomfortable whenever cameras are around. On the new platform of Fox’s other signing competition, “The X Factor,” pre-taped audition episodes portrayed a surprisingly thoughtful and critical Spears, but that looked liked creative editing once when the live portion of the season began. She had almost nothing to say, and producers reversed one of her first live eliminations (13-year-old standout Diamond White) without explanation the following week. Her one opportunity to promote a new music video turned into a punch line after she cringed her way through host Mario Lopez’s introduction. Her reported $15 million paycheck seemed increasingly preposterous considering her failure to deliver a ratings bump, and already rumors are rampant that she’s been dumped from the show. All in all, a new dent in the Britney Spears brand.

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