The MARIAH CAREY / "American Idol" rumors aren't going away.  Deadline.com claims Mariah is,  "finalizing a deal" to join "Idol" as a judge.  Supposedly, it's worth $17 MILLION for one season.  For comparison, we've heard JENNIFER LOPEZ made $12 million her first season, and $20 million last season, although recent reports say she only made $15 million last year.  And BRITNEY SPEARS signed on to do "X Factor" for $15 million.

Last week, Mariah's husband NICK CANNON said, "I don't know if they can afford Mariah Carey . . . they gave J-Lo $20 million, they might have to double that."

There's no further update on the rest of the judging panel.  J-Lo and STEVEN TYLER are OUT, and there's talk that RANDY JACKSON is moving from being a judge to a mentor.

The list of rumored potential judges includes:  Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Miley Cyrus, Fergie, Will.I.Am and Adam Lambert.