TVSquad

Part of the excitement of American Idol is the anticipation over who will or won't be making an upcoming guest-star appearance. Last year, Rod Stewart and Stevie Wonder stopped by, bringing star power and increased legitimacy to the show. Simon Cowell recently told Entertainment Weekly that there is a chance that ex-Beatle Paul McCartney may be making a guest appearance on American Idol this season. And Randy Jackson said he might be able to persuade Mariah Carey to get "in this game."

Last year, many people thought that Prince didn't need American Idol and poo-pooed rumors about his possible appearance. But it turns out Prince DID appear in the final show, proving that even mega-stars have a hard time turning down the lure of 26 million viewers (average). For older performers, such as McCartney, AI allows him to remain relevant and hip to a brand-new generation of music-buyers. This talk about McCartney may be all hype, but I tend to believe that this is one of those rumors that will prove to be true.