Simon Cowell has long wanted Mariah Carey to play a part in the U.S. version of The X Factor, and according to Deadline, she’s in final negotiations to join the show as a house mentor. How extensive that role will be is still unknown: In the original U.K. X Factor, the mentors were brought in during the semifinals stage to help the judges cull the contestants down to an even dozen and would then depart. Cowell called upon his onetime protégée and close friend Sinitta for that duty overseas, but would upgrade to Carey if the deal goes through; the show is hoping to recruit stars on the level of Beyoncé and Rihanna to help the other judges, though maybe Nicole Scherzinger could tap Cheryl Cole to help her out, just to make things really awkward? [Deadline]