‘Idol’ arrives in Baton Rouge

After multiple celebrity sightings Thursday and Kevin Kimball of TJ Ribs posting to Facebook that his restaurant made a late-night delivery to Mariah Carey—the pop star ordered fried green tomatoes, red beans and baby back ribs—225 confirms that American Idol is in Baton Rouge shooting promotional videos with Three (One) O, a production company, as well as conducting official auditions that could end up airing as part of Season 12 of the hit Fox series. Carey has been seen in downtown Baton Rouge, as have new judges Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban. Longtime judge Randy Jackson, a Baton Rouge native, is also here, as well as host Ryan Seacrest, who was spotted filming a promo Thursday near Hotel Indigo. “They just had a big to-go order that they picked up today too,” Kimball says of the crew. “They hit my chicken wings pretty hard.” Security is tight, says 225‘s source, who is close to the shoot but requested anonymity. The schedule is in flux, and the show’s arrival has been described as a “last-minute” decision, but Idol is expected to wrap its Baton Rouge shooting this evening or, at the latest, Saturday. “They couldn’t say enough about how well they were treated in Baton Rouge,” Kimball says of Carey and her entourage. —Jeff Roedel and Adam Pearson