Mariah back to Sony?

CONNECTING THE DOTS: Those reports that Mariah Carey will join her onetime Island/IDJ label head L.A. Reid as a judge on The X Factor (see 4/19 item below) has inevitably ramped up speculation that Carey is headed back to Sony Music, where she first achieved superstardom at Columbia. In case you haven't been following along, X Factor creator Simon Cowell is one of Sony Music’s biggest earners via his Syco label, and Reid is expected to take a key post at Sony under his former UMG boss Doug Morris. (4/20a)