This week Nicki Minaj officially said goodbye to her judging gig on “American Idol,” (as did Mariah Carey) but at least the YMCMB rapper can look back on the season with fond memories. Some of Nicki’s best moments found her doting on contestants with oddball nicknames, almost storming off set in protest, calling Mariah Carey “sir” and even offering her a Q-Tip onstage.

Those Crazy Nicknames
Though some people criticized Nicki for her decision to accept the “Idol” judging gig, it was clear from the start that she was the most entertaining figure on the panel. Every week she blessed contestants with stranger and stranger nicknames (see: “Gumby,” “Finger Licking Good” and “Ladybug”) which spawned the trending hashtag #NickiNickNames for a bit.

Showing Up Late, Then Dishing About Waffles
Showing up late to work is never a good look, but if you’re Nicki and traffic gets you stuck running behind–when you do show up, just talk about waffles a lot. “Sometimes when I wake up everyday…if I’m not working I’ll eat waffles, like, buttermilk waffles, and then I’ll have to have Aunt Jemima buttermilk syrup on it. I’ll toast it—but then I never burn it—I’ll put in the microwave and then warm it up a little bit, and that’s what that performance felt like to me.”

Almost Walking Off Set In Protest
Sometimes, no one understands you, and in that case threatening to leave if one of your favorite contestants gets voted off is the way to go.

Telling Mariah Carey To ‘Simmer Down, Sir.”
Mariah and Nicki continued to bicker for almost the entirety of the season, and in one of our favorite moments the YMCMB rapper tries to get the singer to take a down a notch by asking her to “simmer down, sir.”

Offering Mariah Carey A Q-tip
“Simmer down, sir” didn’t get through to Mariah Carey clearly enough, so next Nicki offered her a Q-tip to “clean them ears out.”

Bringing Drake to “American Idol”
“Idol” contestant Candice Glover was open and honest about her love for Drake, even covering one of his songs on the show, so Nicki did her a solid by asking the Toronto rapper to show up for a quick cameo, which sent her through the roof.

Source: MTV.com

Count on Mariah Carey to beat Nicki Minaj to the punch…or on Minaj to steal Carey’s thunder.

Either way you look at it, the divas’ time butting heads on American Idol is over. Fox announced today that Minaj will not be returning to American Idol next season less than two hours after Carey’s exit was announced.

“Nicki Minaj is a superstar who brought a level of honesty and passion to American Idol and who had a tremendous positive impact on so many contestants this season,” Fox said in a statement. “Given her extremely busy career, we understand and respect her decision and wish her the best.”

Minaj tweeted after the announcement:

“Thank you American Idol for a life changing experience! Wouldn’t trade it for the world! Time to focus on the Music!!! Mmmuuuaahhh!”

Producers counted on Minaj and Carey to stir up ratings for the long-running singing competition, but their so-called feud fizzled by the end of auditions.

Jennifer Hudson has signed on to be a judge in season 13, and producers are also reportedly chasing alums like Adam Lambert and Clay Aiken to join as well. Kelly Clarkson, we’re told, had been approached but will not be taking part in the new season.

Will you miss Nicki on Idol?

Source: EOnline.com

If the rumors are to believed, Nicki Minaj soon won’t have American Idol as a platform with which she can reach young fans.

She’ll be off the show almost as soon as Season 12 concludes.

But the eccentric singer does cover the latest issue of Teen Vogue, hoping her past experiences can shape the future of many followers out there.

“Every time my parents fought, my mother would have us move and I would have to go to a new school, which meant I’d have to face the task of making new friends,”

Nicki said, adding:

“I encountered jealous girls a lot. What it came down to is that the bullies wanted me to bow down to them and I just wouldn’t.”

Minaj said she got into a few fights, yet everyone knew she was not going to be “pushed around.”

But the artist has taken a different approach with virtual criticism, saying of negative messages across various social media networks:

“I used to read the bad things people said about me. Then I asked myself, ‘Why am I reading that when I have millions of people saying great things?’ You cannot give negativity power.”

Hear that, younger generation?

“I tell teens… If people keep taunting you and you keep reading it, it’s poison,” Minaj said.

Makes perfect sense to us.

Source: TheHollywoodGossip.com

The “socially awkward” semifinalist of American Idol season 12 Charlie Askew recently sat down for an interview in which he spoke about being on the show, and the criticism on his final night from our favorite judge Nicki Minaj! Read his comments below.

“I was hurt by what Nicki said, but the reason wasn’t because she was critiquing me in any negative way. I’m used to that. I do this for negative and positive criticism,” he said. “But all the comments she kept throwing out there were about my image and my outfit and my arms… and not the singing! And I thought of all people she would understand where I was coming from with this performance. It was almost hypocritical of her … She changes her image every day, you know?”

Alrighty Barbz, this post isn’t actually Nicki Minaj news in-direct, but it did catch my eye enough to decide to post it. While over at the Ledger-Enquirer reading a live-review of tonight’s LIVE episode of American Idol on FOX! Whilst finishing up my reading, I noticed that there was one comment on the post and I’ve noticed that anytime someone comments on an Idol post, they will have something to say about Nicki, whether positive, negative, or down the middle. This comment leaned in the Queen’s favor and just goes to show that no matter who you are, where you come from, what genre(s) of music you listen to, etc. anybody can see the good in Onika Maraj. This comment is by a 50 year old woman who has been a long time Idol fan; read her comments below…

“i have watched american idol since its first episode of the first season, i have missed a couple episodes and 1 time it was because i was in the hospital. this being said, i truely believe the nicki minaj, as strange as she can be, lol, is the best woman judge idol has yet to have, in my opinion. all my thumbs up to u nicki, im an old woman,50 lol, and i just love all the wierd, strange things u say, and I love to hear ur honest opinion. TY!!!!” – Diane Neufeld

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/04/17/2468176/american-idol-top-5-live-blog.html#storylink=cpy