Above, the American Idol judges Nicki Minaj speak to E! News about the 12th season of the singing competition. Nicki talks about her judging style, the contestants, the chemistry of the judging panel, and more!

8:00 p.m. ET Philip Phillips performs “Home.” You turned a pawn shop worker into a star, America!

8:02 p.m. Ryan uses his serious voice to tell us that “history has shown that an American Idol can do anything.” Really? Has anyone told Taylor Hicks this? Oh, and the stars of previous seasons have dominated every facet of the entertainment industry. If, by dominating they mean Jennifer Hudson.

8:03 p.m. Time to meet Keith Urban. He seems perfectly pleasant. And then…

8:04 p.m. Nicki Minaj is bringing “a little style” back to the table. She’s the first female solo artist to have seven singles on the Hot 100 at the same time. She’s one artist everyone is clamoring to work with! Except, um, probably Mariah Carey. Who has not only a “five octave range,” but is “the definition of diva.”

8:05 p.m. “It’s amazing… because it matters. It’s a dawn of a brand new season. Together, we’ll take the journey that defines a nation.” Jeez, I’ve heard less hype during an election cycle.

8:08 p.m. The judges arrive, and as Mariah Carey gets out of her limo, someone says, “Oh, she is fabulous.” NIcki Minaj gets “Oh. My. God.” We do not get the fabulous entry for Randy or Keith.

8:09 p.m. Nicki declares everything “so bobilicious.” And, then the Mariah-Nicki fighting begins! My, that didn’t take long, did it? Mariah sniffs that she would have brought her dog if she had known they were allowed to bring in accessories, gesturing toward Nicki’s feathered drum major hat. Nicki tells her to play nice, and then they start talking about whether or not Mariah was giving Nicki’s hat dirty looks in the elevator and I think I’m already a little bored with this.

8:10 p.m. Michael Buonopane of Saugus, MA has to stomp onto the stage singing his own lyrics about “American Idol” to Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” He’s got a big personality, perhaps too big, because he keeps riffing through different genres (did I hear the Four Seasons in there? And reggaeton? Really?) without taking a breath. I don’t think he’s all that bad, though he blows a few notes, but that’s probably nerves. But clearly, I’m too kind. Randy and Nicki quickly give him no votes, while Mariah gives him a yes just for kicks. Mike tells her “‘All I Want for Christmas’ is the best modern-day Christmas song,” which leads to…

8:11 p.m. A genuinely weird exchange between Mariah and Nicki, in which Mariah tells Nicki in a flutey voice that “All I Want for Christmas” is still number one 17 years later and Nicki thrusts out her fists and grimmaces and Mariah says, “If she calls me something that starts with a B and ends with an itch, I rebuke it. I had to watch this twice to have any idea what happened, and I’m still not sure.

8:16 p.m. We return from the commercial break to watch Mariah and Nicki getting their hair and make-up fixed during a break. And why are we seeing this? Because they’re fighting! Mariah says, “I wanna lose three pounds,” which Nick helpfully informs her she can offer her advice. Mariah sighs and explains that “I wanna lose three pounds” is a quote from “Mean Girls,” and if she knew “Mean Girls” she’d, like, get that. But Nicki DOES know “Mean Girls”! But does she know who said this? If I shut my eyes, I can imagine this is an argument between two 11-year-old girls. Because, really, it is.

8:17 p.m. Ryan explains that our new judges are very “passionate.” So, we get a brief montage of Nicki and Mariah spewing passion at one another. Mariah calls her daaahling and Nicki makes faces and clawing motions.
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Fresh from her appearance on “Leno” last night, Nicki Minaj was back on the couch on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” The red-hot rapper spoke about her “strenuous” experience taping “American Idol,” her feud with Mariah Carey, and her dating life.

“It was just two big ol’ divas, I guess,” said Nicki, who explained how it all started. “I heard them saying Mariah doesn’t want you on the panel, but I was saying, ‘No, I’m friends with Mariah.’ And I was like arguing with people, like, ‘Don’t believe everything you read. You’re crazy!’”

While she didn’t want to believe it, she eventually noticed the awkwardness. “I went there and I started feeling a little bit of the shade. I overcompensated by being crazier.”

According to Nicki, the dueling divas have buried the hatchet. “We’re fine. I cannot hold a grudge against Mariah Carey. What people don’t understand is that I’ve looked up to her for so many years. … I don’t know if she’s gotten over it, but I have.”

However, she is not looking forward to the live shows because of the potential conflict. “I don’t want anyone on the panel to say something crazy ’cause I don’t want to look like a crazy psycho again,” said Nicki, who insisted she is not crazy.

While she claimed the ring on her finger is not a wedding ring, she remained coy about her love life. “I don’t have anyone,” she smirked, adding, “It has to be someone very secure because it’s so easy to feel insecure.”

With a pink mic in hand, Nicki hit the stage to perform her Re-Up single “Freedom” underneath chandeliers.

With only one day left until the premiere of “American Idol,” Nicki Minaj paid a visit to “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on Monday. Looking grown and sexy in a short dress and pink blazer, the outspoken rapper discussed her new day job, reflected on her early career, and recalled auditioning at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art.

She told Jay about her first acting gig, where she was paid $750. But despite her charm, she wasn’t able to steal the spotlight from her co-star, who was a porn star.

If she was president of the United States, the self-described “aggressive” driver’s first order of business would be to legalize illegal U-turns.

She also spoke about the crazy “Idol” auditions and one of her favorite contestants, a girl she nicknamed “Big Crazy Barb.” Tune in to the two-night premiere on Wednesday to find out why Nicki is “obsessed” with her.