Last night's American Idol should have included footage of the infamous Mariah Carey/Nicki Minaj feud, which TMZ broke the news on in October, getting us (well, me, at least) all excited in the process. Instead of hearing Mariah call Nicki a "bitch" in earnest and Nicki yelp, "Off with your head, off with your head," in HD, we got what led up to the ranting and exasperation: a disagreement about pigeonholing a singer who'd auditioned as "country." Nicki ended up storming off, and during the next round of auditions, both parties seemed to be walking on eggshells around each other.

On last night's American Idol, Mariah Carey's irrepressible eccentricity once again took a starring role. She asked a guy with a stutter (in a segment that played my emotions like a harp), "Tell me about the way you speak — is that someone thing you're working on, or...?" She told a young woman, "I know what it's like to sing through tears." She reported that Mariah is "the 62nd most popular name," and you know she takes all credit for that. She said, "Cool beans...salad."

The powers that be at American Idol want us to think that Mariah Carey and Nicki were at each other's throats from the get go, in one of the most ostentatious diva battles pop culture has ever witnessed. Footage from the relatively harmonious first day of filming (when Mariah wore this) was moved to the end of last night's Season 12 premiere to make way for the subsequent bickering that happened as the divas got more comfortable with each other and/or were told by producers to ramp up the animosity. (The first hour of footage that was aired, by the way, was described as the first day of filming.)

Last night, Fox screened about an hour's worth of footage of the first two episodes of the upcoming season of American Idol (premiering Wednesday) to fans and contest winners in movie theaters around the country. It was as weird as it sounds, but thoroughly entertaining. Immediately, it was clear that pitting classic diva (Mariah Carey) against nu-diva (Nicki Minaj) is every bit the genius casting that it seemed to be when it was announced last year. And what's more, Nicki Minaj has emerged as the favorite in this now-legendary, inevitable feud. Minaj wins in the category of what matters most: entertainment value. She is by far the most magnetic persona on the judging panel.

Come next week, we'll get to see with our own eyes if the pop-culture feud of 2012 is as fake as it seems when American Idol begins its 12th season featuring Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj on its judging panel. But until then, we'll just have to take their word for it. Nicki has already weighed in, and Mariah got an extended chance to do so last night on Nightline when she sat down with the always daffy Barbara Walters.

It's being hailed as "the best post on reddit ever."

Here are blessings that Nicki Minaj may or may not be thankful for, as stated on the re-release of the sequel to her first album:

Our big stars are getting bigger. Half of the women who performed on last night's American Music Awards don't have bodies that live up to the perfection we supposedly want in our pop stars and what's more, they put these imperfect bodies on display: it's one thing to show up, but it's a far more brazen thing to emphasize said curves. Last night, Kelly Clarkson, Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj and Christina Aguilera all did just that, to varying degrees.

Nicki Minaj's nonstop commercial/reality show Nicki Minaj: My Truth addressed the pop star/rapper's supposed beef with fellow American Idol judge Mariah Carey during its second episode last night. According to Nicki, she "reached her boiling point" after being "egged on" by Carey and "storm[ing] off" the set. She returned to receive "another jab" from Carey, and that is when she unleashed her rant, which was filmed and then posted on TMZ.

Last night, E! premiered the first episode of the three-part mini-reality series Nicki Minaj: My Truth, which chronicles the pop star/rapper's recording of her upcoming Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded rerelease, the prep for her first wide-scale tour and the first days of her (supposedly tumultuous) stint as an American Idol judge. Generally, we saw Nicki being one of two things: a whining, demanding diva over the most frivolous things (clothes, for example) or an egomaniac convinced that she is doing so much for the world (she called her Pink Friday fragrance a "milestone for hip-hop"). Ninety percent of what she says is in a cranky croak and she smiles only occasionally. She seems like the last person you'd ever want to spend time with.

Everyone can stop worrying: debate expert President Barack Obama has finally weighed in on the Nicki Minaj-Mariah Carey American Idol feud. During an interview with something called "The Yo Show," the president said the following:

Sorry Beliebers and Beliebettes, there's no Justin Bieber sex tape. Not even a measly dick pic either.

Stevie Nicks has apologized for saying she would murder Nicki Minaj. At least she isn't acting like it never happened.

If you think that Stevie Nicks is a bizarre person to weigh in on the Mariah Carey/Nicki Minaj American Idol feud, she'll see your bizarreness and raise you a murderous impulse. Pop music's most cherished witch figure seems to be the last person in the world who doesn't think Mariah and Nicki's public squabbling is a publicity stunt to court interest for the dying brand that is Idol, and that's a great thing because Nicks is saying ridiculous stuff as a result. Stuff like:

Is the Mariah Carey-Nicki Minaj back-and-forth a genuine feud or a ratings ploy? Neither, claim American Idol producers.

Is Nicki Minaj for real?

It looks like the rumors about American Idol judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj hating each other are true. According to TMZ, Minaj snapped and cursed out Carey during a recent audition. After a disagreement over a contestant's peformance, Minaj said:

This week, the music industry looks something like Christmas. It's not that the new music releases are gifts, per se (quite the contrary), but there are so damn many high-profile albums after a relatively dormant summer. This kind of flurry is usually reserved for the holidays. And what's more, together they give as full of a picture of the state of label-based pop music in 2012 as any recent concurrent set of albums. Really, all this week is missing is a neo-boy band. Let's explore:

Who would have thought two pop divas wouldn't be instant BFF?

Are you ready to start caring about American Idol again? Me neither. But here's your Season 12 judges' panel anyway: original judge Randy Jackson (wait, really?), recent addition Mariah Carey, and total newbies Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban.