merican Idol’s two-night season 12 premiere kicked off on Wednesday, and I was thoroughly entertained by the combination of nice voices, flops, and the obvious tension on the judges panel.
Let’s face it – we love to see the unpredictable talent during Idol’s audition rounds, but what was on everyone’s minds this time was the infamous feud between judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey. When I tell you that the Idol producers are milking this feud, believe me!
The Judges
Beginning with Randy Jackson, he has gotten a lot more blunt/tough over the years and I really like it. Since Simon Cowell left, there has yet to be a judge that can be as cutthroat as he was, but Randy is close replacement.
On the other hand, Keith Urban is very nice and subtle, but that renders him a little boring. While Keith has a great understanding of voice and musicianship, I sort of find him replaceable and not entertaining. I think I just want to hear him speak and/or critique more and I’ll be happy.
Now, Nicki and Mariah – the divas.
When it was announced that Nicki would be one of the new judges on Idol, I nearly lost my mind. After watching the show for 7 seasons, I just didn’t see what she could add to show as a judge or an artist. However, she made me think differently during the broadcast.
First, Nicki was very entertaining. She was energetic and enthusiastic about being on the show, and she took her job very seriously. Secondly, Nicki was nurturing, giving credit when credit was due, but was also sure to give constructive criticism when a contestant was just…bloody awful.
Regarding Mariah, she seemed a little subdued. It was almost like she didn’t really want to be there, and her feedback to the contestants was generally weak. I mean, she is Mariah Carey. 5-octave vocal range. 200 million records sold. There has to be something else for her to say other than “You have a nice tone.” I expected her to come in and school the contestants, but she just sat there and looked pretty, basically.
The Tension
There was apparent tension between Nicki and Mariah that surfaced intermittently throughout the show. The two passed sly remarks to/about each other and it got old fast.
I think I’ve figured out what the deal is between the two. Mariah thinks she is just…the queen. She likes tooting her own horn, and it gets on Nicki’s nerves. Nicki feels as though Mariah is trying to belittle her and she doesn’t like that, as she explained to Ellen DeGeneres earlier this week. Nicki puts her guard up and uses the slick comments as a defense mechanism. Mariah probably thinks that Nicki is just a wreck, and she is destined to prove to her who the real queen is.
Overall, I think Nicki is definitely the one to love right now because she is not only entertaining, but also because she sounds like she cares and knows what she is taking about.
The Talent!
We’ve delayed long enough. Check out a few of highlights from Wednesday’s premiere.
