Here’s what critics around the interwebs are saying about last night’s American Idol 12 New York City premiere. You can read my recap here.
Nicki, Mariah Fuss as ‘American Idol’ Premieres in New York – But rather than focus on the talent that came to the audition room over two days, much was said and shown of the rivalry between the show’s female judging crew. From the get-go, the pop legend and superstar of today got in their little kicks, from the moment the latter walked into the room with a furry drum major hat. “We can have accessories? I didn’t know that was allowed. That’s the last thing I’ll say,” said Carey snarkily, prompting some choice stares from the rapper/singer. Later, Minaj could be heard whispering “she’s a b*tch, she’s a b*tch” through clenched teeth, Mariah announcing that she’d rebuke it if Nicki was, in fact, calling her such a word. – Read more at Billboard
‘American Idol’ Season 12 Premiere Recap: All Hail The Turbanator – With the gauntlet thrown down, the Fox singing competition made its case, even throwing the success of the judges — Randy Jackson, Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey — in the viewer’s face. And what of this new face of Idol? When the season 12 curtain was raised in New York City, it became glaringly obvious that this was not the warm and fuzzy “we love your story, so yes” judging panel of yesteryear. – Read more at Hollywood Reporter
‘American Idol’ season premiere recap: Mean Girls – Welcome back to Mr. Dawg’s Wild Ride, one of the longest-running attractions in this fantasyscape we call Reality! American Idol is back, and set squatter Randy Jackson’s got a new trio of friends, two of whom hate each other. Don’t worry, it’s fun! You’re going to LOVE watching Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey come up with hundreds of slightly different ways to paraphrase “You’re an old bitch” and “You’re a talentless hack.” Really! Just look at Keith Urban. He’s thrilled about it. – Read more at Entertainment Weekly
Colton Dixon Blogs the ‘American Idol’ Season 12 Premiere – I’m not going to lie, I was totally rolling my eyes at Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj in the beginning of the Season 12 premiere. It almost got annoying at how much bickering was going on between the two. On the bright side, I absolutely loved Keith UrbanI think he did a phenomenal job at keeping everyone cool. – Read more at Hollywood.com
‘American Idol’ Season 12 Premiere Recap: Mean Girls – Well, now that Season 12’s first full episode has finally aired, the answer to that burning question seems to be…yes and no. “When you add three incredibly passionate performers to the panel, you know there’s going to be a bit of personality conflict,” warned host Ryan Seacrest, and Nicki and Mariah’s clash of egos/hair/outfits/personal assistants definitely did dominate the premiere’s proceedings at New York’s Lincoln Center. Within the first half-hour of the show, in fact, they’d squawkily, squeakily bickered about everything from Mariah’s diva demand for more ice in her conspicuously branded Coca-Cola cup, to Nicki’s decision to wear a distracting drum-majorette hat, to Nicki’s familiarity or lack thereof with the dialogue of the film Mean Girls. – Read more at Yahoo.com
American Idol Season 12 Premiere Recap: Prepare for Shock and Claw Tactics [Updated] – Still, after watching American Idol‘s very promising Season 12 premiere, I’m pretty certain of one thing: No matter how Nicki Minaj and her expressive eyebrow perform over the next several months, she’s not going to “save” the show from its annual ratings slippage — oh how 99 percent of programs wish they had those kinds of problems! — nor will she “destroy” The House That Kelly Clarkson Built. Ditto for The Lady Carey, she of the gigantic voice, fragile ego, keen ear and penchant for delicious bitchery. Or the other new judge, Keith Urban, who’s got great hair and a sweet, thoughtful demeanor. (Randy Jackson, well, he always has the potential to ruin everything.) My point here is — and every die-hard Idoloonie knows this — Fox’s ubiquitous singing competition will always live or die based on its contestants, not on its all-star panel. – Read more at TV Line
‘American Idol’ Premiere Recap: Crushing Dreams Isn’t As Easy As It Seems – Before we can get to the contestants, we have to address the judges. The surprisingly snoozy Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler have been ushered out and replaced with Minaj, Carey and Urban, who gives the show some country cred, even though he’s Australian. Rounding out the panel is Idol mainstay and pitch policeman Randy Jackson. It’s a fiery mix of talent and ego that should make for a dynamic season. – Read more at Rolling Stone
American Idol Recap: The Battle of Who Could Care Less –
So this is Season 12, and our judges’ table is 75% new; in addition to Minaj and the right side of Carey’s face, we are joined by Keith Urban, an Australian country star I could tell you almost nothing about. He seems like a friendly enough guy, but I expect more sophistication out of my Aussies. Modern country is a phenomenon we’re stuck with in America; I am suspicious of anyone with better native music choices who aspires to be Kenny Chesney. Good hair, though. But the real star of the show is going to be the ongoing feud between Nicki and Mariah, which is a thing that I officially do not buy. Sure, I can imagine that they wouldn’t get along terribly well, but neither one is a good enough actress to sell any serious beef. Instead, we just get a lot of sighing, imperious Mariah, and frisky, tooth-baring Nicki, and it’s my impression that they’re both like this all the time. – Read more at Vulture
12 Lessons From Last Night’s American Idol Premiere – 1. The producers love the Nicki-Mariah interplay so much, you could hear them rubbing their hands and thinking “Catfight!” This is obvious from the TMZ leaks, and the myriad interviews, and the way their arguments were peppered throughout the show, from the opening argument about Nicki’s “accessories” on down. While I would love for Mimi to bring her dog along to one of the auditions just to make a point, I hope this doesn’t turn into a mini-Kara-vs.-Bikini Girl thing on the regular. – Red more at Popdust
