Minaj videoed in heated exchange at “Idol” auditions

Rap star was seen yelling and cursing in the video posted on TMZ.

LOS ANGELES:

The controversial rap star Nicki Minaj, who recently joined the “American Idol” judging panel, is shown yelling and making heated comments toward her fellow judge Mariah Carey, in a video posted on celebrity website TMZ on Tuesday.

The release of the video, which TMZ reported was recorded during an audition of “Idol”, follows rumours that Minaj and Carey had been feuding.

Minaj, 29, a rap star known for her outlandish outfits, is shown in the TMZ video yelling and cursing. It is not clear from the clip, which is less than a minute long, what might have led to the outburst or who shot the video.

“I told them, I’m not (expletive) putting up with her (expletive) highness over there,” Minaj is seen saying at one point in the video, as she turns toward Carey.

Carey can be heard in the video speaking in the direction of Minaj, but her words are less audible.

Keith Urban, who is seated between the two women pop stars, at one point raises his arms, and fourth judge Randy Jackson — whose tenure on the show dates from its 2002 debut — can be heard saying “Hold up” in an apparent effort to defuse the conflict.

A Fox spokeswoman declined to comment on the video, while a representative for Minaj could not immediately be reached for comment.

“American Idol” has been a ratings juggernaut since it debuted on Fox (Network) a decade ago, but audiences are now only about half the more than 30 million who watched regularly in the show’s 2005 and 2006 heyday.

“Idol” fans were divided about the selection of Minaj for the judging panel. Her appeal to young audiences is seen as the potential key to helping “Idol” regain youthful viewers.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2012.

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