Nicki Minaj at the 'Idol' Season 12 premiere [photo: Jonathan Leibson/WireImage]"American Idol" Season 12 doesn't officially begin until January 16, and it remains to be seen if this upcoming season will uncover/discover a new singing superstar of Clarkson- or Underwood-esque proportions. But judging from a 45-minute "Idol" preview that screened in 11 locations across the nation on Wednesday, January 9--a full week before the Fox network's premiere--Season 12 may already have a breakout star: the one and only Her Minajesty, Nicki Minaj.

Nicki was in fact so watchable, and so unexpectedly likable, that I almost wondered if the whole reason behind that much-hyped Nicki Minaj/Mariah Carey "Idol" feud was Mariah's, well, jealousy. You see, Mariah may've claimed that Nicki once threatened to shoot her, but maybe Mariah really felt threatened by Nicki's massive, scene-stealing, scenery-chewing presence. Because honestly, when Nicki was on the screen this Wednesday, I barely noticed that Mariah, or anyone else, was even sitting at the judges' table. It was totally "The

Happy new year, everyone! It's been quite a year for Reality Rocks, what with two seasons of "The Voice" going up against "American Idol" and "The X Factor"; great new albums from Adam Lambert, Kris Allen, Phillip Phillips, Haley Reinhart, Casey Abrams, Paul McDonald, Chris Mann, Vicci Martinez, and many other singing-show alums; a touch-and-go season for "So You Think You Can Dance" (thankfully renewed for 2013, hurray!); and multiple TV feuds (Mariah vs. Nicki, Adam Levine vs. the Roxy, Christina Aguilera vs. Tony Lucca, L.A. Reid vs. the Over-25's, etc.).

And of course, there were all those judging-panel switchups. "Idol's" Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler getting replaced by Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, and Keith Urban; Randy Jackson almost getting demoted to "Idol" mentor; "The Voice's" Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera taking a hiatus while Usher and Shakira temporarily fill their spinning chairs; L.A. Reid and possibly Britney Spears leaving "The X Factor"; Howard Stern joining

This week, I boldly predicted an upset victory for "The X Factor's" girl group Fifth Harmony--and while that prophecy obviously did not come true (they placed third, behind runner-up Carly Rose Sonenclar and winner Tate Stevens), I can hardly be blamed for believing that these absolutely charming and talented young ladies had a real chance of taking home that $5 million contract. And there's no doubt they'll be getting a lucrative contract of some kind: The rumor circulating backstage right after Thursday night's "X Factor" Season 2 finale was that the group had just signed to their mentor Simon Cowell's Syco record label (and their new website has a Syco logo slapped on it, so there you go). While the girls sweetly declined to comment on that matter when I spoke with them after the show, it was pretty clear that their future is bright, and that it's a future they'll be facing together as a legit group. Their chemistry was the real deal.

Tate Stevens was always the epitome of casual confidence during his "X Factor" run, and nothing ever seemed to faze him--but when speaking to Yahoo!'s Reality Rocks on Thursday, immediately after winning on the show's Season 2 finale, he freely admitted that he almost fell apart when host Mario Lopez announced the big news.

"You know what? I wanted to throw up. It was so intense. I was like, ahhhh! When they called my name, I looked at [my mentor] L.A. [Reid] and I said, 'I won?' And then I turned into a big ol' pile of mush," Tate confessed.