– Of course this episode leads with not only a tease of “the fight,” but video of TMZ talking about it. As if you couldn’t already tell, producer Nigel Lythgoe and the entertainment news website have a pretty great relationship, and it is probably one of the reasons why so many “backstage” “Idol” stories are “leaked” to the outlet.

– Scotty McCreery’s Seacrest impression could use some work.

– Something that annoys me about the “Idol” audition episodes is the time wasted in telling back stories on awful singers. If you want to litter the shows with people who can’t sing, fine, but I don’t need to know where they came from or why they’re auditioning.

– Didn’t think Brian Rittenberry deserved a golden ticket.

– I thought Isabel Gonzalez’s performance showed a lot of poise and maturity, especially for someone only 16 years old.

– The judges handling of Taisha Betha was interesting. Mariah Carey literally didn’t know how to judge her. The fact that she almost didn’t go through to the next round is appalling she was a breath of fresh air.

– We’re going to see a lot of good women country singers over the next couple episodes. The general problem in past years with these performers on the show is that while they’re great at belting out a country tune, when the show shifts to theme weeks and they need to show diversity, they can’t, and it’s reflected in the voting.

– Yeah, color me surprised with Ashley Smith. Thought “Idol” was leading us in to another awful performance, and I was pleasantly wrong.

– Interesting how Candice Glover doesn’t make it out of “Hollywood Week” last year, and this year she’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. I hope that isn’t a precursor for the talent, or lack thereof, to come.

– The whole Nicki/Mariah fight was so anti-climatic. She walked off set. There were a couple bleeps. Big deal.