1. Nicki Minaj to Mariah Carey: “I’m Gonna Knock You Out”
Can’t say we didn’t see this coming. Round one of the highly anticipated celebrity grudge match between American Idol judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey got underway during Tuesday’s audition in North Carolina. In a video obtained by TMZ, the rap queen came out swinging with a verbal barrage filled with stern warnings for the pop legend.

“Get this s— in self control, get in control, get in control,” Minaj barked at Carey as fellow judge Keith Urban sat between them. “Don’t lose your head. Don’t lose your head. Don’t tell me I’m a gangster.” [MORE]

2. Rihanna Is Top 5 on Forbes’ Highest-Paid Women in Entertainment
Rihanna can add another ranking to her list of accomplishments. The 24-year-old singer landed at No. 4 on Forbes’ Highest Paid Women in Entertainment list in a tie with talk show mogul Ellen DeGeneres. Rih Rih earned a cool $53 million this year from all of her performances, album sales, endorsement deals and other business ventures. She is the second highest-paid Black woman on the list with Oprah Winfrey still holding the No. 1 spot. [MORE]

3. Fat Joe on Reconciling With 50 Cent: “This Is for Chris Lighty”
On stage during the taping of the 2012 BET Hip Hop Awards, one of the most memorable moments came when old rivals 50 Cent and Fat Joe joined forces to pay tribute to their fallen manager and mentor, Chris Lighty. In a recent interview with Philadelphia’s Hot 107.9, Joe explained how Lighty represented a human link between he and 50 and how the Violator founder always wanted the two to reconcile. [MORE]

TAGS: 50 Cent, American Idol, BET, Chris Lighty, Ellen DeGeneres, Fat Joe, Forbes, highest paid women in entertainment, Hip-Hop Awards, hot 107.9, Keith Urban, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, Oprah, Rihanna, TMZ, Violator