The 'American Idol' judges and host Ryan Seacrest cover the new issue of TV Guide in advance of the Season 12 premiere next week.

Not only do new panelists Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj reveal their contestant criteria and judging styles, but they also claim the show is drama-free, after the threats heard 'round the world between Diva 1 (Mimi) and Diva 2 (Minaj.) We hope tongues are firmly tucked in cheeks there. They also reveal who the real diva is and it might surprise you.

The feature points out that Carey and Minaj sit next to one another during the first day of Hollywood Week shooting and compare notes, displaying a camaraderie in contrast to the beef that was broadcast all over the web a few months ago.

Panel mainstay Randy Jackson even joked that it's Urban is the problem, causing all the drama. He joked that the country superstar seems quiet and unassuming, but he's the one making life miserable. That poor guy, getting sucked into the mess! "If you look at Keith, he looks like a mild-mannered guy, but we have so much drama," Jackson said.

Minaj revealed her judging style, which is more concrete and not rooted in concepts or intangibles, like being inspiring. "I try to use comic relief. Everybody wants to come in there talking about 'inspiration,'" Minaj said. "Ugh! That's not real to me. Maybe I want to know what color socks you have on because that's going to spark something in you. Nobody says, 'I want to inspire the world and I am going to stand on the mountaintop!'"

Jackson assessed this year's panel, saying, "You have a broad range of very passionate advice and opinions. You want everybody to stand in their lane with passion and conviction." Now that's a politician's answer if there ever was one!

Minaj also said she doesn't want to be part of a show that's "cheesy and corny. My role is to bring some sort of a twist so that [singers] don't come in here with these cliché answers all the time." Well, Nicki, some might argue that 'Idol' is sorta inherently cheesy and corny...

That said, that "diva" Urban offered some insight into how things are working this season, and how Minaj is exerting her influence. "Sometimes there's swaying," he admitted. "Like when Nicki has passionately believed in someone and we've all said no, she's managed every now and then to turn us around by pointing out a few things we might not have been thinking about."

Carey downplayed the gun threats and battle with Minaj, saying "To me, the show is such a freakin' massive entity that nothing should matter to the public but that. It's American Idol. It's bigger than life and bigger than any stupid whatever."

Perhaps Jackson, the sole remaining member of last year's panel and the original panel, summed it up "best," saying, "We're getting along. It's just a lovely family, and in a family, there's never drama." We're OD'ing on the sarcasm.

Is the media circus over? Tune in next week and find out.

Watch 'American Idol' Season 12 Promo Feat. Mariah Carey

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