Mariah Carey handled her spat with Nicki Minaj with ‘poise and grace’

By: Amy Andrews | Published Friday, October 5, 2012, 9:47 AM | Updated Friday, October 5, 2012, 9:48 AM

Mariah Carey

The 'Touch My Body' singer is determined to move on from the heated catfight with her fellow 'American Idol' judge and intends to take the moral high ground.

A friend of Mariah's told People magazine: "She's not going to let this faze her now - the outbursts won't faze her.

"She'll handle [it] with poise and grace. Mariah has dealt with far worse in her career."

Producers called filming to a halt after the judges' disagreement over a contestant turned into a bitter screaming match as Nicki hurled insults at Mariah, calling her "boring as f**k" and threatening "off with your head!".

Mariah's husband Nick Cannon - with whom she has 17-month-old twins Morrocan and Monroe - insists the pop star doesn't want to be caught up in any dramas on the show and is focused on finding the next big singer.

Nick told Access Hollywood: "My wife is the strongest and classiest woman that I've ever met, if you watch the video, she just maintains her composure ... I don't think she's moved by the theatrics and pageantry of it all."

"She signed up to do a job to help young people. This is like a sidebar. I hope that's not what this show becomes, about the catfights."

'American Idol' host Ryan Seacrest has also weighed in on the feud, saying that despite the singer's differences, things went too far.

Speaking on his KIIS-FM radio show, he explained they were "very different individuals ... with different perspective and different opinions that provide for interesting conversation and dialogue and feedback for the contestants.

 "Yesterday it got heated. It was intense, I'll be honest with you."