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19 March 2024

JLo, Tyler unveil warm fuzzy side of 'Idol'

From left to right, singer Steven Tyler, singer Jennifer Lopez, musician Randy Jackson at the American Idol Season Ten judge announcement in Inglewood, California on Wednesday (AP)

Published
By Reuters
New "American Idol" judge Jennifer Lopez sparkled in a silver jumpsuit, and said she could never make cruel remarks to an aspiring singer.
Steven Tyler said his Aerosmith bandmates were jealous when they first learned he would join the judge's panel on American television's No1-ranked show, and he rambled about his "Idol" gig "resonating with his career."
And everyone in the "American Idol" gang acknowledged on Wednesday that British judge Simon Cowell was "irreplaceable," but said the talent show's focus would return to the contestants.
New beginnings
"Season 10 is like the remix. It is like a new beginning for what 'Idol' is. These two are so talented...I think it worked out the best it ever could," music producer Randy Jackson, the only remaining original judge on the three-person panel, told a news conference after Wednesday's judges' announcement.
The hiring of Tyler, 62, and Lopez, 41, as the two new judges on "American Idol" marked an injection of glamour and hard rock star power to the 10-year-old show. They replace Cowell, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and songwriter Kara DioGuardi as the judging panel returns to its original three-person format.
But asked who will take Cowell's place as the "villain" on the new panel, both superstars looked blank. "I believe in tough love, but I don't think I will ever, as an artist myself, be cruel to another artist. I think there are definitely better ways to say things," Lopez said.
"It's not about role playing," said executive producer Nigel Lythgoe. "It is about being themselves."
Flop stars
Lythgoe also dismissed media reports that Lopez, the star of movies such as "The Wedding Planner," made "diva demands" for her "Idol" contract, calling previous stories "so much rubbish."
Both Lopez and Tyler are joining America's most-watched TV show after recent career setbacks. Lopez's last movie "The Back-Up Plan," flopped at the box office in a disappointing comeback after she took time out to raise her twins with third husband, singer Marc Antony.
Tyler had a second spell in rehab for prescription drug addiction a year ago and has just finished an Aerosmith tour marked by public feuds with bandmates.
"This was thrown on me. I looked on it as a great opportunity," the rocker said. "With the band – we have been married for 40 years. They are worse than women...At first they were jealous. They heard it through the press and not from me...I am sure they are real happy for me."
Lopez admitted that despite being a fan of "American Idol" (and a former guest mentor) she "kinda raised my eyebrows at first" when approached.
"My career has always been the type that has been changing and evolving...It felt the right thing at the right time for me...I am going to give it 100 percent and my whole heart and passion," she said
Asked if they had any plans to perform together on the show, they laughed.
"I don't know! We haven't really talked about it...There's always the finale," Lopez said.
More dancing
Show producers announced other big changes to get away from what they called the "karaoke" feel of the show when it returns to US television in January 2011 after a four year ratings decline.
Universal Music executive Jimmy Iovine will act as an in-house mentor and will be featured behind the scenes working weekly with aspiring pop stars as they compete to become the 2011 "American Idol."
Major record producers like Timbaland also will work with the contestants, but celebrity guest mentors will not be used and contestants must dance more. The moves are a bid to find genuine stars like first champion Kelly Clarkson who went on to a Grammy-winning career.
"We are 10 years old and we are being given the opportunity to recreate the magic," Lythgoe said. "We have got to go back to creating an 'American Idol.'"
Tyler said he wanted to "bring some rock to this rollercoaster".
"I want to give everybody a little love before I decide who goes home heartbroken. If you don't like what I say, don't get mad, get better," the colorful Aerosmith showman added.
Declining viewership
"American Idol" has generated huge advertising revenues for Fox over the years and boosted record sales and digital downloads for early winners like Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.
But despite being the most-watched TV show in the United States for eight years, "American Idol" has lost about six million viewers since 2006, and recent winners have largely failed to translate their success into chart-topping careers.
Lythgoe said that contestants would no longer be made to sing different genres each week, like country, disco or rock, but would be encouraged to perfect their own original style.
"It has been alleged we are a bit of a karaoke show," he said. "We have a whole new set of rules. We are not just going to copy tracks. And they are no longer just going to be standing there, like shoe-gazers. We will want them to move. I want the focus to go back on the kids and their talent."
Brian Friedman, one of the executive producers of TV show "America's Got Talent", said "Idol" needed changes to keep it fresh. "The last thing you want is your studio audience and viewers at home to be able to predict the show. You have got to keep everyone on their toes," Friedman told Reuters.