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Here’s my take on ‘American Idol’s’ new judges
Well, that was underwhelming.
After months of speculation, leaks, refusal to comment, re-leaks and more speculation, the Fox network revealed the makeup of the judging panel for Season 10 of “American Idol” Wednesday via a live press conference marred by technical difficulties and a marked lack of enthusiasm from the assembled throng.
It can’t be a good sign that “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest felt compelled to ask the crowd if they were excited after the announcement that Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler and singer/actress Jennifer Lopez had joined Randy Jackson on the reality show’s judging panel. If they were, it should have been obvious.
It has been common knowledge for weeks that the pair, who replace departing arbiters Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi, were the network’s picks, lacking only today’s official announcement. One of Tyler’s band mates spilled the beans some time ago and speculation on Lopez’ salary demands have dominated recent entertainment news.
Tyler called the new gig fabulous and wonderful. “It feels like the perfect feathered nest,” he told Seacrest, adding, “I’m gonna bring some rock to this roller coaster.” He advised contestants to sing like they do when nobody is listening.
Lopez was, surprisingly, a bit less coherent, speaking in motivational soundbites and leading me to hope against hope that her judging style will lean more toward Paula Abdul than DioGuardi.
“Just live,” she said.” It’s your moment” (I will admit that “living” is probably a good strategy for those who want to make it to the end of the competition). Lopez explained that she would be looking for “the next Michael Jackson,” a pronouncement that seemed to underwhelm the crowd — if only Jackson could have benefited from her advice a couple of years ago.
Seacrest began the event by stating “the world has been awaiting this news for quite a while.” Actually, the world had waited for a while, but I think they got tired of waiting long before Wednesday. I know I did. I think Fox strung this process out well beyond the point where even the show’s most loyal fans were interested and it doesn’t inspire confidence for how the network will be able to reverse the show’s decline.
The introduction of celebrity judges tempts me to make a snarky comment such as, “way to make it all about the contestants, ‘Idol’,” but I think that really gets to the point of this whole mess: with the program showing ratings vulnerability for the first time last season and the departure of Cowell, always the most fun and popular part of the show, “Idol” may not be able to suffer another year of the embarrassingly low level of talent that last year’s hopefuls displayed. Should that happen, producers are clearly (and cynically) counting on the star power of Tyler and Lopez to entertain. I don’t mind watching Tyler and Lopez perform; I’m just not sure how much I am going to enjoy watching them watch others perform.
I hope I am proved wrong, but I am afraid that “Idol” really is no longer mainly about the contestants.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: American Idol, Entertainment, Reality TV
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By Angie S.
September 22, 2010 5:44 PM | Link to this
OH GOSH - jennifer lopez... what a joke. Well, no harm - I had stopped watching it when Paula left any who... onward!