The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, January 14, 2011 2 coverstory In with the new ’American Idol’ gets a fresh start ments with something posi- tive as well. Randy Jackson is the sole returning judge on “American Idol” By Kyla Brewer TV Media I t’s tough when old friends go their separate ways, but new possibilities often arise as a result. Such is the case with Simon Cowell and his de- parture from the show that made him a household name in the U.S. The producers of Fox’s “American Idol” hope to bol- ster the series with some fresh blood this season, as Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez join stalwart Randy Jackson at the judge’s table, while Ryan Seacrest returns to his post as host. Aspiring singers take the stage to audition as Fox spices up prime time with a newly re- vamped “American Idol,” be- ginning Wednesday, Jan. 19. The winner of this season’s competition will snag a lucra- tive recording contract, but first he or she will have to make it past the judges as they choose the best of the best to move onto the finals. As the frontman for rock band Aerosmith, Tyler knows a little something about success in the music industry. Aeros- mith is the best-selling Ameri- can rock band of all time, and Rolling Stone has named him one of the industry’s best sing- ers. A self-made star, Lopez is equally qualified to judge this year’s hopefuls. The actress and singer started out as a dancer and worked her way up the ranks to become a singer who’s sold more than 55 mil- lion records worldwide. Many “Idol” fans may be bidding good riddance to the acerbic Cowell, but when the Brit announced in January 2010 that he would be leaving “Idol,” some wondered whether the show would sur- vive without him. Throughout the past nine seasons, audi- ences have loved to hate him as he shared his brutally hon- est opinions of the perfor- mances. He may have gotten his fair share of “boos,” but he also gave many viewers a rea- son to tune in. Fans are left to wonder whether a new villain will emerge this season, and who might fill the role. Initial reports don’t look good for such a rogue, as Lopez describes her judging style as paradoxically “tough, easy and fair.” In interviews, Tyler has also expressed sympathy for the young auditioners. ”I want to give everybody a little love before I decide who goes home heartbroken,” said Tyler. “I’m ready to bring some rock to this ‘roller’ coaster and show these kids if they have the dream, the talent and the drive, they will be the next American Idol.” It’s unlikely Jackson, who sometimes sided with Cow- ell, will be anything but his straight-up, generally posi- tive self. Even when the for- mer A&R rep-turned-reality star has had something un- pleasant to say in past sea- sons, he tempered his com- Guest judges could fill the villain void, but it remains to be seen who, if anyone, will join the judge’s table from week to week. In the past, celebrities such as Gene Simmons, Shania Twain and Mary J. Blige have added their two cents, but no reports of such guests have yet surfaced for Season 10. It appears that producers have opted to go back to the original three-person judges panel, as in the first several seasons with Cowell, Jackson and Paula Abdul. Singer/song- writer Kara DioGuardi shook things up when she joined the crew as a fourth judge in Sea- son 8, and when Abdul left the show the following year, come- dian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres signed on as the fourth judge. Both DeGeneres and DioGuardi left the show at the end of Season 9, paving the way for Lopez. Cowell-style banter may not be on the menu, but the new season of “American Idol” does have a lot of potential. This year’s hopefuls have a new way to reach for their dream. In September, the show’s first online auditions were announced. “American Idol” partnered with global on- line community MySpace to al- low singers to submit an audi- tion video at myspace.com/ americanidol. Those who entered were asked to perform one of the songs from an approved list in a 40-second clip. Some of those auditioners will be se- lected to advance to callbacks in Los Angeles. The site also al- lows fans to share videos and watch highlights. Starting this season, produc- ers have lowered the minimum age from 16 to 15, perhaps in an attempt to expand the scope of the show, which has been waning in the ratings. Chirstopher’s Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: I was playing a trivia game with the in-laws and this came up. Apparently, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck had a short-lived drama that allowed viewers to win $1 million. Do you remember this? A: The folks involved in that show -- and not just producers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck -- are making sure that everyone remembers “Project Greenlight.” The short-lived HBO reality-competition show included a contest to choose a winning script and then documented the production of that script into a feature-length film. It aired for three seasons, though they ran nearly two years apart, and the third aired on Bravo instead of HBO. That said, they produced a few notable films, and a few no- table filmmakers. The second season’s final film was “The Bat- tle of Shaker Heights,” released in 2003 and best known for launching the career of a mostly unknown former child actor named Shia LaBeouf. The third season resulted in the horror film “Feast,” released in 2005, which spawned two direct-to-video sequels. It also, inadvertently, helped spawn an even bigger film -- the much- anticipated sequel to last year’s “Pirahna 3D.” Have a question? E-mail us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Crazy Tom's 2 x 3