There are two manners in which the revitalized “American Idol,” which introduces new judges for its tenth season, can achieve success.
The most ideal scenario involves the new panel of Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez rekindling interest in the fading brand and reversing the ratings and buzz decline that has plagued the series over the past few seasons.
A more realistic gradient of success would be for the new trio and format changes to slow the decline and, more importantly, prevent the departure of Simon Cowell from spurring a major ratings drop-off.
Based on audition footage FOX released to critics, though there might be an initial curiosity spike, the former scenario is not likely. The latter is still a possibility.
The screener, which features a half-hour’s worth of audition tape from various cities, reveals a very familiar “American Idol.” There are once again powerhouse vocalists who can wow the judges. There are the cute, innocent underdogs who garner enough emotional backing from the audience and judges to ignore pitch problems. There are the auditions (such as a boyfriend and girlfriend auditioning side-by-side) that rely more so on gimmick and “cuteness” than talent to make waves. There are the moments in which one of the judges tears up with far too little provocation. There are the moments in one of the judges forgets his or her role and tries to “outsing” (or, accompany, as this person conveys) the contestants of limited talent. And, of course, there are the moments in which the judges aim for comedy as they break bad news to undeserving contestants.
The simple answer is that those still intrigued by the “American Idol” format will not be deterred by the new panel. By no means have Tyler, Lopez and Jackson found the “family bond” that the latter judge shared with Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul, but the chemistry is definitely more prominent and developed than that of other talent show judging panels. Viewers will not feel as if the three judges can finish each other’s sentences and share a legitimate friendship off-camera, but over the course of the audition process, the trio definitely develops a genuine, evident relationship. The bond is certainly strong enough to avoid distracting viewers from the “Idol” process they have come to love.
Unfortunately, the new judging panel does little to inject a much-desired “spark” into the aging series. And while the loss of Simon Cowell is not destructive, it remains noticeable due to the fact that none of the new threesome has stepped up as the unflinching ‘leader’ of the panel.
Although Simon Cowell was never the most technically-knowledgeable of the judges, his commercial awareness and absence of a censor created a scenario in which his approval was almost ‘gospel.’ Contestants Cowell “pimped” throughout the process were far more likely to advance to the latter stages of the competition, and those who did not secure his initial approval often could not attain full legitimacy until they changed his mind. Even if Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi and, in all honesty, Paula Abdul had a better ear for the mechanics of the vocalists, Simon’s word carried the most influence.
With this new panel, that “supreme voice” is entirely absent. J-Lo can have an aggressive personality and Randy Jackson seems willing to assume the “voice of reason” and “final say” roles, but neither possesses Simon’s bite nor his desire to steal the spotlight. The result is a panel of three judges who, while different from a personality standpoint, tend to function as a group of equals. While probably more appropriate from a competition standpoint, this dynamic also eliminate some of the valuable dramatic tension that existed when Simon went his own way.
Further, the judges themselves seem to have dampened their larger-than-life personalities for the role. Steven Tyler definitely brings his quirky, off-the-wall antics to the mix, but at the end of the day, is he really delivering anything that Paula Abdul could not bring to the table? Jennifer Lopez is basically just a big-name version of Kara DioGuardi, while Randy portrays a slightly more focused version of the judge America has followed for nine seasons. It is not simply that no one emerges as the “new Simon”–it is that no one emerges as the kind of judge that will generate water cooler discussion.
What was obviously unclear from the random audition footage is how the group will function when it comes to selecting talent in the later rounds. It is pretty obvious which names will get through at the audition level, but as “Idol” producers have to be looking for someone who will generate more post-show commercial buzz than Kris Allen and Lee DeWyze, it is likely that the criteria for an appropriate “Idol” contestant will chagne. One would hope it would, as the show can desperately use a set of contestants that generates buzz in its own right.
“American Idol” kicks off its tenth season at 8PM on Wednesday, January 19.
