Image Credit: Michael Becker/Fox; Toby Canham/Getty ImagesWhen it comes to the new American Idol judges, so far so good, claims executive producer Nigel Lythgoe. EW chatted exclusively with the Idol guru at a red carpet event recently and he had this to say about the new panel, which is auditioning wanna-be Carrie Underwoods and Lee DeWyzes today in San Francisco.
“It’s going great. It is a lot of fun to be there and test out the new judges,” Lythgoe said. “We’re having an awful lot of fun in the audition room. Hopefully, that will translate on to the program. Jennifer Lopez is not making glib over-rehearsed remarks. She’s listening to what they say and how they sound and commenting and being Jennifer Lopez. She’s seen the program and she knows what she’s doing and she is taking it seriously.
“Steven Tyler is giving great criticisms too,” Lythgoe continued. “I don’t think there are any softies on this panel, but if you legitimately wow them, they will tell you. They are still in the studio and working currently. They are still making albums and they really know the current business and what people are looking for, so that makes them great judges and sources of information and advice for these young people just starting out or those going down the wrong career path as it were.”
Today is the last day of auditions until Hollywood week, says Fox. The road auditions officially wrap tonight. – With reporting from Carrie Bell
Wow, Joni Mitchell has really let herself go in that photo.
I thought it was Carly Simon.
LOL Tyler does look exactly like Carly Simon! Never noticed until that photo. Good catch!
And I thought you were talking about Nigel at first.
Steven looks better than the people next to him in that picture. Jennifer does not look good in that picture. Why can’t she try to style it up a little?
Steven definitely looks better than Jennifer. JLO is dressed so plain and boring.
Nigel reminds me of Rachel McAdams from the new movie “Morning Glory”. The story being about: a hotshot television producer that is set the challenge of reviving a show. I think American Idol will be much better with the changes.
can’t stand lopez
can’t stand tyler
Can’t stand jackson
Ugh, Jackson.
I can’t stand you immature bloggers. You’re more annoying and immature than any of those three judges.
Jump the shark anyone? Next thing you know they’ll get Mariah Carey to judge the X Factor. Oops, too late.
Nope. No shark. Calm yourself down.
I’ll still tune in this season to see how the show goes. Isn’t it more about the contestants then the Judges anyways? If the contestants are as lame as last season I’ll have to tune out early again. Why do people not like JLo? Is it the Diva thing?
I think it’s the no talent thing. Unless an @ss counts as a talent.
I thought that was Kim K. there for a minute
OK, terrific, fine, swell! Now fix the )&&*%#$&*()() unlimited texting!
Wow this judge’s panel is pathetic. What were they thinking, seriously?
Show’s over folks nothing to see here.
I LOVE Steven Tyler. Can hardly wait to see the new season with Tyler as a judge.
I’ve watched since season one and will NOT be tuning in this year. Simon made the show, the talent is less than stellar (for many years now), and I DO NOT like J-Lo!! Too bad, really.
Who’s the girl next to J-Lo?
I know! Pretty man.
When the best they can come up with is that the judges aren’t being too nice, that says it all.
Unless there’s another Adam Lambert out there somewhere, Idol is doomed to failure. The bar has been set so high it’s nearly unreachable now. Last season proved it.
Ehhh…. Color me underwhelmed, especially since in another interview Lopez said they’d heard a lot of great country talent. While I know country is a huge industry, it’s of zero interest to me. She also said they’d found 10 to 15 superstars which made me laugh my butt off, as does Idol’s new commercial about “Before they were superstars”. In the nine years of Idol just how many superstars have they really found?
And don’t even get me started on how they doom themselves to irrelevancy by having unlimited texting as a voting option. Argh.
The producers of the show picked Bristol to be on the show, probably for the controversy it would evoke (ratings). Bristol seems like a nice young woman – she can’t help that her mother is in politics. Nor can she help that there is so much controversy about her mother’s political ambitions. Do I like the personality of the other contestants better, yes. Bristol seems rather undeveloped in that area.
Often when I have tried to vote (not for Bristol) I get perpetual busy signals and can’t get through. Manipulation of the phone system by the producers maybe? Who knows. The girl is just trying like everyone else on the show, so ease off on the bashing.
Bristol is not her mother. Now that would be fun (probably painful) to watch Sarah on the dance floor. But from what I have read, most politicians are adverse to possible humiliation, so that is probably never going to happen.
Correct article comment fail
fanned