Can Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler help save "American Idol"? After months of rumors and speculation, it was officially announced on September 22 that Tyler (the lead singer of Aerosmith) and Lopez have joined "American Idol" as judges on the show that, every year, awards its winner a major record deal worth approximately $1 million. Lopez and Tyler’s judging stint on Season 10 of "American Idol" begins airing in January 2011 on Fox, although the two stars will actually be a part of the "American Idol" audition process that will be taped in advance in the autumn of 2010. Lopez and Tyler had their "coming out" as part of the "American Idol" team at a September 22 media event in Inglewood, California, that included a press conference to talk about this new phase of "American Idol."
The big upheavals in "American Idol’s" star personnel and the show’s declining ratings have been well-documented in recent years. In 2008, original judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul were joined by a fourth judge: songwriter Kara DioGuardi. In 2009, Abdul exited the show over a reported contract/salary dispute, and Abdul was replaced by Ellen DeGeneres. Six months after Cowell announced in January 2010 that Season 9 of "American Idol" would be his last, DeGeneres also quit the show. Not long after DeGeneres left "American Idol," reports surfaced that DioGuardi’s contract was not renewed.
At the "American Idol" press conference following the announcement of the new "American Idol" judging panel, Lopez and Tyler sat down with Jackson, "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest, "American Idol" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, Interscope Geffen A&M Records chairman Jimmy Iovine (the who has been named "resident mentor" for "American Idol," as of Season 10), "American Idol" executive producer Ken Warwick and Fox president of alternative entertainment Mike Darnell to talk about the new direction of "American Idol." The word "evolution" came up quite a few times, but the panelists also went into specifics about major changes that people can expect from the show.
Obviously, the first question is: "Who will be the heir to Simon Cowell as the toughest judge?" Who will be the new villain?
Jackson: I don’t know if there will be. I don’t think we thought about trying to replace him or do any of that. I think we will all have our moments of toughness and nurturing and sweetness and everything. I think we’ll all have moments of that.
Lythgoe: It isn’t about role playing. It’s about being yourself. That was Simon’s character. We’re hoping that everyone’s going to be honest and remain in their own characters, which was why they’ve been chosen: to bring their own talent.
Darnell: We’re not looking for a replacement. We wanted who they are and what they’re going to bring to it is unique and individual. It’s a whole new time.
Jennifer, can you comment on how tough you’ll be?
Lopez: How tough will I be? I believe in tough love, but I don’t think, as an artist myself, I could ever be cruel to another artist. I think that there are better ways to say things and still get your point across. I’ve mentioned it on the show before. I think people have seen that and can feel how I’ll be. Or maybe they’ll be surprised. I don’t know.
Lythgoe: I think Jimmy Iovine will bring a lot of toughness to it. He’s our music czar. He’s going to be our advisor on it. And he’s the type of guy that can look you in the eyes when he’s heard your CD, throw it in the bin, and say, "Not good enough." Different animals, A&R people. Totally different from artists.
Steven or Jennifer, what was it like watching all of the rumors and speculation play out in the media about you becoming an "American Idol" judge? Did you feel like having an impromptu press conference to clear up the rumors?
Tyler: It was a bit of a dream come true. It was on tour when this was thrown at me. I looked upon it as a great opportunity. And then when I found out who was on board, I threw down right away. Right away. As far as tough love and loving people, I’m sure we’re going to send some people home with a broken heart, but with all we’ve been through in our careers, we’re living vicariously through the young talent out there. It’s going to be hard, but it’s also going to be fun, because they’re stepping up to the plate, and so are we.
Steven, how are you going to bring more rock to "American Idol"?
Tyler: By my melodic sensibility, by my sense of time, by what I see and hear. You spot it, you got it. So it should be very easy for me. I’m looking forward to it.
Jennifer, the video package they showed before this press conference mentioned the headlines about your supposed "diva demands" …
Jackson: [He clears his throat loudly] Easy, easy!
Lopez: Whoa! I’ve got brothers now! That felt so good. I’m just used to being up here by myself when you ask me all of those questions.
What’s your reaction when you see headlines like that?
Lopez: I’m kind of used to it. After as many years (I don’t want to say) in this business, I’m used to that kind of stuff. I’m used to speculation. I mean, I was calming the Fox people down, like, "Listen, it’ll be gone tomorrow. Once they hear who we are and what we’re doing, it’s going to be fine. Don’t worry about it." We know what the truth is. The truth always shows itself in who you are. And so I wasn’t really worried about it, to be honest. I’m looking forward to getting started.
Lythgoe: There’s so much rubbish out there. I said to Jennifer today, "We heard that she only like yellow M&Ms." I’m thinking, "Who’s going to pick them all out for her?" And she said, "No. Where did that come from?" There are so many stories out there.
Darnell: And I can tell you from the Fox vantage point: The deal was not tough. There were no diva demands. It was a really easy, comfortable deal with both of the parties [Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez].
Lythgoe: It was only getting dates together.
Darnell: Yeah. Schedules and dates and those types of things, but they were typical deals, to be frank.
Nigel, can you talk about any changes to the "American Idol" format, starting with Season 10?
Lythgoe: Yeah, I think having Universal [Music Group, the parent company of Interscope Geffen A&M] there is fabulous. They’re certainly going to look at the uniqueness of the artist. You know, we have been — and it’s been alleged and rightly so — a bit of karaoke show, purely and simply because we redo songs that people know. I think what’s going to happen now — and Jimmy, you’re the best one to speak to this — is that we’ve got a whole new set of rules that are going to come in. We’re not just going to copy the tracks that have been there before.
Iovine: We’re going to try every week to really bring the artists along, really give them some input. And we’re going to try and show that. Nigel’s been coaching me on how we’re going to fit that in the show. We’re looking for originality. We’re not looking for somebody who sings like Whitney Houston. We’re looking for somebody who’s influenced by Whitney Houston but brings her own stuff to the game. And we have producers like Timbaland and Polo [Da Don], who will be working every week …
The kids have been told, "Sing better." Someone has to work with them every week on performance, on style, and also make the songs they do have some originality as well. They’re doing a cover song. That’s one thing, but we’re also going to bring originality to that cover song as well. I think you’re going to see great improvement every week on the artist, and I really like to show the people that are voting who are in the audience that progress — and make that a piece of the puzzle, where they vote.
Lythgoe: And certainly, the middle rounds felt a little uncomfortable to all of us. What this does for us in Season 10, we’re having these icons here, is we’re no longer protecting a brand. Once something works, and over the last nine years, you don’t mess around with it too much. We’ve now been given the opportunity. And we are now 10 years old. We’ve now been given the opportunity of recreating the magic we started with. And I think those middle rounds, we’re now finding other ways to do that, so that we actually present to America who we think the best singers are.
Iovine: Can I interject? Every week, we’re going to have the best producers in the world working with these artists. And they’re going to be bringing them along the way they would bring any artist that’s signed to Interscope along every week. I think you’re going to see a remarkable difference from week to week — much bigger than it was in the previous shows, the previous airings. So it’s going to be an entire new construct of bringing artists. If you stand somewhere one week and you sing, the next week, you have to show improvement in your presentation, in the way you sing, in everything. And they’re going to be brought in every week for two or three days, and work with guys like Timbaland and Polo and myself, to a certain extent. And I think you’re really going to enjoy what you see in that area.
Lythgoe: And they’re no longer just going to be standing there. What do you call that when you just stand there, Steven?
Tyler: Shoegazers.
Lythgoe: Shoegazers. We’ll want them to move. Artists nowadays just don’t stand on the spot.
Warwick: They need to present themselves a lot better, for instance, than they did last year. As producers, we got six of them hiding behind a guitar and just, "Sing sing, jang-a-lang." "Next week’s Rock Week." "Sing sing, jang-a-lang." Same thing. So it’s going to be a big step up musically. It certainly is. And so far, the talent we’ve seen — I know we say this every year — it will surprise a few people.
Darnell: Plus [there was] a record turnout this year [at the auditions]. It’s really been amazing.
Will there still be guest judges on the show now that Jimmy Iovine is on board?
Lythgoe: We’ve got three judges that we’re really happy with, and that’s what we’re sticking with: three judges. However, it’s always open, if anybody else wants to come along that we feel will add to this and help us, absolutely, there’s a possibility of using guest judges.
Warwick: If Jimmy said, if these songs are Elton John, great! And if Elton phone up and said, "Guys, if you want me to come along and give my opinion," then we’d be silly to say no.
Lythgoe: At the moment, no mentors. Jimmy is the resident mentor.
To the judges, have you had a chance to spend much time together? And do you think you’ll have as much chemistry with each other as other "American Idol" judging panels have had in the past?
Lopez: Yes, we spent time together.
Jackson: Yeah, we spent a lot of time together now. And this is kind of a natural fit, because we’re all from different sides of the music scope. We all have known each other for a while. I’ve known Jennifer for a while. I’ve known Steven for a while. Ryan [Seacrest] has known them both. So I think we’re going to have a lot of cool camaraderie. I think you’re really going to love this.
Seacrest: What’s great about Jennifer and Steven, obviously, they’re idolized by the contestants who are auditioning for the show. But Steven, if you follow Aerosmith, and if you get a chance to get to know the guy and sit down with him, there’s an innocence about him. There’s a massive heart and soul inside Steven Tyler. And I was surprised. It was really neat to get to know him on that level. And with Jennifer, she’s done it all, and she knows how to do it all, and she’s a perfectionist at it all. So just adding something like that to this is something that we’ve never experienced before.
Jackson: And let’s face it: All of those kids out there auditioning are hoping in their wildest dreams that they could have a career one-twentieth as successful as these two [Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez] right here. In fact, I would say to most of those kids, "These are the idols." This is what they look up to. I think we’re going to have a lot to share, and between us, we’ve just got such a bond already, just naturally. I think it’s going to be on fire.
Lythgoe: And all relationships grow. If you look way back at Season 1 of "American Idol," we had Randy, who was in love with music; Paula [Abdul], who was in love with the contestants; and Simon, who was in love with himself. So that relationship grew across the board.
Jackson: Ryan, who is also in love with himself. [He laughs.]
Seacrest: [He says jokingly] When Jennifer said to me after the introductions, "Should we change for the press conferences?," I knew it was a match made in heaven. I said, "Absolutely!"
Jackson: We’re all going to change a lot.
Darnell: Ryan is wearing one of her outfits. Isn’t that right, Ryan?
Seacrest: For now.
Jennifer, can you also talk about something else that was announced today: your first-look deal with Fox Films?
Lopez: It’s a first-look deal. When we started talking about working together, we started talking about an overall relationship. And I’m really excited to say that now we have one. We’ll be developing film and television — all kinds of stuff. And this ["American Idol"] is a big part of that as well. So I’m very excited about it.
How do you think "American Idol" will do in the ratings now that Simon Cowell is no longer a judge on the show?
Lythgoe: You obviously haven’t met Jimmy Iovine. You can’t replace Simon. Simon is irreplaceable. There’s no question about that. But I think, in truth, I don’t want the judges to be worrying about ratings. They’ve got to worry about the talent. And once all of this is over — and thank goodness we’re having [this press conference] today — then we can forget it and concentrate on what we should be talking about, which are the kids.
I want the focus to go back on them and their talent. And then we’re just part f the instruments, if you like, that produce that for America. And then America decides on who the next American Idol is. What we’ve got to worry about here is us going forward, not Simon not being there. We’ve got a great legacy from the past, but now we want to talk about the future.
Warwick: I’ve always said that "Idol" is not a destination; it’s a journey. And it’s the story of that journey and the making of a dream. This is just a different kind of dream, a different kind of story.
Darnell: All these shows have to evolve. If you keep doing the same thing for 10 years, you’re going to suffer. And so this is an evolution. It’s a brand new thing. It really feels that way. With the crowd today, it really felt amazing. The audience creates this kind of stuff. Reality [TV] is a new thing on the horizon, but the fact that we can renew it in a way that makes it better [he corrects himself], different than other types of television shows.
Jackson: Also it’s the greatest show of its kind that’s ever been a music competition show. To me, it’s the greatest show by miles, not just because I’m on it, but also because of the thing that Nigel mentioned was really most important for us from day one, and that still remains as the most important. Yes, today it’s about us, but it’s really about those kids, those idols that we find, those winners, how successful they are, how talented they are. It’s really about the kids. It’s not just about one of us or the three of us. It’s really about that talent.
Seacrest: That’s the first time I’ve heard him say that, actually.
Jackson: What? Come on, dude!
Lythgoe: Using Internet auditions this season, I can honestly say that it’s the biggest talent draw in the world, without question.
Steven, what do your band mates in Aerosmith think of your new "American idol" gig? Jennifer, what does your husband, Marc Anthony, think?
[Tyler dramatically rolls his eyes.]
Lopez: Marc is excited for me … I don’t know that we ever thought I’d do something like this, but my career has kind of been that. When I was a dancer, was I going to be an actress? Yeah. When I was an actress, was I going to be a singer? Yeah. Can you do ads? Can you do branding? Yeah. I think this is another evolution of that, and he sees that as well. He actually explained it to me like that, when I wasn’t even thinking of it in that way.
We’re also really happy that we get to be in one place with the babies [our twins Max and Emme] for a while. Our life is so much about traveling, and as artists, you’re everywhere every week, and this is just going to put us here [in Los Angeles] for six months. This is unheard of for us. The babies can do dance class and soccer practice, so we’re excited about being a little bit of a normal family that can afford me this, so I love it even more.
Lythgoe: I have a feeling he [Marc Anthony] might pop in on the road for a while. They’re like Desi and Lucy together.
Lopez: [She laughs.] Yeah. We are a little bit.
Tyler: Different answer, same content. With a band, we’ve been married for 40 years — and five guys [are in the band], which makes it even worse than women, and I can go for an hour and explain that. You know, at first they were jealous. They heard it through the press, and not through me. But then I said to them, "Four months ago, you were looking for a new lead singer." Things go up and down. I spent a [rehab] stint in Betty Ford.
As a band goes, we live on the tail of a comet. And I’ve been on tour with this band for 40 years, and they’ve been judging me every day. And so sometimes it hurt. A lot of times. Most times, I came out through the worm hole stronger. It’s a real journey with those guys, and they would say the same about me. I’m sure they’re really happy for me. This is nothing more than taking it all up a step or two. And it’s good. I like it. I can move to L.A. with Erin [Brady, my girlfriend], get a house, and come over and have tea … with a bowl of sugar.
Jimmy, why did you decide to join "American Idol"?
Iovine: From our perspective, it’s an extraordinary opportunity to have a platform like this for music. And what you can do to expose artists right now, television, to have a show like this, we were always very, very jealous of … watching Sony Music ["American Idol’s" former musical partner] have this platform. But it’s a challenge
You’re talking about, "Is [‘American Idol’] going to be like it was?" If you look at any great artist, if you look at U2 or Bruce Springsteen or Madonna, or any great television show, you have to evolve. Everyone wants to know, "Is it going to be the same?" Nothing can be the same for 10 years or it’s just doomed to failure. This is an evolution.
And I think the producers and Fox have really put together an incredible team for that evolution. I know what we’re going to bring. We’re going to bring our best game. We’re going to bring our best producers and our enthusiasm and our creativity to make this music just fantastic so what you see on the show is what you’ve never seen musically. I can guarantee that.
Steven and Jennifer, why did you join "American Idol"?
Lopez: I’m just a huge fan of the show. I always have been. When the opportunity came up, I kind of raised my eyebrow like, "Hmmm." But like I said before, my career has always been the type that is changing and evolving, where I’m always trying different things that people think I maybe shouldn’t do at the time. If it feels right in my gut, I go for it. And it felt right. It felt like the right thing at the right time. And so I’m really excited. I’m going to give it 100 percent, and give it my whole heart and soul and passion, like I do with everything that I do. And I’m looking forward to such a fun year. I really am.
Tyler: I always love the outcomes. I love the kids crying and screaming.
Jackson: [He laughs.] So did Simon.
Tyler: It resonates with my career, where it is now. Be careful what you wish for. Kids trying to do something, having a say in that, which we do, which is different this time than [compared to] before, get a chance to mingle with them and whatever they do best, whether they sing or can’t sing or need character, I think I can add to that. I always thought I could. The [Aerosmith] tour is over. I get a chance to live in L.A. and hang with the best. It’s a good thing.
Ryan, how hard was it for you to keep it a secret that Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler would be joining "American Idol"?
Seacrest: Let’s wait for Lufthanza before we get all of this on tape. It wasn’t that hard. I keep the secret of the results every now and then. I look ahead, but this had a longer lead time. I would always question my family and people I work with, and I was always setting up tricks to see if there was a leak. I’d give them fake names, and sure enough Elton John appeared [in the rumor mill as a contender to be an "American Idol" judge].
Darnell: Who’s the leak in your family?
Seacrest: My sister.
Jackson: Whoa!
Steven mentioned earlier how he’s going to bring more rock to "American Idol"? Jennifer, is there anything that you think there should be more of musically in "American Idol"?
Lopez: For me, I thought about this a little bit, and like I said, I’m such a huge fan of the show. At the end of the day — and I like "So You Think You Can Dance" as well; I’m a huge fan of that show — I just think you have to go with the talent. A director said that to me a long time ago when I was auditioning for me first movie. And they were kind of fighting him [because he wanted] to put me in it. And he said, "I have to go with the talent." That kind of stayed with me.
When I watch these shows, I think the same thing. I don’t think it’s about one country singer, one R&B singer, we have this slot filled, this person’s a blonde … I don’t want to be that type of person. I want to look for the "it" thing, and that can come in any package. I just want to find that. It said in the presentation that we’re looking for the next Michael Jackson. That’s what we want. We want to find that type of idol, that type of full-rounded performer who is really, really going to contribute to the world of music and bring a lot of joy and entertainment to people. So that’s what I kind of feel my role is here: to help the American public, put people in front of them who can do that, and then let them choose who they truly love. It’s exciting.
Lythgoe: It’s important to know as well, picking up from Jennifer there, that we are no longer going to get the country singer to sing rock, and the rock singer to sing folk. They are now going to stay with what they believe and what Jimmy believes is their genre they need to work in. Consequently, the styles of music are going to be more [about] decades rather than individual artists’ music. And I think that’s more important: to be able to develop what they are good at.
Jennifer and Steven, is there any chance that you would perform on "American Idol" together? And what type of song would you like to sing together?
Lopez: "Dude Looks Like a Lady"?
Jackson: [He laughs.] Very good!
Tyler: [He starts singing a line from the Aerosmith song "What It Takes"] "There goes my old girlfriend …"
Lopez: I don’t know. Maybe. We haven’t really spoken about it that much.
Lythgoe: There’s always the finale.
Lopez: Who knows?
Randy, as the only original "American Idol" judge on the show, do you feel any pressure to keep these new judges in line?
Jackson: No. Listen, I was saying to someone earlier: This Season 10 is like the remix, right? It’s like a new beginning for what "Idol" is. These two [Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez] are so talented. I’m so happy that I’m up here with them. Ryan and I couldn’t feel stronger and better with this judging panel and Jimmy with us. It’s just a really, really cool thing. I think it worked out the best it ever could. So I’m really, really excited. No pressure. We’re going to have a ton of fun, dude.
Nigel and anyone else on the panel, it sounds like "American Idol" is moving in a more serious direction. Would you say that’s accurate?
Lythgoe: I think it’s fair to say that in moving to Interscope, you look back in history, American Idols who are really there now, what is in our wake? And I suppose you’d go, "Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood," and then you start running out of idols. We have got to go back to creating an American Idol. That’s what we’re here to do. That’s what we have to do.
If it needs to be taken seriously, every time I have a conversation with Jimmy, it is about the serious side. But there’s a lot of fun in music. There’s a serious side in getting it right and getting what you’re doing right and pushing talent and giving talent the opportunity that they deserve. At the same time, when you look at the fun that Lady Gaga brings to music or anything like that, it’s still going to be fun.
Warwick: It has to be fun. That’s always been one of the things we’ve insisted on. As a part of our program-making sequence, people have got to enjoy it. If this lot is enjoying it on the panel, and the kids are enjoying it, the people at home are enjoying it. It will never have to become so serious.
Darnell: This is a fun panel, and I think that’s going to permeate this year. It’s a fun group, there’s a warmth to them, and I think that’s going to come through.
Iovine: When people make music, we have fun and we’re serious at the same time, when we make good music or bad music. What we’re trying to do is make the music better. I think that’s 100 percent in the interest of the audience: that music just get better and more interesting and more original and [with] more feel. And that’s what this is about. Every week, they [the contestants] need to get progressed. You can’t just tell someone, "Hey, you know something? You sounded better last week." Well, what are you going to do about it? They have to be coached and brought forward. So the music’s going to get better. I don’t use the word "serious." I use the word "better."
Lythgoe: And also, we’re going to have to know these kids. So we’re still going to get their back stories, we’re still going to decide whether we like them if they’ve turned into a real diva or they’re willing to soak it up like a sponge. So we’re still going to get that aspect of it. The public out there has got to know them. They’ve got to feel that they’re truly voting for talent, as well as liking them, as well as thinking think they’ve got a pretty face or big guns or whatever. They’ve still got to like them as people — and it’s important to get that over, too, within the body of the program.
For more info: "American Idol" website
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