10 Reasons American Idol Season 10 Will Be the Best Yet

There are so many things to look forward to for season 10 of American Idol. With so many changes, the show promises to be bigger, better and more fun than previous seasons - and it's already looking like the changes are working. What are the top 10 reasons Idol's tenth season will be the best ever?

1. Steven Tyler.
Tyler fronted Aerosmith - the top selling rock band in history. His four decades in the industry have made him one of the most highly respected musicians of all time. On Idol qualifications, Tyler explains, "I've been on tour for most of my life in a band with 4 guys who judge me every day. Sometimes it hurt but it only made me stronger."

2. Jennifer Lopez.
Lopez has had huge success in the music industry, selling over 55 million records worldwide. Her album "J.Lo" topped the Billboard Top 200 Chart in 2001. Outside of music, Lopez is also a highly successful entrepreneur, actress and producer with ties across the industries. Lopez has also been featured as a mentor on American Idol in previous seasons, so she is experienced in helping contestants reach their potential.

3. Shared past.
Both Lopez and Tyler have something in common with the Idol hopefuls: they built their empire from virtually nothing. Idol's website explains, " Jennifer and Steven have made the journey from aspiring unknowns to global superstars, which makes both of them uniquely qualified to help discover the next American Idol," said Peter Rice, Chairman of Entertainment, Fox Networks Group.

4. Real criticism.
How many times did we hear Kara Dioguardi tell the contestants, "I'm just not feeling it," along with Randy's "It's just not good, dawg," and Simon's, "That was horrible." This season, the contestants have real performing artists giving out criticism, and they know how important it is to get real feedback, not vague comments.

5. Compassion.
While Simon may have been dead-on most of the time, a lot of his attitude was over the top. Especially now that American Idol has lowered the entry age to 15, judges are going to have to be a little more compassionate with the delivery of their criticisms. Both Lopez and Tyler have kids of their own, and understand the need to identify and correct mistakes without shredding a teen's confidence.

6. Album sales.
Universal Music Group has long been a partner in the music distribution end of American Idol. Season 10 contestants will have even more chances to sell their music: according to Idol, " Interscope Geffen A&M will market, promote and distribute albums globally from AMERICAN IDOL finalists and winning contestants across a broad array of retail and new media platforms."

7. Varying backgrounds.
While Simon and Kara both came from the pop field, the new panel is far more diverse. Tyler brings his extensive rock background, while Lopez is a pop/hip-hop/R&B artist who also has some ties to Latin music.

8. Jimmy Iovine.
According to Idol's site, Iovine is going to be an in-house mentor for season 10's Idol contestants. They will surely benefit from Iovine's advice, his credits include "c hairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, co-founder of Beats Audio and one of the world's most successful and prolific music producers."

9. Vegas.
The contestants get out of the Idol bubble world and travel to Vegas to perform on the Cirque de Soleil stage. What better experience to prepare them for future tours?

10. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe.
Nigel's back from his hiatus, and by hiring Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, already proved he's in it for the win. He produced the show from 2002 to 2008, leaving it when it was highly successful, only to focus on the reality dance show So You Think You Can Dance. The popularity waned slightly while Lythgoe was gone, and he's determined to bring it back.