American Idol Recap

American Idol is back and up until a few months ago, American Idol lovers held their breath wondering what would come of their favorite show. After months of waiting, a whole lot of whining and dining and hefty paycheck writing, the American Idol producers have put Idol back on top of the must watch television list.

The revamped and newly tramped American Idol is back and we are digging the new additions to the Idol judging panel. The first change is the addition of Steven Tyler, front man for "Aerosmith". If you are one of the few who have never heard of Tyler or Aerosmith, find a way to roll yourself off the back of that turnip truck and look the band up on YouTube. They have had a long and prosperous career since the early 70's and fans still can't get enough.

None of us can be quite sure what lured Steven Tyler to the American Idol hot seat, but who cares? We have a true rock God with decades of experience screening the wannabe's. As we saw on tonight's show, Steven Tyler doesn't hold back and says whatever is on his mind. We can assume he enjoys the shock value, as do his fans. It's a hip and fresh perspective that American Idol desperately needed.

Steven Tyler is a loaded gun full of euphemisms and limericks and he's ready for whatever the American Idol contestants can throw at him. Surely there's a girl named Janie waiting in the wings to showcase her vocal talent or lack thereof. Hopefully she doesn't suck and have a gun of her own!

What's clear about Steven Tyler is his ability to put the contestants at ease and to relate to them. There may be a vast age difference but clearly they are only numbers. Tyler is and will always be cutting edge. He wants to take part in their journey, to set in motion the dream and force the contestants to Dream on.

Tyler has taken a lot of flak for joining the American Idol team, most especially from his band mates. It's a sad day when a man as accomplished as Tyler must explain his actions. We applaud him for his independence and are thrilled he thought Idol was a risk worth taking.

Jennifer Lopez, aka Jenny from the Block is equally engaging. Here is a Latina woman who has broken down all barriers by not taking "no" for an answer. When Hollywood said she couldn't sell movie tickets, she proved them wrong. When they said her voice wasn't good enough, she breezed right by the critics into superstar status. She has been in numerous films and released several records all while navigating relentless paparazzi. Her personal life has been splashed around the tabloids and still she manages to be happy and is genuinely thankful for what she has. Lopez has not forgotten where she came from, the block. We are lucky to have her as a part of the American Idol judging team.

Randy "Dog" Jackson, our last original American Idol judge is still plugging along and possibly a bit happier than seasons past. The last couple of seasons were lukewarm with talent and Jackson's disappointment was apparent in his expressions, not only in the contestants but in his colleagues' replacements.

Ellen DeGeneres' stint on American Idol didn't work not because she wasn't funny but because she lacked any musical background and therefore had no words of wisdom for the contestants. Kara Dioguardi just pissed everyone off with her need to compete for attention, "Sing it like this" she would prod the American Idol contestents. But, our Randy stuck with it and from his happy-go-lucky attitude seemed pleased to have held on. His energy is back. His charisma is also back. Perhaps it never left, maybe it just took a short nap...

Simon Cowell's absence didn't make much of a difference and it seems that the new judges bring along with them a relaxed, fun atmosphere. We will miss Simon Cowell's British banter and often debilitating insults, but even without him the show rocks.

Tonight was the third episode to the new season of American Idol and everything about this show was entertainment. The producers kept the basics of the program the same, meaning a nice balance between good singers and beyond bad jokers. That part of the program was never broken; there is after all a multitude of talented people and even more untalented people to keep the program running for years to come.

Milwaukee brought about a lot of good singers, some of them might even verge on great. Chris Medina may be one of them. His story touched the hearts of all of us. But, until Hollywood week we won't know how the contestants perform under pressure. Hollywood week will be brutal and it will be interesting to see how our much younger singers do. With American Idol changing the age minimum to 15, we may see a lot of crocodile tears and even more immaturity. Let's hope these kids are prepared for battle because they'll need a thicker than armor skin to make it.

So, I leave you now, but stay tuned to my content page, because this year I'll be recapping the American Idol episodes weekly with favorites and not so favorites. It's going to be an interesting year and if I didn't mention this before, Thank you Ryan Seacrest and Idol producers for the much needed changes, you reinvigorated this program and raised it from the dead and we're all excited about what's to come!