Fox Officially Announces Rocker Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez as New American Idol Judges

American Idol has finally confirmed that rocker Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez will be the two new judges joining Randy Jackson on Fox's top-rated show this season. This puts an end to months of rumors and speculation regarding whom would be filling the seats vacated by Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi, and Ellen DeGeneres. Rumors had circulated over the course of the summer that Bret Michaels or P. Diddy would potentially fill the seats among others. Moving forward, this leaves Randy Jackson as the only remaining original Idol judge.

Will the return to the original three-judge format on American Idol inject some fresh life into the show? While remaining America's most popular show last season, Idol had lost several million of its viewers by the time the finale rolled around between Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze when compared with the previous season. It's unclear whether or not the decline in viewers related to the panel of judges.

It will be interesting to see whether or not Tyler and Lopez will have the spark that will keep American Idol viewers interested. In the past, the chemistry between Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul clearly attracted viewers. Perhaps there will be a bit of a role reversal with Steven Tyler being the colorful and unpredictable one on Idol this season.

American Idol will not host a revolving door of mentors for its contestants this season either. Music producer, Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, will be working to help develop the talent of Idol's contestants this season. The effort to develop the artists within their chosen genre will be a breath of fresh air brought about by this change.

It's unlikely that American Idol viewers are going to see a true replacement for Simon Cowell. While Simon's seat has been filled, it's unlikely his style of judging will be replicated. It remains to be seen whether or not viewers will embrace these changes as an improvement or not.

Source:
American Idol
Los Angeles Times
MSNBC