Here we go again… “American Idol” is back!! Now, wasn’t it just only yesterday that we were drooling over Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox?? Well, American Idol’s Season 10 has descended upon us once more and this time it begins NOT with the AI judges critiquing the new “hopefuls” but we, “mere mortals” unleashing our “freedom of speech” and “musical right” to speak our minds over the choice of the 2 new judges. Yup!! J Lo and Steven Tyler… we will judge you!!

And judge we did and the result?? Well “yours truly”, a self-professed “couch potato” and dedicated fan of “AI” (with or without Simon Cowell although I dearly miss the guy, British accent and all), is about to give my “2-cents worth” of what I think thus far. So, sit back and relax ‘cos an earful of “rants, raves and ramblings” will be heading your way. Lol!!

To start off, I just have this to say: When it was rumoured and later confirmed that Jennifer Lopez (better known as “J Lo”) was coming on board, I wasn’t sure if it’s going to work. Now before any readers misunderstand me, it’s not because I agreed or disagreed with the millions and zillions of comments posted online with regards to her background in “singing, dancing and acting”. On the one hand, there are those devoted, die-hard fans who sing praises for her musical prowess but on the other hand, there are those who do not see fit to pull any punches when they gave their less-than-glowing comments on her qualification as a judge on the “AI” panel.

Now I for one have a different perspective on that.

When the whole world criticised her acting abilities (“Gigli” is one title that comes to mind), I myself (belonging to the minority who has been enjoying her movies) strongly disagreed with those negative opinions. According to some quarters (professional or otherwise), most of her movies had “bombed” in the box-office. Still, I feel that the camera loves her and the characters she played on those movies has had a “connecting” feel to it. I chuckled at some of the lines she delivered or the many faces she pulled and laughed out loud on other occasions when the sizzling chemistry between her character and her leading man takes on a humorous turn. And when the role calls for her to be tense or act tough, she delivers. So if that’s not “good” acting, what is??

Now, if you’re wondering what “acting” has got to do with being a judge on a musical reality show, I ask you: Who better than one who can bring out the emotions when you belt out a song. A good singer is one who “connects” to the audience, no??

As for her “singing” and “dancing” abilities, I’ve always said that you don’t even have to be a singer to appreciate good singing nor be a great dancer to differentiate between good and bad dancing. And after all, the final decision of who becomes the eventual winner of “American Idol” does lie in the hands of the American public. The panel of judges are important only as far as spotting the latent talent of the wannabe contestants during the auditions and weeding out the “not
so potential” candidates and later as the competition progresses, dish out useful advice with plenty of encouragement.

Back to J Lo. I’ve held back on publishing my opinion of the choice of the new judges until the first segment of this season’s auditions are relayed over our television screens. And now, the verdict is in.

I just love them!! Yes, both J Lo and Steven Tyler had displayed the right amount of “charm” during the New Jersey and New Orleans auditions. They did not go overboard in their comments but most importantly, they did not display any antics that may be interpreted as being too “boorish” for the ever-popular-seasoned TV reality show. After all, they had big shoes to fill (of Simon Cowell’s, no less!!).

And yes, the legendary-rocker Steven Tyler did win me over. Here I have to say this: I’m not a rocker fan. But then again, I’m not a fan of J Lo’s singing or dancing either. I think her songs are okay but I’m just a sucker for “sentimental” hits of yesteryears, so sue me!! Like I said earlier, I prefer her “acting chops”. So, as far as being the “perfect” replacements for the “irreplaceable” Simon, I am unexpectedly pleased with the choices made by whoever is responsible for bringing them on board in the first place.

Now back to the auditions. Normally I would at this early stage in time, handpicked (in my mind at least) a handful of so-called “AI” potentials. They would usually be endowed with great voices with good looks to match or at the very least, look captivating enough on the screen to melt my heart. Aw!! But on this post, I would only mention one. Most of the time the “sob stories”, however “moving” ended up looking like a plea for sympathy while fishing for votes and I definitely do not like this path taken by the “powers that be” on “AI”. But that’s the way it goes. So…

Needless to say, this particular contestant did melt my heart when she began to speak. Yes, it did move me to tears. And more importantly, it moved J Lo to tears as well. And we all know that J Lo is more important than “yours truly” in this context, yes??

That’s right - for when she started to sing, I began to shed “buckets of tears” as I was just moved to bits. It’s got nothing to do with her “sob story”. With or without it, it’s a “done deal”. Let’s hope she makes it all the way to the Top 12 because I feel that the whole world would like to see more of her.

On an end note, I would like to say that I loved Ellen DeGeneres on last season’s “American Idol”. Her presence was “entertaining” as well as “insightful” although I could not fathom why there were so many negative remarks about her being on the show. She did display a fair amount of “musical” intelligence and the humour she injected into “AI” was pleasantly “fresh”. It’s no pleasing those AI audience. Sigh!!

Okay, back to this season. Below is a videoclip on the candidate that I’ve been harping on. She is Paris Tassin. Look out for more of her (hopefully!!). Here she is singing Carrie Underwood’s “Temporary Home”. Click on and enjoy as I know you will.