American Idol Season 10 Begins

For American Idol fans, once January rolls around, you know it's not too much longer before the new season starts. And sure enough, last night the premiere episode of the new season aired on FOX, featuring a new judge's panel and a new enthusiasm for the show. Preliminary ratings numbers from last night show that the show continues to lose some of its ratings compared to the season premiere from a year ago, but with 25 million people still tuning in, I'd say that's a pretty healthy number. Heck, the show may never again see the 30 million viewer benchmark like in previous seasons, but if it can halt the ratings drop that has been witnessed during the past few years, the show will be okay for awhile.

I think the biggest thing that was on all of the minds of Idol fans was how well the new judges would do. Aerosmith front-man Steven Tyler exceeded my expectations and proved to be a very valuable addition to the judge's panel. He was funny, witty, and yet constructive when he needed to be. No, he's no Simon Cowel - in fact, I don't think anyone should try to fit Simon's shoes. Those that make up the panel this year are doing exactly what they should be doing - being themselves and not trying to replace someone. Jennifer Lopez also proved to do well, although she did have some difficulty saying no to a few of the contestants whose singing wasn't up to par. I think she got the hang of it after awhile. I think she'll end up being the nicest judge of the group - the one to be motivating and not so harsh when a contestant isn't singing the greatest. However, I do think she'll be tough when she needs to be.

The remaining judge on the panel has been a constant since the show began nearly ten years ago and actually, it was nice to see one familiar face still there. Randy Jackson shines the most during the audition rounds and he tends to lose his luster once we reach the live rounds with some of his repetitive critiques and phrases. However last night, Randy certainly did not lose his touch, still using his usual "dawg" tendencies and turning away contestants that honestly did not have a chance. While Stephen and Jennifer fall pray to the "puppy dog pouts" of certain contestants, Randy stays firm and turns contestants away because their vocal abilities just aren't there. He often says "this just isn't for you" when describing their singing skills. Although he's no Simon Cowel either, he may be stepping into that roll in his own way.

As for the contestants themselves, there was nobody that really stood out to me as having a jaw-dropping audition quite yet. It's just too soon to tell who might wind up being the favorite in these early rounds - but once we get into Hollywood week, then the favorites begin to sprout up. Time will tell on who becomes the stand-outs on this season of American Idol, but all in all I'd have to say that this season is starting out much better than I had hoped. The judges seem to know what they are doing and aren't annoying the heck out of me just yet. Steven Tyler surpassed my expectations as a judge and Jennifer Lopez did fine out of the gate, too. Let's hope this momentum continues this season and we'll end up with one of the best season's yet.