With the dead weight cut from the judges' table, the only familiar faces left are Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest and producer Nigel Lythgoe who has nearly overhauled the entire show for it’s tenth season.
“Once something works, you don't mess around with it too much," he [Lythgoe] said. "We're now being given the opportunity -- we are ten years old -- of recreating the magic that we started with.""All these shows have to evolve. You know, if you keep on the same thing for ten years you're going to suffer. And this is an evolution, it's a brand-new thing and it really feels that way," Fox reality programming chief Mike Darnell added. (source)
The evolution includes two new judges (Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez) a new music director (Ray Chew) and a new permanent mentor (Jimmy Iovine) who will be just as visible on the show as the judges.
The competition itself will offer new challenges.
"We are no longer going to get the country singer to sing rock and the rock singer to sing folk," Nigel Lythgoe said ... "They are now going to stay with what they believe and what Jimmy believes is their genre that they need to work in.""No mentors. Jimmy is the resident mentor, so mentors -- Miley [Cyrus], or anybody else -- [are gone]," Lythgoe said. "The styles of music are going to be more decades rather than individual artist's music. And that's, I think, is really important -- to be able to develop what they are good at."
"Every week, they need to progress. You can't just tell someone, 'Hey, you know something, you sounded better last week.' Well what are you going to do about it? They have to be coached and brought forward."
"They need to present themselves a lot better," executive producer Ken Warwick added. "For example, last year we got, as producers, to be honest, sick to death of them standing there hiding behind a guitar and just singing... it's going to be a big step-up musically. And so far the talent we've seen -- and I know we say this every year -- but it's surprised a few people."
And about the semi-final round ...
While he didn't offer any specifics, Lythgoe also told reporters the producers are also considering changing the format of American Idol's middle rounds."I think those middle rounds, we're looking at finding other ways to do that so that we actually present to America who we think the best singers are," he said. "The middle rounds have always felt a little uncomfortable to all of us."
AmericanIdol.com adds:
The contestants who make it through Hollywood will then head to Las Vegas for the first time ever to perform Beatles songs on the Cirque du Soleil LOVE stage Wednesday, Feb. 23 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). The auditions will conclude on Thursday, Feb. 24 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) when the judges reveal – in an exciting new twist – 20 semifinalists (10 guys and 10 girls).
It's usually 24 semifinalists. How they'll widdle 20 down to 12 (6 guys, 6 girls) is a little unclear.
To make it even more confusing, according to this article out of 325 kids in the Hollywood Round (the largest number ever), 60 will travel on to Vegas, then 40 will return to LA where (I guess) the judges will hand-pick the 20 semifinalists.