Fan Fare

Steven Tyler — “American Idol’s” new Paula Abdul?

Okay. So he’s no Simon Cowell. But based on his first outing on the “American Idol” judging panel,  Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler had the wackiness and unpredictability of  the much-loved, and much-missed Paula Abdul.

With Jennifer Lopez breaking her heart over saying no to some of the wannabe pop stars, it was left to Tyler, 62,  to inject much of the fun into the new line-up.

Whooping, clapping, hollering, and flirting with the contestants, the heavily made-up rocker also had the best of the jokes and one-liners — sometimes against himself.

“We are all here, because we’re not all there!” quipped Tyler — who has been in and out of rehab for addictions to everything from cocaine, to alcohol, to painkiller and sleep medication in his colorful 40-year stint with Aerosmith.

And even given producers’ obvious switch of emphasis to show more “good” contenders than laughable train wrecks,  it was Tyler who was quickest with the put-downs. “You scared everbody in the room,” he told the unfortunate Boy Scout who sang “My Way”.

“Did you eat a lot of paint chips as a child?” he asked another contestant.

Tyler’s sometimes foul language earned just a couple of bleeps on Wednesday, but looks likely to bring a sense of danger to the show when episodes go live in a few weeks time.

Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez — right fit for “American Idol”?

“American Idol” has finally announced its new judging panel, ending months of speculation about the future shape of the show.

But are  Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and actress/singer Jennifer Lopez  the right choice? And will star power be enough to keep old “Idol” fans (and hopefully millions more new ones) tuning in when the show returns in January?

Tyler, the volatile lead singer of America’s best-selling rock band, will certainly bring a rock edge to a contest that has specialised in producing middle-of the-road champions for an audience that ranges from 8 to 80 year-olds.

And J.Lo, as America’s leading Latina entertainer, may entice a whole new Hispanic audience to the show. (And as for her  reported “diva” demands that made the rounds a few weeks ago –  “so much rubbish”,  executive producer Nigel Lythgoe told journalists this week.)

It’s certainly a huge change of style for “American Idol” as it enters its 10th season. But will J.Lo, Tyler and returning judge Randy Jackson produce the kind of chemistry as a three-some that made the Randy-Paula-Simon combo so entertaining a few years ago?

“We have spent a lot of time together now.  We all have known each other for a while.  So I think we are gonna have a lot of cool camaraderie,”  Jackson told a news conference as the new judges were officially confirmed.

Neither Tyler or J.Lo were on anyone’s radar back in May when Simon Cowell left, and celebrities like Bret Michaels, Shania Twain, Elton John and shock jock Howard Stern were either lobbying hard for the job, or widely reported to be in talks about joining the panel.

Is Steven Tyler right fit for “American Idol”?

Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler looks to be on his way to join “American Idol” in what would be the first bona fide rock star judge on the show’s panel.

But is Tyler, 62, the right fit for a show aimed squarely at middle America? And if Tyler is in place, as widely reported, can the “Idol” judging panel carry a second major artist if rumors about country star Shania Twain, or Jennifer Lopez, or even Jessica Simpson turn out to be correct?

Tyler may be a rock god, but does he have anything useful, or witty, or coherent, to say to the aspiring “American Idols”?

And rock stars usually bring plenty of baggage after decades on the road — in Tyler’s case a history of prescription drug addiction,  drama, and an uncanny ability to fall off the stage.

How long would Tyler sign up to be on “Idol”? And would his new job mean another long hiatus (or even  the end) of touring and new albums for Aerosmith?

One thing is clear. Paula Abdul he is not. Nor Ellen. And if there’s one person who can withstand all the expected negative comparisons to Simon Cowell, it’s probably Tyler.

Tyler may be ready for “American Idol” but is America ready for Steven Tyler on prime-time TV twice a week for five months?

Shania Twain for “American Idol”? Judge auditions drag on

Another day.  Another potential “American Idol” judge surfaces.

Who knew Simon Cowell (or even Ellen DeGeneres) would be so hard to replace?

With Jennifer Lopez apparently out of the running for being “too demanding”, country singer Shania Twain’s name resurfaced on Thursday as  “Idol”  producers and the Fox television network searched for a new line-up in time for filmed auditions in mid-September for the show’s 10th season.

Twain proved an audience favorite after appearing earlier this year on the show, both as a guest judge and a celebrity mentor.  The idea of Lopez, on the other hand, had not gone down so well with fans online, making you wonder whether her name had been deliberately floated by “Idol” insiders to gauge popular reaction before any deals were signed.

Canadian country singer Twain, however, may have ruled herself out because of a planned TV show of her own on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) starting in 2011.  OWN said on Thursday it was still moving ahead with the show but did not yet have an air date.

What does seem to be emerging after the long months of  musical chairs is that “Idol”  looks headed to return to a three-judge format, probably  anchored by Randy Jackson and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. And reading between the headlines, one can see that the magic ingredient — chemistry — is playing a key role in the drawn out selection procedure.

It’s hard to see how Twain, or Tyler, who still has a performing, recording and touring career with Aerosmith,  will be able to fit in a five months, twice a week, commitment to “American Idol” over the long-term. And the same can be said of J.Lo who has a music career, a movie career, and twins to keep her busy.

Goodbye Ellen, Hello….who? to “American Idol”

Like it or not  “American Idol” will be getting a whole new talent line-up next season — and that’s just the judges.

But with Fox keeping their mouths firmly shut on who will replace Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres, it seems to be anyone’s guess as to what the new panel will look like, or even how many judges there will be.

Fox’s senior executives have refused to confirm or deny any of the rumors of recent weeks that have suggested that Jennifer Lopez, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, Jessica Simpson or even Justin Timberlake might be joining the show.

And they also refused to speculate on whether Kara DioGuardi or even Randy Jackson will return.

Even more tantalizing, Fox entertainment chairman Peter Rice said that some of the recent reports were accurate while other were “wildly inaccurate” — and he wasn’t saying which was which.

Meanwhile Brett Michaels is still publicly lobbying for the job, and Sean “Diddy” Combs repeated that he would be happy to do it — as long as he got the same salary as Simon.

So with a couple of the biggest jobs in popular TV still apparently wide open, who would you like to see dealing out the criticism when “American Idol” returns in January?

Crystal loses boyfriend, along with “American Idol” title

Loser. Double Loser.

Turns out Crystal Bowersox, the “American Idol” season front-runner, lost more than the coveted title this week.

On the morning of  Tuesday night’s performance finale, Bowersox and her boyfriend split up and he  headed back to their Toledo, Ohio hometown as she prepared for the biggest night of her life.

Just a month ago, Bowersox  had dedicated Shania Twain’s marriage-themed song “No-One Needs to Know” on the show to her sweetheart, adding that she was hoping “he’ll man up one of these days”.

“Big Tony…he went home. He wasn’t cool with the lifestyle,” Bowersox told “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest on his L.A radio show on Thursday “I didn’t break up with him…it was a mutual thing.”

“It’s cool though, we’re both logical, grown adults,” the dreadlocked single mom added.  “He’s a small town guy and that’s fine.  I’m a small town girl, but I want this. I want this more than anything, this career, this lifestyle. I didn’t think he was up for it…he didn’t think he was up for it.”

The split didn’t seem to have affected Crystal’s performance .  “Idol” judges felt she out-classed rival Lee DeWyze with her three songs on Tuesday, and the 24 year-old Bowersox told Seacrest her boyfriend’s departure “set that fire to my belly”.

Bret Michaels gives doctors the slip for “Idol” performance

Singer Bret Michaels made a surprise appearance on “American Idol” on Wednesday to perform his signature song “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” after spending the past few weeks recovering from a potentially fatal brain hemorrhage, a mini-stroke and learning that he has a hole in his heart.

The frontman for the glam band Poison said that he tried to keep his guest  role on “Idol,” during which he sang with former contestant Casey James, under wraps. It was his first live gig since suffering a series of medical emergencies in April.

“The doctors — I didn’t tell them I was going to do this … They’re going to find out in a few minutes,” an upbeat Michaels told reporters backstage.

Michaels, 47,  added that he “may not” have told his family either.

“I needed this for my soul, so honestly it was a great experience,” said Michaels, who won the reality TV show “The Celebrity Apprentice” on Sunday. .

Doctors had also advised him against appearing on that show so soon after having a warning stroke last week.

Michaels said that when Donald Trump, the host of “The Celebrity Apprentice,” told him that he was “hired” on the show, he at first was not sure he heard him correctly.

Glambert backs Mamasox for “American Idol”

“American Idol” is nearing its season finale next week amid questions about the show’s lackluster ratings and about who will replace alpha judge Simon Cowell. But if anyone has any questions about who everyone’s favorite runner-up, Adam Lambert, favors among the final three contestants, those doubts have been put to rest.

Glambert likes Mamasox.

The singer nicknamed Glambert last year for his “glam” persona and wild costumes  told television network MTV that he favors Crystal Bowersox, the contestant nicknamed Mamasox, who is a 24 year-old  mother with a young son. “I like her anti-establishment rebelliousness,” Lambert told MTV in a story posted on its website Tuesday.

Even so, the “For Your Entertainment” singer said he was unable to watch much of “American Idol” in recent weeks because he was touring Europe.

On Tuesday night, Bowersox will face off against Lee DeWyze and Casey James. A frontrunner from the beginning of this year’s competition, Bowersox has seen DeWyze emerge as a dark horse contestant.

Lambert knows something about that, because last year many “Idol” watchers expected he would take the crown, but the less flashy Kris Allen became the surprise champion.

“American Idol” asks fans for a fix

As “American Idol”  plods its way to the 2010 finale  after a lackluster season and slipping ratings,  the TV show’s dwindling band of  fans are getting an unusual opportunity to weigh in on what’s wrong with the show, and how to fix it.

Official website www.americanidol.com has posted a detailed survey which asks fans why they are watching less often — and less enthusiastically — this year, and invites them to rate all the judges individually, as well as the entertainment value of “Idol” mentors and the show’s  celebrity guest judges.

And perhaps most surprisingly, there is even a chance for fans to say how much (if at all) they miss Paula Abdul.

The survey is being conducted by an independent agency. But it suggests that “Idol” producers, or Fox, or both are thinking seriously about what hasn’t worked this year  –  and how they can tweak it next year.

The biggest question on the minds of many fans — the replacement of Simon Cowell — is not addressed in the online survey and Fox has already said there will be no announcement on that before the two-part season finale on May 24 and 25.

“Idol” has seen an 8 percent drop in viewers this season, and audiences have slipped below 20 million recently at a time when anticipation and fan fervor has generally risen going into the finale.

You don’t have to look far in the blogosphere to hear the biggest gripes from fans.

Idols do it their way. But they’re no Sinatra

 Frank Sinatra is a tall order for any singer. 

Add Harry Connick Jr. accompanying on stage, Sinatra’s two daughters Tina and Nancy in the audience and possibly the weakest  “American Idol”  top five for a number of years, and  you’re in for an uphill climb.

 Only Michael Lynche and Lee DeWyze came anywhere near pulling it off on a night of songs made famous by ‘Ol Blue Eyes.  Lynche, who was “saved” by the judges four weeks ago, looked most at ease and had the best natural fit with Sinatra’s singing style.  He even had the hat!

  But just when Big Mike looked to have won the night with “The Way You Look Tonight”,   Lee came out with an up tempo, rock-style version of  “That’s Life” that Simon Cowell deemed to be by far thge best performance of the night.

But the biggest questions posed by Tuesday night’s “Idol” show were:

1) Is Crystal “in it to win it” or will her laid-back performances of the last two weeks come back to haunt her?