Idol Chatter & Voice Views

American Idol returns to TV Wednesday for a two-hour season premiere that just might be the most important in the show’s history.

Gone is Simon Cowell, the cranky judge who helped make the show a hit.

Gone is a pretty decent percentage of the viewers who made Idol the most-watched show on television.

Gone, too, is the notion that any album released by any Idol winner will be a major hit.

At last glance, sales of the albums from last year’s finalists — Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox — had yet to hit 125,000.

That’s a long way from gold, let alone platinum.

It’s miles from the standard set by the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and, more recently, David Cook.

But here’s what American Idol can count on Wednesday night: lots of viewers tuning in because they’re curious about what the new judging panel will have to offer.

Will Steven Tyler be as unpredictable and entertaining as advertised? Even more unpredictable perhaps than Paula Abdul, who just happens to be judge on a new dance show in a competing time slot?

Will Jennifer Lopez take over the Paula role as the supportive judge? Or will she offer up the frank critiques Paula never seemed capable of delivering?

And will Randy Jackson really step up his game, as executive producer Nigel Lythgoe suggested he was doing last fall? Or will he continue spouting the same ol’ tired cliches?

Because in season 10, the same ol’ tired cliches clearly aren’t what the revamped American Idol — or its viewers — are looking for.

I’m not sure the show is doing itself any favors by scheduling a two-hour segment on opening night.

I’ve always found these audition shows the most tedious. By now, we know the routine. I mean, talk about cliched.

We’re going to hear from legitimate contestants with interesting back-stories. Someone will surely have survived death or serious illness to audition on Idol.  Someone will have overcome personal tragedy of another sort.

And we’re going to see our share of crazies, people who will do anything to appear in front of the judges, from wearing crazy costumes to stripping out of most of their costumes.

And they’ll wind up in front of the judges, regardless of whether they have an iota of singing talent.

My suggestion to Idol: Minimize the crazies. Intrigue us with contestants with knock-your-socks-off vocal talent.

But let’s face it, the focus Wednesday will be on the judges, not the contestants.

If J.Lo, Steven and Randy prove they can be entertaining in the way Randy, Paula and Simon were in the show’s glory days, those curious fans just might come back for more on Thursday.

Editor’s note: Check back Wednesday and Thursday. I’ll be blogging live during the audition shows. I might even grade the judges. And, hopefully, I’ll be posting separate blogs to introduce you to some of season 10’s Hollywood-bound contestants.