So, the 10th season American Idol premiered last night. I LOVE this show. I was at first skeptical of all the changes they made so quickly to the show, but as the hype continued to build, I began getting more and more excited. I figured that Steven Tyler was going to be a hot mess, and I was dying to see it.
The audition episodes are not my favorite in the least. To me, it’s more or less 3-4 weeks of noise, with a few standout auditions (for all the WRONG reasons). Sure, they show some really talented people, and quite likely the person that will be crowned the winner in May… but given all the crap auditions, I’m not likely to remember them when they get to the Hollywood round, let alone the actual performance shows. Because of this, I usually watch a couple shows when I can, but I don’t make them appointment TV.
This year, however? That may change. Why? Steven Tyler.
There were quite a few moments in the show last night where I cracked up. Full on laughter, tears in my eyes, cracking up. All because of Steven Tyler. It’s quite clear that Tyler is a loose cannon, and you never can be sure what he’ll say… and that’s the beauty of it. Take the quote I made this title, said to a woman wearing cardboard stars on her breasts. You knew he was going to comment on them, you just didn’t know it’d be THAT hilarious. But the clincher is that he wasn’t hot mess hilarious, a la Paula… he was shockingly eloquent. He knew what he was trying to say, said it, and was awesome. I can’t believe it.
You’ll note that I didn’t mention anything about his judging/critiquing techniques…. ahd there’s a reason for that. He didn’t exactly do any of it that I can recall. But you know? I’m ok with that. I have absolutely no interest in hearing Steven Tyler telling people what they did wrong when it comes to singing. Or, you know, anything. Just sit there, make the absolutely terrible auditions bearable, and be hilarious. And he did it!
Oh, the other judges? Oh, yeah. Randy seemed more subdued than normal, and JLo struggled to say no. They have potential, I guess. Time will tell. But this is about Steven Tyler.
It’s quite likely that Tyler will be absolutely intolerable come the end of the season. Hell, it’s quite likely he’ll be absolutely intolerable come next week. But for now? He’s made the American Idol audition shows must-see TV.
Oh man… think of the live shows? That shit is going to be AMAZING.
As for contestants… I don’t get attached, for reasons I mentioned. Not only do I rarely remember them when it comes time to actually care, but when I do get attached, they aren’t shown again and it’s all pointless. So, yeah. There were some good people though, including a 15 year old that sang country brilliantly and some soulful guy that had promise… but I don’t recall much more than that. I don’t mean it as a knock on this year’s talent, just that I focused far more on Steven Tyler.
