IDOL WATCH: New Night, New Judges, New Show!

It's back! After months of anticipation, Idol fans can finally sit back and enjoy this much anticipated season 10 return of Fox's highly addictive reality competition. With this tenth installment of the series, however, comes more changes than ever to the program that we are all so accustomed. Could such drastic alterations spark a new interest in a show that has been otherwise lack-luster for the past few seasons? I, for one have been very intrigued, but only tomorrow's ratings can say for sure. Have no idea what changes I'm talking about? Been living under a rock for the past six months? Let's review.

Idol's most obvious season ten switch is its shift to Wednesday and Thursday evenings. No longer will extra-long Idol episodes interfere with Tuesday night GLEE DVR-ing! Gleeks everywhere can rejoice!

Additionally, Interscope Geffen A&M Records' Jimmy Iovine will be the in-house mentor for the new crop of finalists, which will not necessarily include an equal amount of boys and girls.  And don't expect to see a top 24 round of the show this time around - that entire phase has been cut. Instead the competition gets serious with the top 12 finalists.

And now for the most anticipated change: the great judge swap of season 10. We all remember Simon Cowell's highly publicized final season, but since his departure in May, both Ellen Degeneres and Kara DioGuardi also said farewell to their judge's chairs. That left original judge Randy Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest as the only familiar Idol faces.

Here enters Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez.  While the initial Idol auditions usually provide plenty of entertainment in themselves, this time viewers had more than just new contestants to check out- there were new judges to judge.

Tyler and Lopez joined the mix in tonight's New Jersey auditions, where they quickly proved that they were more than mere replacements. Within minutes Lopez's sassy flare and Tyler's random bursts into song made it apparent that this season will be nothing if not fresh and exciting.

Jackson took on the role of the 'seasoned Idol vet' moderating the two newbies, who both seemed to adjust to their new surroundings with ease. As she mentioned in the episode, Lopez might have a hard time getting used to saying 'no' to auditionees. On the other hand, Tyler didn't seem to have a problem telling the contestants how it was.

Enough about the judges. The New Jersey auditions proved to belong to the youngsters, with more than a handful of hopefuls worth keeping an eye on. 15 year old Kenzie Palmer belted out a gorgeous rendition of Carrie Underwood's 'We're Young and Beautiful,' while 16 year old Briell Von Hugel impressed the judges with her cutsie personality and her vocals on 'Endless Love.' Both made it through to Hollywood.

New Jersey certainly didn't fail to supply a fresh batch of crazies either. Yoji Asano delivered a mind-boggling version of 'Party in the USA' (complete with full Michael Jackson-esque choreography). Though Michael Perotto put a lot of heart into his 'Proud Mary,' his performance causEd Tyler to question if he "ate a lot of paint chips as a child." Needless to say, neither Asano nor Perotto made it through to the next round.

The show was not lacking in musical theatre either. Spunky Ashley Sullivan (the self-proclaimed Liza Minnelli of American Idol) showed off her pipes with an intensely enthusiastic version of 'Gimme Gimme' from Thoroughly Modern Millie.  

My two favorite performances of the night came from Robbie Rosen and Devyn Rush. 16 year old Rosen delivered a gorgeous version of 'Yesterday' by the Beatles that immediately wowed the judges and gave me the chills. Rush, an Ellen's Stardust Diner performer, proved to be a vocal powerhouse when she sang "God Bless the Child." Watch out for those two!

At the end of season ten's first two hours, 51 contestants had won tickets to Hollywood. Don't forget to check back with BroadwayWorld's IDOL WATCH tomorrow when American Idol auditions travel to New Orleans!  The show airs at 8PM on Fox.

Emmy Award-winning AMERICAN IDOL is created and executive produced by Simon Fuller, Founder, 19 Entertainment , a division of CKX, Inc.; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; and Nigel Lythgoe, President, Big Red 2 Entertainment.

Among the many American Idol finalists and winners to appeared on the Broadway stage are Fantasia Barrino, Justin Guarini, Jordin Sparks, Diana DeGarmo, Ace Young, Tamyra Gray, Constantine Maroulis, Frenchie Davis, Clay Aiken and Taylor Hicks.

Visit americanidol.com for exclusive videos, interviews and photos, as well as special behind-the-scenes information and all of your AMERICAN IDOL news.