Tonight...Tonight...

Won't be just any night! No...tonight is the KICK OFF of Season 8 of American Idol (here on out referred to as "AI") and I, the newly monikered "Mr. Idol", will be here to cover every tear stained tantrum, squeal of success and scandelous second that abounds and leads up to the crowning moment of the ONE who reigns victorious over it all to become our new American Idol!

"Change"...not only is that the promise of our President-Elect, but also from the producers of AI and I can bet, there promise is more reliable! Anywhooo...we will see more good auditions but less of them overall (3 weeks worth, down from 4) and we will see more Hollywood (2 weeks worth, up from 1) and in turn also get to focus more on the "personalities" and interactions of the contestants which will allow us to get to know them better. Then 36 contestants (up from 24) will move on to the Semi Finals where America will begin our voting. We will also see the return of the "Wild Card" round this season during Semi Finals. This could be very interesting as it was this round in which Clay Aiken was brought back and voted into the Top 10 in Season 2.

Advanced research from the trusty internet has provided me with some insight into some of the people we might see in Hollywood...specifically a nephew of Donny and Marie Osmond, the brother of Chris Sligh (season 6) and the daughter of David Archuleta's voice coach, to name a few. The word is that the boys are outstanding this year, per Simon Cowell, but we will have to wait and see if that is actually true. One thing is for sure, I believe we are really going to see some "characters" this season, since Simon and some producers have said that last year's Top 12 were boring and had no personality. So, it will be interesting to see the type of people that get put in front of the cameras this year.

Lastly, we have the addition of the new, fourth judge....Kara DioGuardi. Speculation says this is the eventual replacement for Paula Abdul...I say the massive pile of train wreckage that Paula is brings too many ratings to EVER be let go or fired. I think this is just something the Producers have wanted to do and also fits the format of other versions of Idol in other countries. Either way, she is a credible addition to the panel as a singer and very lucrative songwriter having written hits for Kelly Clarkson, Kylie Minogue, Pink, Christina Aguilera and Celine Dion....to name a few. If you want to hear a sample of both her writing AND singing, check out a song she wrote and sang backup for on David Archuleta's CD titled "To Be With You". It's really good! One thing is for sure, she is going to be outspoken and opinionated and has the experience to back it up, so it should be interesting to see how this mix washes out. I was able to get a sample of her judging abilities when she was one of the judges on the short lived, ABC wanna-be copy of American Idol called "The One". She did not mess around when it came to the contestants and pushing them to do their best, so hopefully she has that same approach on AI.

Well, my little Idolators, that is all for now, but make sure to check back here often as I give my weekly thoughts on ever one of the coming Idol moments! Enjoy the premiere!

Until next time....