14 DAY TRIAL // Much fuss was made about Jennifer Lopez’s coming to American Idol as judge – about as much as it was made Simon Cowell’s departure. Now that Steven Tyler is officially AI’s star judge, JLo is fuming that he’s stealing her thunder.
When the new lineup of judges was announced a while back, many wondered whether Tyler still had that edge in him to make him a proper replacement for Mr. Mean himself, Simon Cowell.
Not only has he proved he does, but buzz online says he’s managed to do the unthinkable: breathe new life into a show that has been going for 10 whole seasons and which, for that reason, was seeing ratings drop.
The only person who is not happy with his development is Jennifer Lopez because the entire new format and show was built around her – this was supposed to be her big moment, a source says for PopEater.
“This was meant to be Jennifer’s big comeback. The entire re-branding of the show was built around her, but now it’s all about Steven 24/7,” says the spy.
Indeed, reviews of the show in its new format sing Tyler’s praises – and barely mention Jennifer, save when they says he needs to be more assertive in her critique of the contestants.
“She’s mystified at how this happened and has made it very clear to the producers that the cameras need to spend a little more time adoring Jennifer’s favorite idol – herself!” the spy adds.
Even with the recent ratings drop (which was expected, industry insiders say), it’s clear that Steven has saved the show, contributing to its re-branding and thus casting Lopez’s contribution in a corner of shade.
“At the end of the day, it’s shaping up that Steven has saved this show. Word of mouth about him and the quality of singers is getting stronger and stronger ever week, and so far he’s even managed to get us to forget the departure of Simon Cowell. Sorry, Jennifer, we still miss Paula,” PopEater says.