Idol's Lythgoe Speaks

NIGEL ON KINDER, GENTLER IDOL: American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe, clearly delighted with the good press and solid ratings his decision to bring Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez in for the judges panel to replace Simon Cowell, had this to say in a conference call this morning: “We felt that having Simon was the right thing to do for the time. He took that role, which made him a star around the world. There has been nobody that has been able to do that with his honesty… Back then, America wanted that frankness. But this is a different time. We purposely went in a different direction. With the economic crisis we’re in, we need warmth. We need to know the positions we find ourselves in we can get out of. The true mark of any program maker is judging the temper of society at any given point. These are times we need to feel we have a future. And if we can translate that into kids coming on the show from flipping burgers to ending up being the star of a hit television series, we are showing everybody we have a way out of our predicament. Now is the time for that warmth, which Steven and Jennifer provide, along with the eccentricity of rock stars.” (2/17p)