Inside Idol

Steven Tyler steals the day with his kooky ways: Move over JLo, Idol's new starhas emerged

Steven Tyler's musings are stealing the show on the remade American Idol.
The new judges seem committed to letting the competitors be the stars.
Devyn Rush — a former singing waitress — has emerged as an early favorite.

The highly anticipated 10th season of American Idol kicked off Wednesday night with a two-hour New Jersey episode. Despite its makeover, the show feels comfortingly the same as before — which means, as usual, it’s a mixed bag of good and bad:

Thumbs Up

• Above all, there’s one thing worth celebrating: The new judging panel is ripe with sincerity and commitment. You get the feeling that this is more than just a monster deal they inked — they genuinely care about the fate of the contestants and the show. It’s true that the contestants, not the judges, have always determined the overall quality of each season, but when the judges are having as much fun as they are this time around, it’s hard not to have fun right along with them.

• Steven Tyler seriously knows how to have a good time. See: his emphatic sing-along with Caleb Hawley’s “I Just Love You So.” There’s something so endearing about his wacky but authentic persona that makes me want to hug him — or maybe just have a beer with him.

• The episode began with a recap of the dramatic judges announcement last fall and all the hoopla that surrounded it. An expected package, to be sure, but what followed was unexpected: “But this isn’t our story. It’s yours!”

And strangely enough, the rest of the episode embraced this theme, with more focus on the talent (the good kind) than I’ve seen in years. Encouraging, indeed.

• Devyn Rush: The best of the night, 20-year-old Rush delivered a jazzy, controlled rendition of “God Bless the Child” with a little scatting thrown in for good measure. Attempting a throwback style is risky business on Idol — note the success of the flawed Megan Joy and the downfall of the promising Lilly Scott — but Rush is so naturally talented that it doesn’t come off as affected. Steven called it “delicious,” and I agree.

• Travis Orlando: He’s lived in a shelter for years, but came in wearing a “It’s Gonna be Fantastic” shirt, which unsurprisingly got a giggle out of Randy. Orlando's got a nice tone and rhythm to his voice, and ironically, the 16-year-old shows a sense of confidence and authority when he sings that contrasts with his self-deprecating demeanor.

And while I still believe back stories should play second fiddle to talent, you bet I teared up when his mom and twin brother swooped into the auditioning room for a tearful embrace.

Thumbs Down

• After nine seasons, do the producers really think the public still believes a chunk of contestants coincidentally chose the same song for their audition — this time Miley Cyrus’ infectious hit, “Party in the U.S.A”? Or do they get such a kick out of the contestants’ bewildered expressions as they try to remember the words that they just don’t care?

• Sincere or not, the new judging panel lacks the sharp wisdom of panels passed. Simon Cowell had the ability to show up, not give a damn, tune in for about 15 seconds of someone’s audition and proceed to deliver an assessment so stunningly accurate that you’d want to rewind and hear it again. Jennifer and Steven have proven to be present and engaged, but are they bitingly insightful?

Maybe they’ll grow to be, but not in this episode. I’m personally holding out hope for Jennifer, who shows just the right amount of empathy; if she can sharpen her judgment just a smidge, it’ll be a killer combination.

• It’s hard to imagine Simon handing golden tickets to contestants Tiffany Rios and Ashley Sullivan, who both made it through to Hollywood. Rios, who could pass for Snookie’s lost cousin, delivered a serviceable but unremarkable “I’m Your Lady” after a strange self-penned song. Sullivan barreled through a vocally one-dimensional version of “Gimme Gimme” and followed it up with a tearful proclamation about wanting to bring Liza Minnelli to pop music (I think Lady Gaga will suffice for now).

Both received bloated praise from the judges — not quite Ellen DeGeneres style, but close — and won’t stand a chance during Hollywood Week.

Quote of the Night
“Well hellfire, save matches, f**k a duck and see what hatches”
- Steven Tyler’s insane but awesome response to a Josh Turner sound-alike, to which he followed up with: “Am I allowed to say that?”

What are your thoughts on the season premiere of American Idol Season 10?

Get more of Tara Seetharam's pop culture musings on her website taraseetharam.com and follow her on Twitter @TaraAshley.

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Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep welcomes spooky season with PG-scary new movie

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

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