QUOTE
The "American Idol" formula will have a few tweaks and twists next week, when the show's top 24 compete.
That includes:
-- It will be a theme week. All of the contestants -- 12 men on Tuesday, 12 women on Wednesday -- will do 1960s songs.
-- Instruments will still be allowed. That began in the Hollywood round and will continue, producer Nigel Lythgoe said today.
The '60s theme is partly because of "some terrible song choices" last year, Lythgoe said. But it's also because it's tough to quickly get clearances for 24 modern songs.
That happened during the Hollywood rounds, he said, when three singers did the modern "Crazy." Approval wasn't available and none of them could be shown.
Lythgoe also said he'll continue the effort to tell personal stories. There will only be four mentors this season; none have been announced yet. And each results show will be an hour, to give more time to focus on the contestants and to look at ones from the past.
That history is important for a show with strong, 16-year-old contenders, he said. "They were 9 years old when the show started here, or 10. They've been watching the show for much of their little lives."
That includes:
-- It will be a theme week. All of the contestants -- 12 men on Tuesday, 12 women on Wednesday -- will do 1960s songs.
-- Instruments will still be allowed. That began in the Hollywood round and will continue, producer Nigel Lythgoe said today.
The '60s theme is partly because of "some terrible song choices" last year, Lythgoe said. But it's also because it's tough to quickly get clearances for 24 modern songs.
That happened during the Hollywood rounds, he said, when three singers did the modern "Crazy." Approval wasn't available and none of them could be shown.
Lythgoe also said he'll continue the effort to tell personal stories. There will only be four mentors this season; none have been announced yet. And each results show will be an hour, to give more time to focus on the contestants and to look at ones from the past.
That history is important for a show with strong, 16-year-old contenders, he said. "They were 9 years old when the show started here, or 10. They've been watching the show for much of their little lives."