With American Idol being one of the most popular talent contests in the world, the format of the programme is well known to many.
But it seems Jennifer Lopez might not have been fully aware of her obligations as one of the new judges on the panel.
J-Lo found it incredibly difficult to become 'J-No' as she was forced to turn away her first hopeful on the show, a job previously relished by former judge Simon Cowell, who quit the show last year to bring his X Factor franchises to America.
Struggling: It seems perhaps Jennifer Lopez didn't realise the extent of her responsibilities as one of the new judges on the panel of American Idol, the new series of which started last night
J-No: Lopez seemed to go through a variety of emotions during the season premiere, struggling to turn away hopeful contestants
Lopez appeared to be in agony the first time she was shown rejecting a contestant, complaining: 'Oh, my God, I hate this! Why did I sign up for this? I want to go home.'
Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler are the new judges on the panel, who replace the outgoing Cowell, Kara DioGuardi and Ellen DeGeneres. Original judge Randy Jackson remains, as does host Ryan Seacrest.
The talent show returned for its eagerly-anticipated tenth season on U.S. television last night.
New faces: Lopez with fellow panel newbie, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, who seemed to settle in to his role slightly more easily
Tough: Lopez and Tyler on the panel with judge Randy Jackson, who is back for the tenth season of the show
And the premiere programme began positively with the first three contestants shown making it through to Hollywood.First up was New York student Rachel Zevita, who first auditioned in season six.
She got three votes of confidence from the panel, although told her she needed to improve to get past the next stage.
After her rendition of Hallelujah, Tyler said: 'Water that flower because it’s going to grow. I think you have what it is is. You have to redirect it.'
Quick to judge: Simon Cowell on the panel last year with Jackon, Kara DioGuardi and guest judge Joe Jonas
J-Lo, who said she remembered her from season six, added: 'It wasn't the best audition from what you can give. I know you can sing a lot of different things.'
She was followed by fellow New Yorker Caleb Hawley, who sang a lesser-known Beatles song Hallelujah, I Love Her So, and also got through to the next round.
'Yes!' Steven said. 'That was so good. High voice. Character. Something new. Something different!'
Third up was 15-year old Kenzie Palmer, singing Carrie Underwood’s We’re Young and Beautiful.
Star style: New Jersey girl Tiffany Rios impressed not only with her vocal chords but also her stand out attire as she audition on last night's American Idol on U.S. television
'I wasn’t feeling that pizazz,' Steven said. 'I disagree!' Jennifer adds. 'You could have moved a lot more,' Randy said, before all three judges gave her a 'yes'.
It wasn't long before the awful contestants took centre stage, with Achille Lovle the first to be highlighted - and sent packing with three no votes.
After singing Madonna’s Dress You Up in a really deep voice and strong Ivory Coast accent, Jennifer told her: 'It's not about your accent, it's about your singing.'
But the singer and actress struggled to shatter the wannabe's dreams, admitting later: 'I don't like saying no.'
Emotional: J-LO gives Tiffany a hug after she broke down at the start of the audition. She was sent through to the next round after singing You Are My Lady
Top notch: Robbie Rosen also was sent through to the Hollywood round after impressing the panel with his rendition of Yesterday by The Beatles
THE VERDICT: Critics' response
'Love him or hate him, Cowell provided a dose of necessary harsh realism that's sadly lacking in the present panel.'
Paul Brown, suite101.com
'The good news is, [new judges J.LO and Steven Tyler] slipped in just fine, and, in fact, Tyler quickly proved to be just the breath of fresh (and sometimes wacky) air the show needed going into the season of uncertainty.'
MTV
'There was no Cowell to shatter the conversation as cleanly as a rock through a window, although Tyler at least is weirdly, arrestingly flip.'
Tom Gliatto, People.com
'Our first two hours of season 10 of American Idol, or more importantly, 'life after Simon Cowell,' felt different, more positive, more uplifting, less prickly. Did that make it duller? Just a smidge. I felt the void. And it definitely made it easier for the contestants.'
American Idol blogger Rodney Ho
'American Idol wanted to convince us that everything was new and fresh for its 10th season premiere Wednesday night, but, truth be told, it felt like the early episodes of the ninth season and the eighth and the fifth: some heartwarming stories backed by varying degrees of talent, some obvious scammers happy to be atrocious enough to land on TV, and some judges struggling to strike a balance between "likable to the audience" and "truthful to the hopefuls."'
Paul Brown, suite101.com
'The good news is, [new judges J.LO and Steven Tyler] slipped in just fine, and, in fact, Tyler quickly proved to be just the breath of fresh (and sometimes wacky) air the show needed going into the season of uncertainty.'
MTV
'There was no Cowell to shatter the conversation as cleanly as a rock through a window, although Tyler at least is weirdly, arrestingly flip.'
Tom Gliatto, People.com
'Our first two hours of season 10 of American Idol, or more importantly, 'life after Simon Cowell,' felt different, more positive, more uplifting, less prickly. Did that make it duller? Just a smidge. I felt the void. And it definitely made it easier for the contestants.'
American Idol blogger Rodney Ho
'American Idol wanted to convince us that everything was new and fresh for its 10th season premiere Wednesday night, but, truth be told, it felt like the early episodes of the ninth season and the eighth and the fifth: some heartwarming stories backed by varying degrees of talent, some obvious scammers happy to be atrocious enough to land on TV, and some judges struggling to strike a balance between "likable to the audience" and "truthful to the hopefuls."'
Steve Johnson, Chicago Tribune
After putting in a strong performance of You Are My Lady, she was given the thumbs up.
'You can sing your tushala off,' said Steven before Randy agreed, telling her: 'Two reasons why America needs you.'
Another contestants getting the thumbs up was 16-year-old Robbie Rosen, from Merrick, Long Island.
He told the judges he had waited eight years to try out on the show and was delighted to be sent through to the next round after singing Yesterday by The Beatles.
Britney Spears fan Ashley Sullivan somehow managed to get through, with a yes vote from Jennifer and Steven, after begging the judges.
Lopez says yes, seemingly out of guilt, after telling Ashley her performance was more Broadway than popstar.
'They’re both insane,' said Randy of his co-judge's decision, giving her a firm no.
Chris Codeiro, an 18-year-old Boy Scout, looks like he’s ready to fishing as he performed an very cheesy rendition of My Way - getting three firm no votes afterwards.
'You scared everybody in the room,' Steven said before Jennifer asked Randy: 'How did you do this for 10 years?'
Michael Jackson imitator Yoji 'Pop' Asano from Japan ends up singing Miley Cyrus's Party in the USA while doing Jacko moves, making for a bizarre audition.
He was followed by three other poor efforts from Jaclyn Blythe, Imah Abasumoh, Rob Palmay - who Cowell would have certainly of had a few choice words for if was there.
Close call: Ashley Sullivan only just scraped through after putting in an overly-theatrical performance which was not a hit with some of the judges
No thanks: Achille Lovle sang a deep-voiced rendition of Madonna's Dress You Up while Chris Codeiro performed a very cheesy version of My Way
But her performance was out of key at times. 'You got a beautiful voice,' Steven told her before Jennifer, giving her a yes, adds: 'You have a tiny bit of work to do.' Brielle gets through to the next round.
Victoria Huggins from North Carolina proclaims: 'I’m ready to be the 2011 American Idol... I’ve been waiting for this since season 2.'
Crazy moves: Yoji 'Pop' Asano, a Michael Jackson impersonator, oddly chose to sing a Miley Cyrus song as he did Jacko-style moves
American Idol has lost about six million viewers over the past four years, and recent winners Kris Allen and Lee DeWyze seem destined to slip into obscurity after suffering dismal sales for their debut albums.
But Todd Gold, executive editor of Xfinity TV, said buzz was strong after a summer of upheavals that also saw the exits of judges Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi, and a switch to record label Universal Music from Sony Music Entertainment.
Through to the next round: A very enthusiastic Victoria Huggins from North Carolina said she was desperate to be the next American Idol winner
Emotional journey: Brielle Von Hugel with her father Bill, who suffered from throat cancer, managed to get a place in the Hollywood round
'I think they have a really good shot at achieving their goal, which is to make people not only watch the show, but talk about it and buy the merchandise and the records,' he added.
Broadcaster Fox television, currently languishing bottom of the leading four U.S. networks in overall viewers, is looking to Idol for its annual ratings lift, especially among the 18-49 year-old audience most coveted by advertisers.
The new American Idol: Tyler, Lopez, Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest as seen in footage last night
But rival networks whose programming was once squashed by the Idol juggernaut, are quietly confident.American Idol is moving to new nights this season, airing mostly on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The change puts the show up against a pair of Emmy-winning comedies, ABC's Modern Family on Wednesday and CBS' The Big Bang Theory on Thursday .
'It's going to be interesting to see, with the new cast and the changes this year. But it's a power house,' CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler said recently of Idol.
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