Simon Hints at Big Changes for New Season

• Aug 22, 2008 09:44 PM ET
• by The Idol Chatters

"I was a little bored," said Simon Cowell of American Idol's Season 7, indicating that come January 2009, he'll be taking a larger role to change the tenor of the show. The news comes just days after Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe announced that he'd be stepping back from his day-to-day work on Idol to concentrate on international versions of his other hit show, So You Think You Can Dance.

Chief among Cowell's complaints was what he called the overwhelming media-savviness of this season's contestants. "I'm not sure that they ever showed their real personalities," he said. "They were like robots." (Nevertheless, he praised last season's runner-up, David Archuleta, on his recent success, calling him "the perfect pop star.")

So how will Cowell shake things up? "I think [last season] the talent was great, and the ratings were great, I just think it could be more interesting and controversial," he said. He specifically criticized the slow-moving middle and end portions of the season. He refused, however, to elaborate on "ideas I have to introduce more jeopardy" to the proceedings.

How would you change American Idol? And what could Simon mean by "jeopardy"? A shark tank? Scimitars? Alex Trebek? Let your thoughts be known, America! - Mickey O'Connor