Watercooler: The Idol Judges Need to Toughen Up

Ok, so we've already talked about how much we adore the new American Idol judging panel. Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler are clearly fans of the show, have oodles of energy and totally crack us up with some of their back and forth. Even Randy Jackson seems a bit looser and happier now that he's free from the rule of Simon and the ridiculousness of Paula.
But mother of all that is Idol, do they know what "judging" even means? The damn show has turned into a Hallmark card lovefest, with each of the trio slathering praise on the contestants like they want to spoon them! And last night, it hit un-critical mass as they jockeyed to see who could blast out the biggest compliment to some of the show's most mediocre performances.  Randy was practically throwing his panties over Paul McDonald's weird, crickety take on "Old Time Rock and Roll," while Jennifer somehow thought that Stefano's double-cheese rendition of "End of the Road" was proof that he's "got it." Really?
And don't get us started on the inexplicable reverence they have for Jacob Lusk. How they eat up his over-the-top wailing and penchant for bending notes into submission (seriously, some of his nonsense should be consider hate crimes against music) is beyond us. But then again, they've also supported Haley week after week, despite the fact that her choice of footwear far outshines her choice of songs.
Now we're not asking for the judges to just be nasty. That's what Twitter is for. But some honest assessments would be appreciated from someone other than Jimmy Iovine. Not every contestant is awesome. And would it be too much to ask for some consistency? Last night Randy gave Scotty props for sticking to country with some "I always say, if it ain't broke don't even think about fixing it" line that had a lot of viewers scratching their heads. After all, had he really believed that, he never would have encouraged Pia away from ballads and into elimination. And we all may have had someone worthy of their effusive affections.
Do you think the judges are too soft? 
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