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"It&amp;#039;s hard to imagine it, almost impossible to think that American Idol could go on without the stinging tongue of Simon Cowell, but that&amp;#039;s exactly what happened Wednesday night, when new judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler debuted with veteran Idol judge Randy Jackson on the season premiere. Kicking off the first round of auditions in New Jersey, the show had some serious characters, but according to reviews, was missing the biting wit of Cowell, reports People.com. While Tyler did seem to take the lead, and Jennifer Lopez tried to be kind, we can only hope they will be a little more direct with contestants moving forward. Second to the talent exhibited in the final stages by competitors, it&amp;#039;s the judges who offer some of the best entertainment. For a look back at past American Idol contestants, check out &amp;quot;American Idol Transformations.&amp;quot; - Alexandra Gekas, Associate Editor "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/entertainment/news/a45804/new-judges-panel-debuts-on-american-idol-season-premiere-847/>