Iovine's effect on Idol

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Idol changed drastically when Jimmy [Iovine] came on. In the old days, it was like musical jump rope where the contestants would do a different style every week. Inevitably, everybody had at least one horrible performance. Jimmy said, 'Let's get these people to sing who they are.' " —Michael Orland, says the show's longtime arranger and associate musical director, to The Hollywood Reporter’s Shirley Halperin in her massive preview of season 12. Pointing to the successes of Scotty McCreery and Phillip Phillips, Idol’s last two winners, since the show made a deal with UMG, Halperin notes, “With Universal Music handling distribution and marketing, the show, more than ever, offers a legitimate launchpad to insta-success.” (1/4a)