Iovine on Idol

IDOL BLOWBACK: New American Idol judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez generally got a pass from blogging fans, some of whom, maybe not surprisingly, aren’t missing Simon Cowell’s acerbic presence as much as the critics seem to. Interscope Geffen A&M ruler Jimmy Iovine, brought in along with parent company UMG as the resident starmaking mentor, appeared only briefly on last night’s show, but will probably become more important as the competition begins to winnow away the amateurs. In fact, he could just turn out to be the real replacement for Cowell if they integrate him earlier in the decision-making process. On the pre-show, he exclaimed, “If we help those artists develop, we can create some great talent.” And potentially sell a lot of whatever it is the music industry is selling these days… (1/20p)