American Idol 10 Premiere: Critics Love Steven Tyler

If the American Idol pundits are to be believed, the premiere of American Idol 10 was a resounding success. The judging panel of Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson is a home run -- or is it? Personally, I want it to all play out before making any assumptions of how good or bad the season is. For one thing, we don't know how the judges will perform live -- and this whole mentoring thing is still a mystery. Also, wasn't this the season the show was going to focus on talent? And yet, 2 hours in -- viewers are enamored by a judge: Steven Tyler.

I'm going to go on record that I miss Simon Cowell on this show even if he was bored for the past couple of seasons. I didn't think I would feel this way, but the show is not the same. And Randy Jackson as the judge of reason is difficult to swallow.

At least one thing's still the same: the sob stories. We had a lot of them in the New Jersey auditions. I cried. A lot.

Recaps from around the Internet:

American Idol feels the Jersey Shore effect (PopDust) - Maura Johnston: "There was also a bit where Steven Tyler seemed like he was morphing into the Black Swan."

New Jersey Auditions - I Had This Disease When I Was 5, But I'm Fine Now... Love Me Anyway (Vote for the Worst) - Dave Della Terza: "So what did we learn tonight? The new judges feel bad for all of the contestants so they let anyone through to Hollywood who cries."

‘American Idol’ New Jersey auditions: The recap (Joe's Place Blog) - Mila: "It almost looked like the show had remade the judges’ panel in the image of Paula Abdul."

American Idol Season 10 Premiere: What Did You Think? (TV Line) - Michael Slezak: "Admittedly, night one of Idol 10.0 wasn’t its most thrilling installment of all-time ever, but the show’s increased emphasis on truly talented singers — and its decision not to belabor audition packages from the talentless, the deluded, and the attention-craving — made for a zippy, feel-good 120 minutes."

'American Idol' Episode 1 Recap: Steven Tyler Steals--And Maybe Saves--The Show (Reality Rocks) - Lyndsey Parker: "Steven had me at "hello"--or more specifically, he had me the first time he let a curse word slip during the show's cold open. And the second time. And the third. And that was just, like, the first 10 minutes."

Renewed Idol Washes Up on Jersey Shore (Tubular) - Joey Guerra: "Simon Cowell is gone. Deal with it. I have. This is essentially a new show. And all in all, it worked. I honestly didn't find myself missing him almost at all."

American Idol 10: New judges, new life for 10th season premiere (Idol Watch) - Howard Cohen: "Steven Tyler's unpredictable nature and oft-bleeped comments could be a source of fun this season."

'American Idol' finally has a grown-ups table (L.A. Times) - Mary McNamara: "... it was gratifyingly clear that for the first time in a long time the fumblings and flailings of contestants fighting to find their feet on stage will not be mirrored by the judges table."

American Idol 10 – New York/New Jersey Recap Live Blog (MJ's Big Blog) - MJ Santilli: "Steven Tyler is going to be the BREAKOUT STAR of American Idol Season 10. Tonight, I was so enamored with the Aerosmith frontman-he managed to balance eloquence and heart with balls-to-the-walls crazy–that I didn’t give Simon Cowell a second thought."

'American Idol' Premiere Plays Nice with Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler (Billboard) - "There are no more mean judges, and Jennifer Lopez might be the nicest one of all."