LOS ANGELES \u2014Keith Urban was wrapping up a recent interview about \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d when Harry Connick Jr. breezed into a backstage room, ready for his turn.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe talks and talks and talks,\u201d Connick said, gleefully needling his fellow \u201cIdol\u201d judge. \u201cGet out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Urban replied in kind, telling Connick he\u2019d answered a reporter\u2019s questions for him: \u201cI said it would make for a better interview.\u201d<\/p>\n
The musicians\u2019 good-natured digs suggest a fresh start for \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d after a sour season in which the bickering between judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, with Urban stuck in the middle, was anything but entertaining.<\/p>\n
Urban, newcomer Connick and Jennifer Lopez, who\u2019s returning after a season\u2019s absence, have the task of helping the singing contest find its footing and stop a ratings slide in its 13th season that begins Wednesday.<\/p>\n
They have help from two new executive producers, replacements for the longtime team that guided \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d through an unprecedented nine-year streak as TV\u2019s No. 1 program to the loss of that crown in 2013.<\/p>\n
Besides the show\u2019s own missteps, other talent shows including NBC\u2019s hit \u201cThe Voice\u201d and Fox\u2019s own \u201cThe X Factor,\u201d although struggling, have grabbed audience attention.<\/p>\n
But the show\u2019s ability to rebound shouldn\u2019t be underestimated, say producers Per Blankens, who produced the successful Swedish \u201cIdol,\u201d and Trish Kinane.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmerican Idol\u201d is \u201cstill the best format in the world. … Our job is to go back to basics,\u201d Blankens said. That includes \u201ca panel that\u2019s good, and like what they\u2019re doing, and could consider eating lunch together, because it all starts there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The judges say they not only enjoy each other\u2019s company but also agree their role on the show is secondary.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe focus should be in the front,\u201d Urban said, referring to the young singers he was assessing during a taping last month for the elimination stage known as Hollywood Week.<\/p>\n
At a news conference Monday, the country star expanded on the panel\u2019s shared view of what is owed the contestants.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a really daunting thing,\u201d Urban said. \u201cYou know, they\u2019ve got no microphone, no audience, no band, no music, nothing, and they stand in front of us and sing. And all three of us have so much respect for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The judges also need to be educators, Connick said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my whole mantra for the show: If there\u2019s anything I can communicate, passion and education aren\u2019t exclusive.<\/p>\n