'Idol' keeps hot formula

PASADENA, Calif. — If you're looking for something new and different when "American Idol" returns tonight, you're going to be disappointed.

When you're the top-rated show on television, why mess with success?

The talent-show formula remains intact. In tonight's season premiere (7 p.m., Ch. 13), singing-star wannabes — some talented, some woefully untalented — sing for judges Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul. The judges say catty, mean things to some of them, encouraging things to others and we're off and running as the winnowing process begins.

But as for any big changes, "No," Jackson said last week on a conference call with reporters. "We have a few things that we change, but I think the formula is pretty much what it is. I mean you'll see a couple of wrinkles here and there, but of course, I can't tell you what that is.

"I think this is the greatest music-talent show ever, right? I mean, I know that me, Simon and Paula — we never really think about the ratings or look at that or whatever. I think we just go out and kind of do what we do. I think there's an abundance of talent in America, and there will never not be a lot of talent out there."

And an abundance of people with absolutely no talent who seem completely unaware of that fact.

"Every season there's a number of those. ... I'm telling, you wonders never cease to amaze," Jackson said. "They show up, and they're really horrible. You go, 'Something must really be wrong with their hearing.'"

THE JUDGES ARE getting along "fantastically" this season, according to Jackson — something that hasn't always been the case.

"Listen, it's always interesting, because we don't see each other for a while and then we get back together and do the show," he said. "It's always a little bit of a readjusting period, and we go a little crazy on each other sometimes, but we each call each other crazy four or five times. That's OK. It's (like) brothers and sisters."

JACKSON HAS TWO WORDS of advice for "Idol" hopefuls — two words he repeats over and over again. "Song choice, song choice, song choice. Understand who you are, because what you tell me as a judge when you sing a song that's way too big for you, (is) you have no idea how good you are and what you sing best, so you just told me you have no idea what you're doing. I'm going to imagine that almost every time you're going to pick the wrong song for you."