‘More fun’ the 10th time

Now that Simon Cowell is gone, nobody is ready to claim the villain’s role on “American Idol.”

New judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler say they’re looking forward to using their experience to help guide new artists.

The series is set to begin its 10th season on Wednesday, with only Randy Jackson left from the original cast of judges.

The judges have been candid as they’ve filmed early rounds of the contest, Lopez said.

“We’re both very spontaneous with how we critique each and every person who walks in. … We’re very honest and in the moment,” the singer-actress said.

But they also call on their professional insights to help the contestants, she said.

“There’s nothing like having that kind of discussion with another artist to help you grow,” Lopez said.

Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe says the new season of “Idol” will be more about searching for an eventual winner of the show, “rather than stopping people getting there.”

Producers and host Ryan Seacrest promise a more fun ride.

“There’s a genuine camaraderie with this group,” Seacrest says.

“American Idol” continued its reign last season as the most-watched TV show but has seen its ratings erode. Last May’s finale drew 24.2 million viewers, the fewest since the first season in 2002.

Critics griped about the perceived blandness of the contestants, including runner-up Crystal Bowersox and the self-effacing winner Lee DeWyze.

Asked about the lack of a major recording star emerging from the last few seasons, “Idol” organizers say the problem wasn’t in the singers themselves but the records they’ve released.

Neither DeWyze nor Kris Allen, the audience’s choice the season before, has approached the success of past winners Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood.

“If you make a great record, the public will buy (it),” Jackson says.

Adds Seacrest: “This is the greatest springboard out there, but you still have to find a record that works.”

Jimmy Iovine, head of the Interscope Geffen and A&M label that will record the winner, says he wants to ensure the new Idol represents an “original voice.”

Singing in the style of an established performer is “not particularly attractive to a record company,” says Iovine, who is described by Fox as the show’s “in-house mentor.”

Changes this season include extending the “Hollywood Week” auditions to cut the semifinalist field to a smaller number, 20. That gives the voting audience fewer singers to choose as finalists, allowing contestants to perform their own material.

The judges will also choose “Wild Card” finalists again, though Lythgoe says the number hasn’t been determined.

The first theme would likely be the 1980s, he says. He also says he isn’t interested in inviting celebrities to mentor contestants.