"It was a long road whittling it down from 700 [contestants] to 400, then Hollywood Week and then, aw man ... letting them go. You know what? Not everybody that's great sings good. They've got character, that certain something you can't put your finger on. And man, when they sing, look out. A lot of these kids have got it, but we have to let them go and it's heartbreaking."
-Legendary Aerosmith frontman and "American Idol" judge Steven Tyler, discussing how difficult it was to narrow down the field of contestants during the 10th season of the televised singing contest. MTV News caught up with Tyler on the red carpet at the NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles over the weekend, and he was extremely enthusiastic about the upcoming semi-final round.
Though Tyler has become the centerpiece of the "American Idol" judges' table, he revealed to MTV News' Rahman Dukes that he didn't watch the show very much before getting the gig. However, he totally relates to the contestants. "I didn't watch 'Idol' because I grew up from, you had to play clubs. If you don't play in front of the people and get your hard knocks from that and get booed, [you don't learn] how to stand up when you fall back down," he explained. "[When] they're in front of us, we're the club."
"American Idol" hits Las Vegas for another round of eliminations tonight (Wednesday, February 23), and Thursday night's (February 24) episode will reveal the final 20 finalists (10 men and 10 women), who will start competing live next week.
Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
-Legendary Aerosmith frontman and "American Idol" judge Steven Tyler, discussing how difficult it was to narrow down the field of contestants during the 10th season of the televised singing contest. MTV News caught up with Tyler on the red carpet at the NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles over the weekend, and he was extremely enthusiastic about the upcoming semi-final round.
Though Tyler has become the centerpiece of the "American Idol" judges' table, he revealed to MTV News' Rahman Dukes that he didn't watch the show very much before getting the gig. However, he totally relates to the contestants. "I didn't watch 'Idol' because I grew up from, you had to play clubs. If you don't play in front of the people and get your hard knocks from that and get booed, [you don't learn] how to stand up when you fall back down," he explained. "[When] they're in front of us, we're the club."
"American Idol" hits Las Vegas for another round of eliminations tonight (Wednesday, February 23), and Thursday night's (February 24) episode will reveal the final 20 finalists (10 men and 10 women), who will start competing live next week.
Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.