I don’t know about the rest of you, but I love American Idol. The people are way more talented than the dweebs we get on UK’s X Factor and the show just seems so much more interesting.

I just came across a great interview with Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer of the show, and he has revealed that big changes are in store for the next American Idol series, due to kick off in January.

Some of the changes the bosses are considering implementing are:

* changing the format to let singers show other musical talents, such as guitar playing.

* fewer celebrity “mentors,” like Diana Ross and Tony Bennett, who appeared every week last season and took attention away from the contestants.

* combining the annual “Idol” live tour with the “So You Think You Can Dance” tour – to create a show with both singing and dancing.

I think that fans of this show format, whether it be X Factor or American Idol, will be highly appreciative of the first two changes. It would be nice to get a picture of how talented a person really is, rather than being subjected to them singing cheesy covers week after week.

Also the weekly brown nosing of celebrities like Tony Bennett, who no one under 60 really gives a hoot about, was getting too nauseating for my liking. I think Nigel Lythgoe is onto a good one here, I just hope that these ideas make it as far as the live show and aren’t vetoed by Mr ‘big man’ Cowell.