'American Idol' new challenges include music videos

Image Credit: Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup/FoxJennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler won’t be the only new changes when American Idol premieres Jan. 12. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe tells TV Guide that the contest’s finalists will now be required to make a music video, promote themselves, and learn to work with a band and back-up dancers. In a structural change, the show will now skip the round-of-24 and simply move directly to the top-12. “I didn’t think [the top-24] were very good,” Lythgoe said. “I was bored with them by the time they got there.”