With last night's coronation of David Cook fresh in my mind, here are a couple of observations about what "American Idol" did right and wrong this past season, and where it needs to tweak this and that to remain relevant in seasons ahead.

-- Enough with the movie tie-ins. Jim Carrey sitting in the crowd for "Horton Hears a Who" was embarrassing enough, but watching Mike Meyers shell for "The Love Guru" last night was just plain awful. Sure, if you want to sell a 60-second ad for the movie, go ahead, but why incorporate the awful shtick into the show. And then to make poor David Cook and David Archuleta sit through the movie and feign amusement when they've got more than enough to worry about, that's just not right.

-- There needs to be more balance of the weekly musical tutor, in terms of the contestants having actually heard of him or her. For instance, I'm not afraid to admit I like Neil Diamond, but I'm 44. A 17-year-old wouldn't know Neil Diamond if the two ran into each other on Wilshire Boulevard in front of Sinai Temple. And the same for Andrew Lloyd Webber. Sure, the occasional Dolly Parton is fine, but there needs to be more contemporary artists with whom the contestants will relate.

-- We really don't need the the blonde sorority girls in the mosh pit. If producers want high-pitched screaming that badly, pipe it in. And what college-age woman is passionately in love with a high-school boy i.e. Archuleta? As far as the hand-waving goes, once in a while is OK, but when it's done for every song it looks like their arms are stuck in the air.

-- What are Paula and Randy adding to the equation any more? Sure, I understand people want to see Paula the way they slow down to see the accident on the side of the road, but musically speaking, she doesn't add anything constructive and the Jason Castro episode was a last straw. Yeah, it was an honest mistake and nobody's fallible, but c'mon, if you can't handle the rigors and last-second changes of live televsion, then it might be time to move on. Or, more accurately, it's time for Fox to move her on.

-- As for Randy? Well, he's a likeable guy, for sure, but the dawg stuff is getting really old and by raising his voice and say that Cook is ON FIRE TONIGHT and THE ONE TO BEAT only gives people a headache. Clearly, his comments aren't on Paula's level but he needs to pick up his game.

-- Give Ryan more to do. Seacrest is woefully underappreciated in trying to bring this circus to order on a weekly basis. It's not as easy as it may appear. Maybe he and one contestant can have a pre-taped interview each week so we know a bit more about each Idol wannabe. Something that could be edited, so the kids aren't asked to give insightful answers after having just finished a song, when they're out of breath and still in a state of performance anxiety.

-- Don't run the kids ragged. As it is, they have to learn one or two songs each week, go clothes shopping, do press, try to keep in contact with friends and family, and then there's that ghastly Ford infomercial that takes an entire day to shoot. Give them a day or two to themselves to just savor the moment.

-- Put the lyrics to the songs on the Teleprompter. Yeah, I get it that as real-life singers, they'll have to memorize all the words, but like I said just just above, give 'em a break and put the words on there as a safety net. Yeah, it takes away those awe-cringing moments when somebody forgets the words -- Brooke White wins that competition this year -- but these contestants have enough to do, like trying to make pretend that they're excited to meet Lloyd Webber, so make it a little easier on them.

-- Pay them more. Share the wealth. Whatever it is, it's not enough. Geez, Fox, Fremantle, the judges and plenty others are sure doing OK by "Idol," shouldn't the contestants too?

-- Finally, for all the cynicism and need for changes mentioned here, "Idol" remains compelling and buzzworthy television. Watching Cook crowned champ last night was a great moment, packed with plenty of emotion. Both he and Archuleta seemingly never let the fame get to their heads, and both could have stellar musical careers ahead. Coming from nowhere and allowing your talents — be it in business, entertainment or academics — to take you to the top is has long been the American dream.

— Stuart Levine

Yup, it's that time of year again.

Time to find ourselves face to face with those narcissistic posers, self-righteous egomaniacs, and, on rare occasion, someone who actually knows something about what it takes to create a winning song. And those are just the judges.

"American Idol," in all its pumped-up glory, returns Tuesday and Wednesday night and so the seventh season begins. The auditions, the insults, the crying, the tears, the guest performers, "Idol Gives Back," a trip to Hollywood, a final 12 and, when it's all over, another champ standing among the confetti at the Kodak.

Fox arranged a conference call with Simon Cowell Wednesday morning to discuss the new season, his reflections on last year and whether Paula is as crazy as she seemed in her Bravo reality show.

"Yes, she's an emotional girl," Cowell said, "but things were exaggerated in the edit."

Cowell affirms last season was a bad one, in terms on the quality of the competition, but believes this new group of contestants are a cut above from what he's seen at the nationwide auditions.

"This is a much better season. If it was worse, we'd have a problem. We can't guarantee to find a superstar but we're at the mercy of who turns up at the auditions. … I think it's going to be one of the strongest years in a long, long time. The talent is younger, more current and more interesting. I'm going into this season more optimistic than last year. Paula and Randy said last year the bar was risen, but I didn't believe it. I think it's going to be a big year."

Where "Idol" always arrives in January as the 800-lb. gorilla on the TV landscape, this year it's gained a few pounds. There's little, if any, scripted competition and viewers could be salivating for the real-life drama that "Idol" provides.

Cowell discussed this season's heightened ratings expections set against the lack of scripted programming, but the Brit said those raised expectations are nothing new.

"That's happened the last two or three years. We're in the same position as we were last year and the year before. The show has got to look better and be more fun," he admitted. "If it is, people will watch but it absolutely comes down to the content we provide the viewers."

As for his relationship with Paula and Randy, Cowell says that after being together for so long, there's bound to be fights and disagreements. But that's all part of the natural course of things.

"After seven years, you get on each other's nerves. We're not robots and you can become a bit argumentative or emotional."

Emotional isn't a term one might use to describe Cowell, who seems very calculating in his comments to impressionable would-be stars. Especially the ones who can't sing a lick and are deserving of his wrath. But even Cowell admits there have been instances when he's been unnecessarily harsh.

"There are certain times when you watch a show back and you hate yourself for what you said at the time," he explains. "You don't know their backstory before they walked in the room. Maybe their dog just died. You see their backstory and feel horrible."

"And sometimes you get very bored, but at the end of the day every person has seen 'Idol' and they know what they're in store for."

Not just the horrific singers, but audiences too. We know what to expect as well.

Let the hysteria begin.

— Stuart Levine