“American Idol” premieres at 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday with four hours of the usual singing and circus antics that we see at the beginning of each season. This seaspn on “Idol,” they’ll poke fun at fewer bad singers, but that’s not the only change in the works. Here’s a breakdown of what to look for in Season 8. — THEMASH
THE CHANGES
* The show added a fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi, a songwriter who said she’ll sometimes side with Simon Cowell. Don’t always count on that. Cowell complained to MTV that DioGuardi and Paula Abdul already have teamed up against him. “You’ve got two girls ganging up on you. One is hard enough; two is unbearable,” he told mtv.com. At least he gets to break tie votes among the judges.
* Judges will chose 36 semifinalists by February instead of 24. And they get to pick three wild-cards among the 12 finalists.
CONTESTANT RUMORS
* “Idol” blogs are buzzing about contestants who might have made the show’s top 50, two of them from Chicago: Angela Martin, a 27-year-old mom who appeared on the show last season, and Michael Bartul, 26, who made it to Hollywood in Season 5, according to mjsbigblog.com.
* Some rumored contestants have connections: Michael Castro’s brother is Season 7’s Jason Castro; David Osmond is Donny and Marie’s nephew. Danielle Roundtree is 2008’s Miss New York USA.
‘IDOL’ UPDATES
* Former “American Idol” rocker and Naperville resident Gina Glocksen married longtime boyfriend Joe Ruzicka on New Year’s Eve, according to people.com.
* Kelly Clarkson has a new look and a new single next week, “My Life Would Suck Without You,” but reports differ on whether her March album will be called “Masquerade” or “All I Ever Wanted.”
* Remember how front-runner Mario Vazquez dropped out during Season 4? His debut album under Arista Records finally hits stores this summer, Entertainment Weekly reports. Took long enough.
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DATES TO REMEMBER
Feb. 3
The Hollywood auditions begin.
Feb. 11
Top 36 singers chosen.
March 5
Top 12 finalists revealed.
