Jennifer Lopez is not worried about comparisons to past American Idol judges.
The 41-year-old singer has joined Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson on the judging panel of the latest series of the star-search show but admitted last Tuesday (January 11) she was anxious about a planned cull of half the contestants later that day.
She said: "I feel really anxious about cutting half the kids today, I really do. I'm really not looking forward to it. You want to pick the right ones and you want to see who's really going to make a great show, and at the same time, be great artists. But I feel like we have so many good ones that we're going to lose some good ones today. And that's what bothers me."
Along with worrying about eliminated contestants, Jennifer admitted she is also constantly thinking about those left in the competition and hopes they all achieve their full potential.
She said: "I get very involved and attached to the kids, in the sense of their trajectory and watching them. I realize that when we went away before we did Hollywood Week, I was thinking about the kids so much before we went back for the Las Vegas round.
"I was just like, 'Oh, my God, I hope that so-and-so does good, and I wish this one would just let go a little more... ' You just get involved... You hope that they do great."
While Jennifer follows in the footsteps of Simon Cowell, Paul Abdul, Kara DioGuardi, and Ellen DeGeneres in taking on a role on the judging panel, she is not worried about comparisons and actually thinks she incorporates the best of all of them.
She said: "I can't really say I would be like any one judge. I think that I have a combination of qualities that make me who I am and gives me a specific style of how I deal with the kids and how I dish out the truth—and also dish out the comfort. That's just part of who I am."