Season 13 of American Idol will premiere next month, and new judge Harry Connick Jr. could not be more excited.

Connick is currently filming a sequel to 2011's Dolphin Tale, but he has American Idol on his mind. The new judge is delighted to work with returning judges Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban. According to Connick, the judges' friendship means "Idol" will be better than ever.

"It's three people who are having a friggin' ball," Connick told E! Online during a break from filming his upcoming movie. "The show is really goofy. It's really serious, and it's real fun. It's really heartfelt. It's everything you want 'Idol' to be."

This new judging attitude is certainly different to the Paula Abdul vs. Simon Cowell era and last year's Mariah Carey vs. Nicki Minaj season-long battle. Don't ask Connick why past "Idol" judging tables have been so heated. The first-timer is getting along swimmingly with his co-judges.

"I really like them," he said of Lopez and Urban. "We'll finish shooting, and we'll go have lunch and we all sit at the same table, talking about Jen's kids, my kids and Keith's kids."

Even Connick's kids feel the "Idol" love.

"Charlotte, my youngest, was at a sleepover, and she asked, 'Please, Dad, can we talk to Jen?'" Connick said in reference to Lopez. "... Jen got on the phone, and you just heard these deafening screams."

The three get along so well that they could sing about it. The trio may perform together on the show.

"It's kind of been hinted at," Connick said. "I'm game for anything. I would totally dig it. You're talking about three completely different singers. It would be great."

The new judge also admitted that the job is a piece of cake and that moving from his two-time role as mentor to judge was "seamless."

"It's the easiest gig in the world," Connick said. "It really is. Look at what we do. We go and we get hair and makeup done, wear nice clothes, and go sit and listen to singers and tell them that we think. Let's get real here."

Season 13 of American Idol premieres on Jan. 15 and Jan. 16 with two-hour-long episodes at 8 p.m. on Fox.

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