Randy Jackson

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Randy Jackson: TV Guide News

Idol Judges Hatin' on David A.'s "Boo" | The Great American Idol Blog | 5/14/2008
We give David Archuleta credit for trying something not so ballad-y last night, but despite the adoring fans, Randy and Simon weren't really feeling his rendition of Chris Brown's "With You." Maybe because seeing the human equivalent of a miniature teddy bear singing lyrics like "I need you Boo" was hard to swallow. Simon actually went so far as to critique the 17-year-old by saying he was like "a Chihuahua trying to be a tiger." It sounded pretty good, but we have to say, we could have done... read more
Episode Recap: The Top 6 Perform Andrew Lloyd Webber Songs | American Idol | 4/23/2008
OK, so I have to "out" myself here: I, Erin Fox, am a Broadway musical junkie. I know a lot of Broadway shows and used to (gulp) sing along to them in the car as a high school drama geek. This explains a lot, including my lack of dates in high school. But I digress — tonight's show is about the Top 6 and their quest to conquer Andrew Lloyd Webber songs. In his heyday, his musicals were amazing (Evita)... and then there was Aspects of Love — no comment. Also, I'll do my best to keep... read more
Episode Recap: Idol Gives Back | American Idol | 4/10/2008
Hey guys, it's Erin Fox again. Sick of me yet? Don't answer that. Seriously. It'll just cost me more in therapy. This is going to be a little different tonight.... It's two and a half hours long, so this is going to be more of a "quick observations" format instead of a recap. Why? Cuz there are three Idols this week, and cuz I'm the boss of this blog! (Until Nina returns, that is.) Did you notice a bunch of the finalists from So You Think You Can Dance? They are bustin' some moves to a track of... read more
Episode Recap: The Top Eight Perform | American Idol | 4/9/2008
Hey guys, it's Erin Fox! Are you excited to have three nights of Idol this week? Ryan begins the evening by reminding America that tomorrow night is Idol Gives Back, and that Thursday will be the results show. Does this mean that no one will get axed like last year? I'm hoping they move forward and say goodbye to Kristy Lee— ooh, did I just say that out loud? My bad. Tonight's theme is inspirational songs, and with that announcement, my eyes have already rolled back into my head. Please,... read more
Episode Recap: The Top Eight Revealed! | American Idol | 4/3/2008
Hey guys, sorry I didn't announce myself as Idol blogger last night! It's me, Erin Fox, at your blogging service once again for the results show. Ryan promises an action-packed hour, and the Idols start right off with their group number, "9 to 5." Not to sound completely ancient, but this is such a toe-tapper, how could they mess it up? Oh wait, they're making them line dance in the background! That's how to ruin a great song. Boo. Am I just cranky tonight, or did they butcher this song? Now... read more
Episode Recap: The Top 9 | American Idol | 4/2/2008
Tonight's mentor is Dolly Parton: Singer, songwriter and hit-producing country star. Her voice is as big as her... hair. You thought I was going somewhere else, didn't you? Hey now, this is a family show!They dive right in tonight, which makes me happy! After reading this recap, be sure to check out the news about David Cook rushing to the hospital after his performance. Scary!Brooke White, "Jolene": I think Brooke has a voice that can do almost any genre of music, and country is a very nice... read more
Episode Recap: The Top 9 Are Revealed! | American Idol | 3/27/2008
Hello everyone! As Erin noted last night, she is in L.A. covering the Paley Fest, which leaves me, Adam Bryant (Hello!) to recap tonight's episode of Idol. So let's get to it!Ryan quickly shared us with that the performances this week earned 30 million votes, the highest total so far this season. The high amount of votes is no doubt a reflection of the quality of last night's performances, which were, with a few exceptions, quite solid.But, of course, before we can get down to results, we have... read more
Episode Recap: The Top 11 Perform | American Idol | 3/19/2008
Big news, everyone! Nina is at the hospital this very moment giving birth to Baby Boy Hammerling-Smith! It seems fitting that she'd have her baby on an American Idol night. I'm Erin Fox, and I'll be filling in for the fabulous Nina until she returns from maternity leave.... I know how much you all love her, and I'll try my best to do her proud. The night starts with Ryan asking the judges about what they expect this week from the contestants. Paula actually has a cohesive opinion, without... read more
Episode Recap: The Top 12 Perform | American Idol | 3/12/2008
That was quite a night of ups and downs, including some pretty incredible performances and a few disasters (not to mention some unintentional comic relief courtesy of the judges). The two biggest stories of the night were the seeming self-destruction of hitherto nearly perfect David Archuleta (more on that in a bit) and the heightened crabbiness of Simon, who made disparaging comments not only about the singers but about several of the songs themselves (and these were Beatles songs, I mean,... read more
Episode Recap: Top 8 Girls | American Idol | 3/6/2008
You'd think that tonight's show was all about the girls, but alas, no, the biggest divas of all were sitting behind the judges' table. That's right: Paula, Simon and Randy were the "stars" of tonight's episode, and not in a good way. I got utterly tired of Randy and Paula's self-congratulatory name-dropping ("Well, when I worked with..." "Oh yes, I choreographed...") and Simon's bitchy retorts — not to mention the way the three of them held court just for themselves. They seemingly spent... read more
Episode Recap: Top 8 Guys | American Idol | 3/5/2008
What a trip down memory lane — the '80s were when I discovered popular music, so to hear a lot of my old favorites again was quite a treat. Not just for me, either — I'm currently eight months pregnant (thank you, thank you) and the little one was doing some fancy dance moves along with tonight's songs, too. I really wasn't sure about Idol's decision to have the semi-final rounds be themed, but I've actually come to enjoy the decades-spanning performances. It's also interesting to... read more
Episode Recap: Top 10 Girls | American Idol | 2/28/2008
Well, this was definitely a letdown from last night. I mean, there were a few really good performances by the girls tonight, but the vast majority were just so-so, just there in a way that didn't make them memorable. And I hate to be petty, but... my first impression when the girls filed by in the intro was, "Yikes, Amanda's hair, yikes!" Bride of Frankenstein's got nothin' on this gal. And why Ryan felt the need to talk about the fact that Randy wears a size 13 1/2 shoe... I cannot explain.... read more
Episode Recap: Narrowing It Down to 20 | American Idol | 2/22/2008
Only one surprise tonight, and not one that boiled my blood much. In general, a pretty ho-hum episode for having lost a good slice of the finalists, but the four who left were really pretty expendable; no tears shed here. The group performance was sort of cheerful but also unremarkable, although Michael for one looked uncannily natural in the '60s boy-band getup.Garrett was the first to go — no surprise there, but it was such a fast execution, it didn't seem very kind. Though it's really... read more
Episode Recap: Top 12 Girls | American Idol | 2/21/2008
I have to say right off the bat that I, like several of the girls who sang tonight, have the flu. The judges didn't have much sympathy for them, but let me just say — I can barely write about them, and they were actually up there singing their hearts out? That's pretty darn amazing. Some of the performances really were impressive, even if they generally didn't blow me away. As Randy put it, "Season 7 is turning out to be the year of the young ones." I couldn't agree more; three of my faves... read more
Paula’s Official Music Video Release | Today's Top Videos | 2/20/2008
You may have seen the debut performance of her first song in over a decade at the Super Bowl, and now, Idol judge Paula Abdul has just released the official video for “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow.” The once pop-star turned reality show judge appears to be ready and rarin’ to cross back into the music-making game alongside fellow Idol judge Randy Jackson (whom you can catch strumming away on his guitar between the freeze frame dance parties). Your take: Does Paula still... read more
Episode Recap: Narrowing It Down to the Final 24 | American Idol | 2/14/2008
If there's one thing that irks me about American Idol, it's the incessant product placements and cross-promotions. Tonight did not get off to a good start, as Ryan did his shtick with a clearly uncomfortable Hayden Christensen in a cringe-inducing promo for Jumper. To finish it off, Hayden even had a can of that omnipresent Idol sponsor, Coke, in his hand. Blech.But then it came time for the actual eliminations, which were far more exciting. It always amazes me that at this point, with all the... read more
Episode Recap: The Best of the Rest Auditions | American Idol | 2/7/2008
Behold, the real competition is finally in sight: Next week, American Idol will cease its endless auditions and instead focus on the 164 singers who actually earned golden tickets. Hollywood week is (finally) nearly upon us!But first, we had to endure one more night of audition footage — albeit the "best" of the rest. Some were amusing, in an awful way (remember Luke Reeder, of the ear-flap hat, the cartoon-character outfit and the flailing arms?). Others struck a sweeter note, like... read more
Episode Recap: Atlanta Auditions | American Idol | 2/6/2008
Tonight's American Idol auditions were in Hotlanta, Mr. Seacrest's hometown, so I guess it shouldn't have come as a surprise that we got to meet his mom and dad. Pretty cute, I'd say, though his dad did look a little like he was running for public office (then again, it's Super Tuesday, so maybe I just have politics on the brain). We also now know how they stretched out the audition portion of this season — by creating montages of Paula being wishy-washy. Oy. Tomorrow night is the best of... read more
Jeers: American Idol Fumbles the Super Bowl | Cheers & Jeers | 2/3/2008
Jeers to Fox for allowing American Idol to tarnish its Super Bowl pre-game show. The network enlisted Ryan Seacrest to emcee insipid red-carpet coverage of celebrities arriving at the big game. He annoyingly referred to Hugh Laurie (who looked like he was being held at gunpoint to promote House's supercool post-Super Bowl episode) as "Dr. House." Have a little respect, Ryan — the guy's an award-winning actor, not Urkel! Then Paula Abdul debuted her new single, "Dance Like There's No... read more
Episode Recap: Miami | American Idol | 1/31/2008
OK, so is it just me, or are the auditions just dragging on eternally at this point? I mean, I've always enjoyed them.... but now I'm ready for the real singing to start. Alas, next Tuesday's episode will mean yet another location for American Idol, Atlanta this time. Hopefully the auditions won't be too painful and Hollywood week will make it all worthwhile.I did kind of like the Miami Vice music and opening credits — though I'm not sure who Ryan thought he was channeling in those... read more