Randy Jackson Movies

The battle of the Davids (hard-rockin' Cook vs. teen heartthrob Archuleta) was the highlight of a scandal-ridden Season 7. The contestants in 2008 spanned the usual array of styles. Among them: sweet, folksy Brooke White, country girl Kristy Lee Cook, tattooed Irish-born rocker Carly Smithson, soulful Australian Michael Johns, and laid-back, dreadlocked Jason Castro. But Cook and Archuleta stole the spotlight early on. In the first year contestants were allowed to play musical instruments, both men showcased their abilities, with Cook on guitar and Archuleta on piano. Cook stood out with his song choices and the renditions he chose on tunes such as "Billie Jean and "Eleanor Rigby". But the boyish grin and consistently strong vocals of 17-year-old Archuleta had his popularity skyrocketing, especially with younger viewers. In fact, neither performer ever landed in the dreaded "bottom three," which made for a nail-biting finale. Archuleta was the media favorite, but Cook garnered 12 million more votes from viewers. The theme weeks in Season 7 challenged the vocalists to perform songs from the 1980s, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Neil Diamond, Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, and the Lennon-McCartney catalog. But they tackled even bigger obstacles with the PR scandals that erupted: from one contestant's lap-dancer past to inappropriate Internet photos and videos, and a controlling stage dad, the "Idol" spin doctors stayed hard at work. Even the judges weren't safe, as questions swirled around Paula Abdul's scattered behavior and her critique of two songs performed by Castro after he only sang one. ~ Sue Tuttle, Rovi

Concert for Diana captures a 2007 tribute to the deceased Diana Spencer, the former Princess of Wales. Among the many performers who appear on the bill are Nelly Furtado, Elton John, Duran Duran, Rod Stewart, and Kanye West. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Now seen three times per week, Fox's amazingly popular talent contest American Idol launches its fourth big season on January 18, 2005. As in previous seasons, the festivities get under way with several episodes devoted to auditions in such locales as Washington DC, St. Louis, New Orleans and Las Vegas. During this elimination process, regular judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson are joined by a vast array of celebrity judges, including LL Cool J, Gene Simmons, Kenny Loggins and Brandy Norwood Finally the 200 regional winners are boiled down to 24--12 boys, 12 girls--in Hollywood, with a second round of auditions taking place over a span of four episodes. These 24 are whittled down to 20 and finally the Top 12, all of whom are given a chance to perform in an episode originally telecast March 15, 2005. Although it isn't evident on screen, the series' fifth season was briefly tainted by a scandal, when rejected second-season contestant Corey Clark, reportedly angling for a book deal, alleged that he had had an affair with series judge Paul Abdul. Although not backed up with any credible evidence, Clark's allegation very nearly got Abdul bounced from the show; fortunately, she was able to discredit the story and clear her name with the help of an independent counsel hired by Fox. Just before the final episode of the season, the network will offer up a special, American Idol Presents the World's Worst Auditions, featuring the "cream of the crop" from all over the world. Finally, it's down to the two last semifinalists: Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood (and for the benefit of all three of you who don't know who won, we'll keep you in suspense here!) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Capitalizing on their fame as judges on the popular television show American Idol, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson host Ultimate Voice Coach, an instructional video designed to improve a person's singing voice regardless of the performer's musical genre. Professional vocal coaches Gary Catona and Ron Anderson lead the viewer through various exercises designed for people at every skill level. Viewers will be exposed to basic breathing lessons, practice lessons, karaoke programs on which skills can be honed, and more advanced tips to help improve the power and range of your singing voice. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Having made an overnight star of aspiring pop singer Kelly Clarkson at the end of American Idol's first season, the producers return to perform the same magic on another unlucky unknown as the twice-weekly Fox talent show launches Season Two. And it's going to take quite a bit of doing to select the best of the best: Thanks to the overwhelming popularity of American Idol's maidedn season, no fewer than 50,000 hopefuls have shown up for the audition held all over the country. Ryan Seacrest is back as host, this time flying solo with the departure of cohost Brian Dunkelman. And of course, the contestants are still at the mercy of the three-person panel of judges: Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and the redoubtable Simon Cowell. New to the proceedings is Kristin Holt, a first-season contestant and former member of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, now on hand as a "special correspondent" to offer behind-the-scenes glimpses of this season's aspirants. Other changes include the mode of selection for the final "wildcard" contestants, with each of the three judges choosing his or her favorite, with a fourth hopeful chosen via public call-ins. This means that during the season's final stretch there will be 12 rather than 10 finalists, with one contestant eliminated per week for the next twelve weeks, and with a different "celebrity" judge participating on each show. Also, for the first time Fox will offer a special "best of the worst" episode with highlights (or lowlights) from the most execrable and ear-shattering auditions. Along the way, there'll be a bit of controversy when semifinalist Corey Clark is removed from the running, not because of his singing but due to his off-screen misbehavior (it turns out that he'd once assaulted his own sister). Unfortunately, it will not be the last we'll hear from the contentious Mr. Clark. And in a slightly more amusing development (most of which was edited from the show), curmudgeonly Simon Cowell is senn preparing to lower the boom on a brace of "brothers" auditioning in Austin, Texas, when it is suddenly revealed that these two supposed no-talents are actually British comedians Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, the original hosts of American Idol's British prototype Pop Idol, who are playing a practical joke on Mr. Cowell. The season ends in virtually a dead heat, with contestants Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken tying for the million-dollar grand prize--a tie ultimately broken by a margin of a mere 130,000 of the 24 million votes cast by the viewers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Fox talent search American Idol became the highest-rated new series of the year during the summer of 2002. Based on Britain's Pop Idol TV series, the program promised a recording contract for the one winner out of 10,000 contestants under the age of 24. Although the audience called in and voted for the final winner, the judges eliminated performers in each episode. While the talent of the young singers was often questionable, some of the show's entertainment value concerned judge and co-creator Simon Cowell assaulting the contestants with insults, while also engaging in fights with the other judges, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi