Wassup, Dog!

Biography:

Jackson was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the son of Julia, a homemaker, and Herman Jackson, a plant foreman. He has been married twice. His first marriage, to Elizabeth Jackson, ended in divorce in 1990; they had one child (Taylor) together. Since 1995, he has been married to Erika Riker, with whom he has two children Zoe (age 13) and his son Jordan (age 11). In 2003, Jackson lost 114 pounds (52 kg) following gastric bypass surgery. He stated in a February 2008 television commercial that he has Type 2 diabetes.

Career:

Randy Jackson, a Grammy Award-winning producer, is a 20-year music industry veteran. He started out playing bass at the age of 13, and got his big break when he joined the band Journey. Randy also spent eight years as Vice President of A&R at Columbia Records, followed by four years as Senior V.P. of A&R at MCA Records.










Randy has recorded, toured and performed with the likes of: Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, *NSYNC, Madonna, Elton John and Destiny's Child, among others. He has worked on over 1,000 gold and multi-platinum albums. His contributions have helped to sell over 200 million albums worldwide. With his talent, immense studio knowledge and record company experience, Randy is one of today's most highly regarded music industry experts.


Last fall, Randy launched his own radio countdown show, Randy Jackson's Hit List, for the Westwood One Radio Network.


Randy lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three children.

Credits:

• America's Best Dance Crew
• Randy Jackson's Hit List
• American Idol

source: American Idol Official Website and Wikipedia.org (Article) , Google Image Search and Wikipedia.org (Pictures).

" The Kindest Idol - Judge.... "

Biography:

Paula Abdul was born in the San Fernando Valley, to Harry Abdul, a former livestock trader and owner of a sand and gravel business, and Lorraine Rykiss, a concert pianist who once worked as film director Billy Wilder's assistant. Her father, a Syrian Jew, was born in Syria, raised in Brazil, and subsequently immigrated to the United States Abdul's mother, also Jewish, is originally from Saint Boniface (now part of Winnipeg), Manitoba, Canada. Her mother's birth in Canada makes Abdul a Canadian citizen.

An avid dancer, Abdul was inspired towards a show business career by Gene Kelly in the classic film Singin' in the Rain as well as Debbie Allen, Fred Astaire, and Bob Fosse.
Abdul began taking dance lessons at the age of eight and showed a natural talent. She attended Van Nuys High School, where she was a cheerleader and an honor student. At 15, she received a scholarship to a dance camp near Palm Springs, and in 1978 appeared in a low-budget Independent musical film, Junior High School.

Abdul studied broadcasting at California State University, Northridge. During her first year, she was selected from a pool of 700 candidates for the cheerleading squad of the Los Angeles Lakers — the famed Laker Girls. Within three months, she became head choreographer. Six months later, she left college to focus on her choreography career.

Career:

Paula Abdul is one of the most recognized pop singers and choreographers of our day. Her celebrated work in choreography for television includes Emmy-winning contributions to The Tracey Ullman Show, Paula's own performance on The American Music Awards and her choreography for The Academy Awards, for which she earned an Emmy nomination. Paula's choreography contributions in feature films include the Academy Award-winning American Beauty, working with Cuba Gooding Jr. on his Academy Award-winning performance in Jerry Maguire, and transforming Val Kilmer into Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors.

Paula's music career encompasses worldwide album sales exceeding 30 million records, two No. 1 albums, six No. 1 singles, a Grammy Award, seven MTV Awards, two Emmy Awards, two People's Choice Awards and two Kids' Choice Awards. She has been honored with a star on Hollywood Boulevard, and was inducted into Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Hall of Fame.
Contestants and viewers alike praise Paula's positive feedback on American Idol. She has even designed good-luck jewelry for the Idols, which provided the inspiration for her Paula Abdul Jewelry Collection on QVC, which opened to record-breaking sales. The collection consists of charms, pendants, earrings and bracelets adorned with meaningful phrases.

Other triumphs include her award-winning work with Janet Jackson, which garnered two MTV Video Awards; and working with such music legends as Aretha Franklin, Heart and Prince.

Paula continues to honor her roots by running dance and cheerleading camps, competitions and scholarship programs throughout the country. She lives in Los Angeles.

Credits:

• American Idol
• The X Factor (UK)
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography

source: American Idol Official Website and Wikipedia.org (Article) , Google Image Search and Wikipedia.org (Pictures).

" The 100 % Honest Idol Judge.... "

Biography:

Simon Phillip Cowell was born in Brighton, East Sussex, England and brought up in Elstree, Hertfordshire. His father, Eric Philip Cowell, was an estate agent developer and music industry executive, and his mother, Julie Brett (née Josie Dalglish), is a former ballet dancer and socialite. Cowell's paternal grandparents, Joseph Cowell and Esther Malinsky, were English Jews, and his maternal grandfather was Scottish. He has 1 brother and 2 half-brothers; younger brother Nicholas Cowell, half-brother Tony Cowell, and half-brother Michael Cowell. Michael is the oldest, followed by Tony, Simon and Nicholas (in that order).

Cowell attended the independent school Dover College as did his brother, but left early before attending the sixth form. He took a few menial jobs—including, according to Tony, working as a runner on Stanley Kubrick's The Shining—but did not get along well with colleagues and bosses, until his father who was executive at the recording giant at EMI Music Publishing, managed to get him a job in the mail room.

Career:

Simon Cowell's honesty on American Idol has made him a household name in America. His U.K.-based production company, SYCO, produces the BAFTA Award-winning show, The X Factor, which has also topped the charts in the U.K. Additionally, Simon created and served as executive producer on American Inventor and America's Got Talent.

As a judge, Simon is notorious for his unsparingly blunt and often controversial criticisms, insults and wisecracks about contestants and their singing abilities - or lack thereof. He is often parodied in pop culture. He is known for his work in both the television and music industries, having promoted singles and records for various artists, including television personalities.

In 2008, Simon was named No. 22 on Forbes Magazine's "Celebrity 100 Power List" and No. 29 in 2006. He was named one of People Magazine's 25 Most Eligible Bachelors in 2004, while Entertainment Weekly named him one of the Top Entertainers of the Year. A 20-year veteran of the music industry, Simon is an executive with Sony Records, and has helped to shape the modern pop music industry. Over the last 15 years, his acts have achieved sales of more than 100 million albums, and he has had over 70 No. 1 records.

Simon lives in Los Angeles and the U.K.

Credits:

• Britain's Got Talent
• The X Factor (UK)
• American Idol
• Pop Idol

source: American Idol Official Website and Wikipedia.org (Article) , Google Image Search and Wikipedia.org (Pictures).