AMERICAN IDOL JUDGE JACKSON AMAZED BY SHOW SUCCESS

The rock stylings of Caleb Johson, who sung with Kiss in the American Idol finale, won out over Jena Asciutto to be the American Idol champ, and among the st…

American Idol is still a growing phenomenon, crushing any programming that runs during the time slot, and Fox couldn’t be happier. The show is on its fifth anniversary and champions have included Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, and Carrie Underwood. The judges for the show are Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson, who have become idols themselves.

We caught up with Randy recently, and although he couldn’t say who will win this year’s Idol, we asked him if he had any idea the television show would be as popular as it is.

“No, but I think that’s the beauty of it. I think none of us really knew, and if they say they knew they’re lying, that it was gonna be big. I think we’re all just blessed, that five years later it’s even bigger. You know what I mean? Just happy, just trying to receive, man.”

Jackson has the credentials to be a judge on the program. He started his music career at the age of 13 playing the bass, which led to playing with the band Journey. Jackson had an eight year stint as vice president of A&R at Columbia Records, followed by four years as senior vice president of A&R at MCA Records.

Going into this week, there are ten finalists left to see who will be this year’s American Idol.