In Season One By Paula Abdul And Randy Jackson

The stage is getting warmer waiting for the next generation of American Idol. We can hardly wait, but the 15th season is still weeks away. The news is that Simon Cowell will be returning as a judge in the final season. He set the original standard when he didn't mince words or pretended politeness simply to avoid hurting someone's feelings. We all had a love hate relationship with Simon, but because of his honest assessments we all respected his opinion above all others. If a contestant got a good word from Simon they must have ridden that high for awhile.

The judges are responsible for giving us unique, one of a kind performers. Because it's a competition, only the best can survive. In the beginning and true to this day, that's what

Simon is the judge we all love to hate. He makes comments that include put-downs and wisecracks. He doesn't cut a contestant any slack, but that is in fact what makes his compliments so coveted. With his power to make a star, his criticisms seem to come from an attitude of “don't waste my time”. If fortunate enough to get constructive tips everyone, yes everyone within earshot takes them to heart. Some of the best clips are when a super talen comes on stage and blows his mind. Watching his face go from cynical snob cha ching is worth a replay or two.

Season One and for the next eight seasons that followed, we had Paula Abdul sitting in the middle chair making sense of the crazies around her. More accurately the crazies around her where doing their best to make sense of Paula. We loved her anyway. Paula brought her own talent as singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer and actress to the show. She had a string of top number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100 in the late 1980s and early 1990s, making her an expert in the talent arena. She fought with Simon and that made the panel more interesting. Someone who wasn't afraid to go up against Simon sparked rumors of a romance, but it was just media fodder with no real basis to it. We wouldn't have really known what to do with a Cowell/Abdul romance

We really didn't know Randy at first, but figured since he was sitting up there with Simon and Paula, he must have the chops to hold his own. Quickly we began to consider his opinion worth listening to – knew what he was talking about. Randy had a background in music and wasn't a stranger to good talent. He started playing guitar at the age of 13 and would sneak out of the house to show up at local clubs and play with the more accomplished musicians. He learned his way around the world of music with his boots on the ground. He went on to be a highly respected record producer and an executive with Columbia Records and MCA Records. We fans liked the fact that he was always free with constructive criticism and willingness to share his secrets of success. While know for referring to people as “Dawg” in 2004 he wrote a book entitled What's Up Dawg? How to Become a Superstar in the Music