Randy Jackson Personality Watch: Week 1

This is the dawning of the age of Randy Jackson, as he comes out of the woodwork as a judge. How much do we know about Randy, really? It’s time for us, and Randy, to find out just exactly who he is. Welcome to Randy Jackson Personality Watch Season 10, in which we examine Randy Jackson’s ever-evolving personality as a judge on American Idol. This is Week 1.

“What about me?” seemed to be Randy’s mantra for the first two audition episodes of American Idol Season 10. He kept interrupting Jennifer and Steven (can I call them that yet?) and getting offended when contestants would gush over either of them. But is “desperate” a personality? Was he going for “authoritative”? 

Then Randy started getting a little mean, not enough to make anyone cry, but just enough to make me wonder if Randy might have been a dick all these years and we just never knew. Like when he joked about closing “Idol Camp” because an auditioner who had attended wasn’t up to par. Make up your mind, Randy, either you’re the new mean one or you’re not. Or maybe he was just making a joke to make J. Lo like him. I would!

Here are the things we’ve observed about Randy’s evolving personality as a judge this week:

*He’s trying to be more authoritative. Randy’s often racing to have the final word on contestants or to collect a vote. It results in him talking over the new judges and asserting himself in situations we wish he wouldn’t.

*He’s trying a little too hard. A contestant wants to take his shirt off? Okay, this means Steven Tyler and I should take our shirts off! No, Randy, it doesn’t!
*He wants to be cool and funny. He keeps making jokes, they’re just usually at a contestant’s expense. It’s not vibing, right, “dawg.” Look at Jennifer Lopez’s face the next time Randy makes a mean joke to her–they’re falling flat, Randy!

*”Yo” is no longer legitimate feedback from Randy. He has cast off his old persona, and adopted this new British schoolboy/Hogwarts look.

So, for his desire to fit in and be cool, but the resulting social awkwardness, and for his desire to be authoritative, mean, and somewhat British, Randy gets Two Karas and a Simon for Week 1.

(images courtesy of FOX)