2009 Black History Month: Favorite Black TV Characters (#25)

By: Luke Florence

My Favorite Black TV Characters

#25 - February 4th - Randy Jackson - "American Idol"

One of the most important things to consider when making a list is to incorporate diversity. Even while I am making a list of my favorite black TV characters, there are ways to make it diverse. Just look at the type of characters I have chosen these first four days.

1) A reality TV show Dad.

2) An SNL-type comic.

3) A cartoon character.

And now today, a reality TV judge. Not a contestant, but a judge.

Guilty pleasures are typically things you keep to yourself. But, as I was putting this list together, I knew one of my many guilty pleasures would be unveiled. I used to watch American Idol, and I used to love it. The first two seasons of American Idol had me hooked. I watched every single episode, picked my favorite, and sat on the edge of my seat waiting for the results.

I've grown up since then. Now I only check in sporadically, and never after the auditions are done. I could not tell you who won any American Idol after Fantasia. And for that I am proud. Martin Luther King was right. You can overcome.
But, during my two years of American Idol, I became a fan of Randy Jackson. Somewhere in between Paula Abdul's "everyone is great" spirit, and Simon Cowell's "you make me want to kill myself" attitude, there is Randy Jackson. He has a great way of telling you are horrible and not making it sound that bad. Just as Rev Run seems like a real dad, Randy Jackson comes off as the most "real" of the three judges. During my two year stretch of watching, I never disagreed with anything Jackson said, or more importantly, how he said it.

And speaking of how he says things: "Dawg," how can you not love Jackson's vocabulary?

The biggest thing about Jackson that appealed to me was that he appeared to be just a cool guy to hang out with. He appears to have the laid-back, drama-free approach to life, which is how I operate.

On a personal note, Randy Jackson loves tennis, which is a big plus in my book. He has appeared on several occasions during Arthur Ashe Kids Day during the U.S. Open. My first memory of Jackson with regards to tennis came when he was on Andre Agassi's team for Kids Day. And anyone who was rooting for Andre as hard as Jackson was, is okay by me.

Hint for #24: He used to be a game-show host and a guest panelist. Both were kids shows.

As always, make sure to check out Barnes' blog (over on my sidebar) to see what he thinks of my selections. I must say, so far, I'm doing pretty well by his standards.

Until tomorrow, "read it, roll it, hole it."