Randy Jackson
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The judges from American Idol invaded Jay Leno Monday night.

And while they certainly focused on season six of our favorite show, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest first focused on a certain, bald pop singer backstage with Terri Seymour (Simon's girlfriend) from Extra.

“Re-release ‘Hit Me Baby, One More Time,’” Simon suggested to Britney Spears.

“She needs a huge song,” Randy said, before Simon butted in with his two sense: “Big record; forget the shaving of the head!”

As for their own unpredictable co-star Paula Abdul, Simon said the press is making a big deal over nothing.

“She’s always been that way, I’ve never understood a word Paula has said,” Simon said.

But Paula chimed in: “I live a clean life, and the only thing I'm embarrassed about is hanging around you guys.

As far as Idol is concerned, the judges told Extra they just want to hear good singing; and that meant bad news for the 12 guys who performed last night.

“I think they’re lucky that there are groups of boys, groups of girls; otherwise we'd end up all girls in this competition,” Simon admitted.

Speaking of girls, the gang had this special message for their favorite Dreamgirl, Jennifer Hudson.

“We actually think you’re going to walk up there and accept an Oscar, so go get ‘em,” Ryan said.

Are American Idol auditions judged too meanly this season? It's been a common source of contention.

TV critic, Dalton Ross, of Entertainment Weekly, however, doesn't blame Simon, Randy or Paula. He actually says they've been nicer than ever on some occasions. Check out what else he recently wrote:

Another season of American Idol auditions means another season filled with incompetent singers cluelessly showcasing their wares for an entire country.

But this year, something seems different. According to everything I've read and everyone I talk to, the judges of American Idol have suddenly gotten a lot meaner, lighting into contestants like never before. Frankly, this is hogwash.

Go back and watch season one - Simon was just as rude and crude as he is now. I don't see any difference there at all. That's not to imply that this season of Idol has not been meaner than past ones; it's just that the judges are not the ones to blame. The producers are.

Remember, it's not Simon, Randy, and Paula weeding out who makes it onto TV from the tens of thousands of applicants. The producers take care of that. They are the ones that pick out the people who make it before the holy trinity. Their job basically seems to consist of sorting stadiums full of auditioners into three groups, which are:

Group 1: The Really, Really Good
These people have genuine talent and are sent in to Simon, Randy, and Paula to see if they are worthy of being addressed as ''dawg'' and sent to Hollywood. We'd count Sundance Head, Sarah Krueger and Kia Thorton in this group.

Group 2: The Really, Really Bad
These people have no talent whatsoever, yet are also sent in to Simon, Randy, and Paula as a form of comic relief. Their badness dominates the first few weeks of the show and enables us, the viewers, to feel better about ourselves through the mocking of others.

Group 3: Everyone else
Most people fall into this category — the mild, the mediocre, the middle-of-the-road. These people are dismissed on the spot since they are neither good enough to stand a chance at winning, nor bad enough to provide any good laughs.

Where this season's Idol differs from previous ones is that the people in Group 2 have gone from ''really, really bad'' to really, really sad. Some of the contestants being brought in front of the judges (and, in turn, a national audience) are clearly in need of help — and I'm not talking about vocal training.

Nicholas Zitzman went beyond merely socially awkward, and there was something vaguely non-human about Darwin ''Mischa'' Reedy and her practically identical mother. But the show sunk to a new low with another debatably dynamic duo: Jonathan Jayne and Kenneth Briggs.

Kenneth was the guy Simon compared to a monkey, calling the bug-eyed contestant a ''bush baby.'' Some saw that as unnecessarily harsh, but Simon has never pulled any punches in his commentary on contestants' looks. This is nothing new, and he has actually uttered comments much worse than that.

What made this situation different was the fact that Kenneth was even in the room to begin with, seeing as how he didn't — and I'm trying to be gentle here — appear to possess the highest IQ.

Which brings us to Jonathan Jayne. Jayne is a perfect example as to exactly why the judges are not to blame. For those who don't remember, Jonathan was the large guy who crooned ''God Bless America.'' Turns out he is a former Special Olympics participant.

Paula was typically kind after his somewhat excruciating performance, but it should be noted that Simon was as well, even saying ''You're a nice guy. I like you, but this is not the career path for you.'' Randy then thanked him for showing up. So why again are the judges under fire? Heck, even Special Olympics International praised them for being ''gracious and very encouraging.''

Yet the judges are still catching the heat, when it was the field producers who put Jayne in the room to begin with. If it was to see him mocked, then they are evil. If it was to chalk up an easy and compassionate story line, then they are merely shamelessly exploitative. Either way, it's pretty classless.

Now, let's move on before I emotionally shut down over the realization that I just wasted almost 700 words defending Paula freakin' Abdul.

The Fox TV network chief on Saturday dismissed talk of unusual cruelty by the judges on American Idol this year, saying he's heard from people who think the show has actually been toned down.

"The judges and their scrutiny, I think, are a big part of what makes American Idol American Idol,'" Peter Liguori, Fox entertainment president, told reporters after coming under scrutiny.

The talent show and cultural phenomenon returned with a vengeance this past week, with episodes on Tuesday and Wednesday attracting around 37 million viewers. The episodes featured auditions by the good, the bad and the awful from Minneapolis and Seattle.

But some questioned whether the judges have been over the top this season in their sometimes harsh critiques of prospective Idols.

Simon Cowell, whose reputation for blunt, nasty put-downs was established at the series' beginning, was in peak form, telling one contestant that his singing was horrendous and he looked like a "bush baby."

Cowell's counterpart, Randy Jackson, told one contestant his audition was awful and perhaps ruined his business.

"You shouldn't be a vocal teacher. I wouldn't take vocal lessons from you, I wouldn't tell anybody to take vocal lessons from you," Jackson said.

On ABC's The View this past week, Rosie O'Donnell - always looking to stir things up, be it with Donald Trump or pretty much anyone else - lashed out at the way contestants were treated by the judges, who she termed "three millionaires, one probably intoxicated."

"If you keep serving people crap and telling them it's a meal, they're eventually going to think it is a meal," O'Donnell jabbed.

Fox's Liguori said the judges know what makes American Idol and that this is just the continuation of a successful formula.

"Let's face it, the show has been on the air six years, the judges have been critical for six years," he said.

The judges' harsh assessments also were defended by Geffen Records chairman Ron Fair, who is about to take on a Simon Cowell-like role on an upcoming Pussycat Dolls reality show for the CW network, "Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll."

"In order to have a reputation and continue in a healthy manner in this business, you have to tell people 'no' all day long," he said.

"I'm telling people 'I'm not going to sign you, that song is not a hit' ... And there's no gracious or wonderful way to tell somebody, whose hopes and dreams are on the line: 'no.'"

NOTE: We won't necessarily be able to come up with one this good every day, but if we do, you'll see it. American Idol Picture of the Day will be a regular, if not a daily, feature. The images we find for this feature may be timely, classic, touching, funny, or just plain strange. We feel this one falls under the latter.

It would be pretty hard to top our first-ever edition. In this pic, taken earlier this year at a Grammys on the Hill dinner in Washington, D.C., we have, from left to right: Embattled Congressman (and "sexually-charged IM" author) Mark Foley, Lou Gossett, Jr., our own Kelly Clarkson, producer Terry Likona, and American Idol judge Randy Jackson.

This collection of characters alone makes for a good head scratching, but what's really funny is that Foley and Likona look thrilled to be there, Gossett and Clarkson look utterly confused, and Jackson looks like he wants to be anywhere but there at that moment.

He's known for giving love to his "dawgs," but American Idol judge, Randy Jackson, is largely involved with the Million Cat Rescue, 9Lives' campaign. It helps felines find homes.

Jackson recently sat down with TV Guide to talk about such charitable work ... along with a certain FOX TV show.

TV Guide: What's up with the Dawg and cats? Are you a feline fancier?
Randy Jackson: [Laughs] I have three dogs and now I have two cats, and they get along fabulously. I'm an animal lover in general. The Dawg is helping cats out, that's how I look at it. The Dawg is so large and in charge, he's helping cats out.

TV Guide: And you've already made a dent in the Million Cat rescue, haven't you?
Jackson: Yeah, I adopted one, "Mr. Dawg." [Chuckles] He's a cute little kitten.

TV Guide: Is it true that more people than ever have tried out for Idol this season?
Jackson: Yeah, it's amazing. Last season was one of our biggest ever, and this year eclipses that. Droves of people are turning out, which we're happy about. We're in the middle of auditions right now.

TV Guide: Are the singers getting slicker, more talented? Less tone-deaf?
Jackson: No, not really. You would hope that people would get slicker, would know what to expect, but I don't know what show they're watching! They say they watch the show all the time, and then they come in, sing a bad song and they sing it terribly. I want to say, "What show are you watching? Was the volume up when you were watching?” [Laughs] Wonders never cease.

TV Guide: There are those who just come in for a goof obviously, for a second of fame, but do some of these truly awful applicants really think they can sing?
Jackson: Some of them actually are just delusional.

TV Guide: Idol comes back in January. Will there be any changes?
Jackson: There are a couple of new little wrinkles, but we're trying to keep it all under wraps.

TV Guide: Why do you think Celebrity Duets didn't really catch on?
Jackson: [Laughs] It was a good idea, but I'm not so sure that there's much to be invested in.

TV Guide: Do you think that actors doing it for fun and charity can't compare to watching real people striving to establish careers?
Jackson: Maybe that's it. [Duets' celebrities are] already making it in some way.

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