“It’s kind of a family issue around my house,” American Idol judge Randy Jackson said backstage, of environmental consciousness. “We’re consuming water better now. I check if people leave the water running, which drives me crazy,” and added that he and his family are also making an effort to recycle. His wife “probably is a little more (green) than me,” he admitted, “but we’re neck and neck.”

Of Idol, Jackson said, “This year we’re going to become more of a green show…We had a great time doing Idol Gives Back, so stay tuned. There could be green in our future.”

He had not seen Paula Abdul’s reality show, he told a reporter who inquired, then asked the reporter how she found it. “Entertaining,” she responded, deadpan. “That’s a good answer,” he said, smiling. -- E.G.