19 Entertainment

Credits

Captures by
Eric S., StephenCezar15, GETENT and ENunn

Video captures courtesy of
LogicSmash, Pepsi9072 and ENunn

Background

19 Entertainment is the production company behind the Idol franchise, as well as So You Think You Can Dance. The company was founded in 1985 by Simon Fuller. 19 Entertainment (with the rights to the shows mentioned above) was sold to CKX, Inc. in 2005 (later renamed to CORE Media Group in 2012, then Industrial Media in 2018) for $210 million. Five years later, the company moved its headquarters from London to Los Angeles. Simultaneously, Fuller established a separate company called XIX Entertainment.

1st Logo (October 6, 2001-April 11, 2003)

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Nickname: "The Circle 19"

Logo: On a black background, we see an orange outline that contains multiple moving outlines. Each of the outlines are moving towards the outside of the outline containing them. Then, a white flash appears and the outlines are replaced with an orange circle containing a black "19". A white shadow rotates inside the circle. A copyright notice for the company is seen below.

Variants:

• The circle is shown without the copyright notice on Seeing Double. It is also smaller and slightly longer.
• An alternate version of the animated logo exists where the "19" is white and the copyright notice is replaced by the word "productions" in a script font. So far, this was seen on S Club Party Live.
• On the same show, a 2-D version of the logo with "PRODUCTIONS" is shown, together with the Done & Dusted logo.
• A still version of the alternate logo appeared on Pop Idol, with "Television" in-between two lines. The Thames logo is seen above.

FX/SFX: The outlines moving, and the flash.

Music/Sounds: A hypnotic synth tune, which resembles the music that would be used in the following logo.

Availability: Rare. The original version first appeared on the pilot episode of American Idol. It was also shown on Seeing Double. The alternate version appeared on the VHS release of S Club Party Live and Pop Idol, the first incarnation of the Idol series. It is currently unknown if this logo was used on other programs/films from the era.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (June 11, 2002-May 23, 2007)

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Nickname: "The Spinning 19"

Logo: On a background with neon lights going by, we see a red circle, outlined with silver, with the number "19" on it. The "19" spins throughout, then "ENTERTAINMENT" flies under "19", which gives it a shine.

Variants:

• At the end of the infamous From Justin to Kelly, the logo is still on a black background and lacks the name.
• On the American Idol game, the background is white and the FremantleMedia logo appears below.
• In 2005, the logo got the byline "A CKX Company" (with the "X" in white and drawn with thick, long paint strokes). It was red on So You Think You Can Dance, and white and off-center on American Idol Rewind.
• Another byline variant with all white text was seen on American Idol Presents: World's Worst Auditions.
• A semi-widescreen version exists. Here, the 4:3 version of the logo is placed on a stretched and blurred version of the logo.
• A true widescreen version exists.

FX/SFX: The "19" spinning, "ENTERTAINMENT" flying under "19", the shine.

Music/Sounds: A remixed version of the previous logo's theme.

Availability: Seen on American Idol from 2002-2007, and the first two seasons of So You Think You Can Dance.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (May 24, 2007-August 6, 2009)

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Nickname: "The Shining 19"

Logo: On a gradient teal blue background with squares moving, we see the circle with "19" on it as seen in the last logo, which shines throughout. Under it is the byline from the previous logo.

FX/SFX: The background, the "19" circle shining.

Music/Sounds: Same as the previous logo.

Availability: Seen on American Idol from 2007-2009, as well as So You Think You Can Dance.

Editor's Note: None.

4th Logo (January 13, 2009-2020?)

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Nickname: "The Popping 19"

Logo: We see a bunch of pins popping in like camera lenses, and they all form a redesigned number "19". A big flash occurs, turning the 19 into a standard typeface, and the CKX byline appears below.

Variants:

• The logo was originally designed without the flag part of the "1".
• Starting in 2013, the logo turns red without the flag part of the "1". This time, the byline says "A DIVISION OF CORE MEDIA GROUP", with the CORE logo at the right.

FX/SFX: The pins popping in.

Music/Sounds: Various popping noises, followed by a synth note, with a ding at the end. Composed by Paul Hardcastle (interestingly, his most well-known song is called "19").

Availability: Seen on 2009-2019 episodes of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance from the period.

Editor's Note: The result is very simple, although not awful.

5th Logo (June 2019-)

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Nicknames: "Bland 19", "Generic 19", "Adobe After Effects Tutorial: Part 19"

Logo: Starting off against a red background, a white line wipes in from the bottom to top left. The scene cuts back to reveal that it is the "1" from the previous logo. A white dot rises from the bottom to upper middle right as the colors invert. The background turns white while the "1" turns red. A red circle appears around the perimeter of where the dot was and forms the "9" from the previous logo. The colors invert once more as the "9" finishes drawing. The scene abruptly jumps back at the tail end of the animation and the colors invert once again. The byline for Industrial Media appears below as the animation finishes.

FX/SFX: The "19" forming and colors inverting. Simple and basic 2-D animation.

Music/Sounds: An "airy" sounding synth chime as the logo forms, ending with an orchestral hit.

Availability: Current. First appeared on So You Think You Can Dance.

Editor's Note: The logo's animation is very one dimensional and uninspiring. The constant color changes and jump cuts make the logo look more rushed than "artistic", especially for an era when many other logos are just as bland.