19 Entertainment

Background: 19 Entertainment is the production company behind So You Think You Can Dance? and most notably American Idol. The company was founded in 1985 by Simon Fuller, and bought by CKX in 2005, which was later renamed to CORE Media Group in 2012. In 2014, CORE became part of the EndemolShine Group, and filed for bankruptcy in 2016 only a month after the final episode of the FOX run of American Idol. Currently, 19 Entertainment operates under EndemolShine North America.

1st Logo (2001-2003)
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. A white flash appears and everything is replaced with an orange circle containing a black and white "19". A white circle rotates on the inside of the circle. A copyright notice for the company is below.

Variants:


 * The circle is shown without the copyright notice on Seeing Double. It also is slightly longer.
 * On Pop Idol, the logo is a still in-credit with "Television" in between two lines. Here the number 19 is white.

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

Cheesy Factor: ...which looks slightly choppy, although it was kinda passable for the time period.

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

Availability: Extremely rare. The original version appeared on the pilot episode of American Idol. It was also shown on Seeing Double. It is unknown if this logo was used on other programs/films from the era. It first appeared on Pop Idol, the first incarnation of the Idol series.

Scare Factor: None to low for the main version. None for the still variant.

2nd Logo (2002-2007)
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" and "19" gives it a shine.

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

Variants:


 * On the film named From Justin to Kelly, the logo is on black background and lacks the name.
 * On the American Idol game, the background is white and a FremantleMedia logo appears below.
 * In 2005, the logo got a CKX byline. 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 widescreen version exists, with a brighter background. However, it is not true widescreen, as the 4:3 version of the logo is placed on a stretched and blurred version of the logo.

Music/Sounds: A different version of the last logo's theme.

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

Scare Factor: Low; the music and animation may make you dizzy.

3rd Logo (2007-2009, 2007-December 2008)
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 "A CKX Company" (with the "X" in white and drawn with thick, long paint strokes).

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

Music/Sounds: Same as the last logo.

Availability: Seen on American Idol from 2007-2008, as well as So You Think You Can Dance.

Scare Factor: Minimal. The animation is tamer, so it's less hypnotic.

4th Logo (2009-present, January 2009-present)
Nickname: "The Shining 19 II"

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

Variants:


 * Originally it was 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.

Cheesy Factor: The result is very simple. Also, in the 2013 variant, the logo designers probably forgot to add the flag to the "1", as it disappears when the logo turns red. Not to mention the Core byline is STILL BEING USED even though the company went bankrupt!

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 American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.

Scare Factor: Low.