Ellen Becomes 4th Idol Judge
 

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009, 8:34 PM
Ellen DeGeneres to Become Fourth ‘American Idol’ Judge

By BRIAN STELTER
Ellen DeGeneres will join Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge on “American Idol” next winter, Fox announced Wednesday evening.

The announcement comes after Paula Abdul said last month she would depart the program ahead of its ninth season, which is scheduled to start in January 2010.

Ms. DeGeneres, the popular daytime talk show host, will join the famous judges’ panel after the auditions, which are currently taking place in cities around the country.

“I’m thrilled to be the new judge on American Idol,” Ms. DeGeneres said in a statement. “I’ve watched since the beginning, and I’ve always been a huge fan. So getting this job is a dream come true, and think of all the money I’ll save from not having to text in my vote.”

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.co...an-idol-judge/

I am SO happy about this! I'm in the UK but have watched American Idol for the past few years because ut's just so much bigger and better than the UK one. I think Ellen isbrilliant too and also wish her show was on in the UK. Basically, I live in the wrong country when it comes to music!

Does she have a music background?

I just find this very odd...

But she'll likely bring a lot of laughter to the show.

I don't know if she's got any music knowledge, but she's hilarious!

I'd rather have her on there than the drunken-rambling-Paula.

I hope she doesn't dance in that stupid way of hers at the beginning of every program. She appears to believe she's an extraordinary dancer with great street rhythm. She's deluded, is what she is.

Is music knowledge necessary for being a celebrity judge on American Idol? I wouldn't think so.

I do love her so may actually tune in. I haven't watched Idol for years.

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?ne...t1=28103&mpc=2

JESUS. If this is true I'll have to actually watch this awful show.

I'm really excited for this. Ellen has such a broad base appeal, and she can certainly help pacify some of the fans upset at the loss of Paula. She just makes me smile.

Paula pretty much dominated the news after she announced she would not be returning, so Idol had to do something big to bring attention back to them. While I love Ellen, this is a lame choice. It reeks of desperation “please continue to watch us.” Having a Jody Watley or Katy Perry fill Paula shoes (those names came up as possible replacements) just weren’t going to cut it. Paula was on top of her game last season, and most people agreed. She was the heart of the show and Idol has now lost that. It was just last week I think both Simon and Randy were on E stating how the show just isn’t the same anymore and they miss their girl. Paula wasn’t even seeking what the guys were making, she just wanted the deal to be fair and it wasn’t. I understand why she walked.

Me too! :D She cracks me up!

B4 the show ever aired Paula was a has-been. Now she'll fade into the woodwork and become a has-been once again.

That's pretty rude. Have you accomplished in your life as much as Paula has? Nobody stays at the top forever. Paula is an ultra talented woman and sometimes in life it's all about timing. Paula would not have landed the AI gig if she was just a nobody that wasn't talented, she got the gig because of her talent and experience as a performer.


Ellen isn't a singer, dancer or a songwriter (trained or untrained). I like Ellen very much, but this choice is just wrong on all counts.

I dunno . . . Me personally, I feel like I'm exactly the opposite of her! . . . .

:laugh: . . . . . . . . . ;)

Probably a whole lot more but not in the public eye.

Yeah, this move reeks of desperation.

Prediction- ratings go down, IMMEDIATELY.

Next (2011) season- no Ellen, a rotating cavalcade of big time guest judges.. ratings still go down

The following season (2012)- Paula comes back- she gets paid way too much money, a big fuss is made.. but the audience just isn't there anymore.

It limps along for one or two more years before being dumped by Fox and getting picked up by VH1, or something like TV One.

You’re probably not that far off Luke on your predictions, however, I don’t think the ratings will go down immediately. I think they very well could go up a little in the beginning because a lot of people are going to tune in out of curiosity. Again, I like Ellen very much but I find this choice ridiculous. Even though Simon and Randy wouldn’t ever say anything bad about Ellen, I bet they too think this sucks.

I agree with this person’s report:

Why Ellen DeGeneres Is Wrong for 'American Idol'
Posted 09/10/09, 2:00 PM GMT by Kelly Woo
Categories: Hot Topics

When the news broke last night that Ellen DeGeneres would be replacing Paula Abdul as a judge on 'American Idol,' my reaction was ... what a terrible idea.

Don't get me wrong: Love Ellen DeGeneres. Love her. She is a wonderful and engaging host, comedian and entertainer. But she's completely wrong for 'Idol,' and here's why ...

She has no credibility
Ellen appeared as a guest judge this past summer on 'Idol's' Fox sibling, 'So You Think You Can Dance.' And though Ellen had no dance experience, it seemed like it'd be a fun fit. Nope. Her stand-up shtick stood out like a sore thumb amid panelists who actually knew what they were talking about. Ellen's comments ended up being superfluous and unwelcome. We can poke fun at Paula's music "career," but at the end of the day, she was a pop star. Ellen might be "one of us" (the audience), but insightful critique from industry insiders is the reason there are judges at all.

She's too nice
Back when Paula announced she was leaving, we argued that she was taking the show's heart with her. Ellen's got plenty of heart, but I can't see her being as discriminating as even Paula (who always had her favorites, like David Archuleta or Danny Gokey). And then, if Ellen does tread into Simon Cowell territory, she risks damaging her sunny, always-upbeat, non-'Idol' image. Again, witness her stint on 'SYTYCD,' where she slobbered over every single performance. Liking everything isn't helpful.

She's not a trainwreck
Of all the guest judges 'Idol' trotted out for the auditions, the one we were most excited about was actually Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham, because she had the most potential to fill that trainwreck void Paula left behind. Let's face it: Many memorable moments from past seasons involved Paula's wacky behavior. Ellen will never do anything crazy enough to talk about at the watercooler in the morning. We already have two boring judges in Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi; let's not add another.

She'll steal the spotlight
It's the singing, stupid. Sure, we love the scandals, the trainwrecks, the Simon-Ryan homoerotic banter. But at the end of the day, the reason we all watch 'American Idol' is to see stars being born. Now that such a big personality is part of the show, will the spotlight move away from the stage to the judges' table? Ellen already has a show; leave this one to the Kris Allens and Adam Lamberts of the future.

God I love Ellen, although I find this choice to be somewhat odd....

However, it is exciting!

Ellen as a judge seems a little odd to me since all the other judges have a background in the music industry. However, I guess as a TV show host for many years she probably has the abilty to spot someone with 'star quality' and as someone else said, she's a likeable TV personality, they need someone like that to boost ratings with Paula gone (who was the soul reason I personally watched AI). For me, Ellen's presence won't be a huge incentive to tune in, had Kathy Griffin gotten the gig however that would've been pretty epic.

You rock! :)