UPDATE: Ellen signed a 5 year deal. Seriously. And I’ll bet she’ll be making way more money than what Paula was offered. (Read it at Nikki Finke.) The producers call Ellen “warm, compassionate” with an incredible sense of humor and a love of music. I think TPTB had their sights set on hiring an a-lister rather than say, a pop singer who has seen better days (what Paula was when they hired her). Obviously, with some of the choices they made for guest judges (Neil Patrick Harris, Kristin Chenoweth) the producers were thinking out of the box when considering their next hire. Ellen does have a fan base all her own, and the curiosity factor will bring in viewers. Plus, Ellen will pimp the hell out of the show (she kinda already does) on her talk show. But man, she really was awkward and unfunny when she guest judged on SYTYCD over the summer, so I hope that she brushes up on her skills between now and November…
Found this at NJ.com:
Fox just announced that Ellen DeGeneres will be the new fourth judge on “American Idol, ” replacing Paula Abdul, beginning her role after a series of special guest fill-ins (including Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Kristin Chenoweth, Joe Jonas, Neil Patrick Harris, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry and Shania Twain) fill in for next season’s audition rounds.
I mean, really? Ellen DeGeneres? She guest judged So You Think You Can Dance last Season, and her critiques were comic relief.
So, is she going to be a real judge or some kind of joke? She’s a comedian, not a singer or a musician. I’m kinda flummoxed here.
Erm. I’ll have more to say on this later.
Ellen announces it on her show. Check it out after the Jump… She says she loves Idol and she loves music, and she won’t be looking at it from a technical standpoint, but from somebody at home who is looking to buy the contestant’s record.
By the way, I thought she was terrible as guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance. Her shtick wasn’t even funny.
Video after the JUMP…
