American Idol: Ellen DeGeneres is the new fourth judge, replacing Paula Abdul

[tjw61]

American Idol: Ellen DeGeneres is the new fourth judge, replacing Paula Abdul
by Alan Sepinwall/The Star-Ledger
Wednesday September 09, 2009, 8:25 PM

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.

Some quotes from Ellen, and my thoughts on the move, coming right up...

"I'm thrilled to be the new judge on American Idol," DeGeneres said in a Fox press release. "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."

And in a taping for tomorrow's episode of her syndicated talk show, DeGeneres told the studio audience, "I'm not leaving here. Don't worry about that. I'm going to have a day job and a night job. The times we're living... in we're all doing that.

"Hopefully I'm the people's point of view because I'm just like you," she added. "I sit at home and I watch it and I don't have that technical...I'm not looking at it in a critical way from the producer's mind. I'm looking at it as a person who is going to buy the music and is going to relate to that person. So I'm hopefully going to be that voice of what we're all doing at home."

In many ways, Ellen is a great choice. She's obviously comfortable on camera, doesn't have a big ego (or, at least, never comes across as having one), and, as she says in those quotes (and as is clear if you watch her talk show), she loves "Idol" and understands how it works. And her relentless enthusiasm makes her not only an ideal replacement for Paula, but an improvement. Easy as it was to make fun of her, Paula filled a valuable role on that show by providing a brief safe zone for the overstressed contestants; Ellen will be able to do the same while being vastly more coherent. On the downside, she's much less likely to provide the kind of entertaining Paula-esque spaz-outs that tended to liven up the really boring episodes, but she'll provide enough intentional comedy to offset Paula's accidental comedy (like that one episode where she traveled through time).

The big problem with hiring Ellen has less to do with Ellen than with the continued presence of Kara Dio Guardi, whose contract was re-upped right before Paula's contract re-negotiations fell apart.

We learned last season that four judges is one too many. The producers were unable or unwilling to get each of the judges to talk a little less, so shows ran long, until, having failed to cut back on the judges or the guest stars or the clip reels, they had to start cutting out performances, and that's unacceptable on a show that's far too padded as is.

Kara, it seemed, tended to talk the most because she wanted to justify her hiring in the first place. As an established star - Simon Cowell is probably still the biggest name on the panel, but now at least an argument could be made for someone else - Ellen might feel confident enough in her own status to only talk as much as necessary. Or she might feel the need to assert her dominance over the panel, and that could be both time-consuming and awkward.

Take Kara - and/or the equally useless Randy Jackson - out of the mix, and this probably all sorts itself out nicely by the end of the semi-final round. Leave four judges in there, and make one of them an incredibly high-profile newbie, and this has the potential to be awkward for at least half a season, if not more.

Ellen's a fine hire. She's just one hire too many.

[imakillerr]

Good. Paula Abdul was beginning to creep me out... She too nice anyway... at least Ellen is funny.