It’s Official! Ellen DeGeneres Replaces Paula Abdul
Ellen DeGeneres is the newest celebrity judge to grace the panel of the next season of “American Idol.” Ellen is a long-time fan of the show and beat out other judge hopefuls, which included Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham and Katy Perry.
Some critics have poo-pooed the decision to choose DeGeneres, noting that her role would be more comic relief than substantive. But supporters, among them Sharon Osbourne, think Ellen makes the perfect choice to add an everyman voice to a panel already filled with music experts. The comedy is just a bonus.
Ellen defends this position herself, explaining, “I’m just like you. I sit at home and I watch it… 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 music and is going to relate to that person.”
Guest judges will still be featured during some of the audition episodes, including Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Avril Lavigne and Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers.
