Whoa, this is big news, but not surprising at all. Ellen DeGeneres will not be returning to the Judges’ Panel for American Idol 2011! Ellen released a statement saying she had decided to not return, or was FOX just nice enough to let her say that?
“A couple months ago, I let Fox and the `American Idol’ producers know that this didn’t feel like the right fit for me,” DeGeneres said in a statement. The comedian-talk show host said she realized that while she “loved discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings.”
Ellen will not fulfill her two-year contract. Also worth noting is that FOX has yet to announce if they’ll even renew Kara’s contract.
So there are now two empty spots at the table and I’m hoping only one of those seats will be filled. Three judges was plenty, but that third new judge will have to be a powerhouse to bring up Kara and Randy. Who do you want it to be?
Update: J. Lo is one of the rumored replacements who is very, very close to signing a contract to become one of the new judges! I’m not sure how I feel about that just yet. She’s got the background, but do we really need a diva in the role?
Hey American Idol fans! This week we finally get the official word from FOX on who exactly is in the TOP 24. Tomorrow night we have two hours of round 3 and Wednesday the 24 are chosen.
Finally, the end of auditions and the narrowing down of contestants is in sight and we can get to the best of the best and cast our votes on who should be the next American idol.
This year has been filled with drama when it comes to the judges. First we had to deal with Paula’s absence and the emergence of guest judges who were for the most part, not up to par. Add the signing of Ellen DeGeneres as the new full time judge and the departure of Simon after this season and looking for his replacement; it is enough to make this blogger go out of her mind lol. Hopefully once we get down to the actual competition we will get away from so much focus on the judges and concentrate soley on the singers.
I’m more than ready to get past this week so we can move on from the monstrosity they built around the 3 weeks of auditions and the horrible group round from last week and get down to the nitty gritty of the actual competition.
How do you feel about all the auditions and did you think there was too much focus on the judges?
Update:Snark Food says American Idol will give us an early reveal of some of the season’s Top 24 singers on Tuesday night as part of the 2-hour episode. Bonus!
So many people claimed to NEVER watch the show again when FOX announced Ellen DeGeneres was coming in to replace Paula Abdul on American Idol. I’d say they didn’t need to worry too much since 28 million viewers tuned in to see her debut Tuesday night. This was the largest number since the season premiere. In fact, it is the largest viewing in two years that didn’t include the finale or debut.
So for all the nay sayers out there who didn’t give her a chance, you were few and far between. She was much better than anticipated and did give some worthwhile criticism to the contestants. Whatever doubt I had about her judging ability was dispelled with her comment, “When people say ‘what do YOU know about music?’ I’ll tell you what I do know; I know what it’s like to stand on stage and try to please a room full of people.”
I enjoyed her as a judge and firmly believe she brings some much needed comedy to the contestants and the other judges. I say keep bringing it Ellen and don’t let all these wanna be know it all’s get you down.
I am soooo happy we finally made it to Hollywood for season 9 of American Idol! It seemed to me that the audition process went on much longer than 3 weeks. We got to see some amazing talent last night and of course the judging debut of one Ellen DeGeneres.
Before I write about the episode, let me just say that I am really going to miss Simon next year. His facial expression and smart @$$ comments make me laugh so hard and when he likes someone, he embraces them and I love that about him. He is genuine and real and I don’t see how they are going to bring someone in to replace him.
Ellen DeGeneres did a pretty good job and brought just enough comic relief to dispel Simon’s bad mood. I am pleasantly surprised and happy I gave her a chance to prove herself. At the beginning of the episode when she said that she may not know a whole lot about the music industry but does know what it is like to stand on a stage and try to please a room full of people, I knew there was hope for the lady. She was also honest with the hopefuls without being rude about it so perhaps this was a good choice for Paula’s replacement even though I stand by what I said about the contestants needing criticism from someone in the music business.
What about all the singers? It was wonderful to see so many people with amazing voices take the stage. We saw so many of our top 24’s. One who did not sing well was Vanessa Wolfe from Tennessee. She was awful and I felt bad for her and I know many of you were hoping to see her get through but she didn’t deserve it. Maybe she can come back next year and do better.
I was upset when they didn’t send Justin Williams or Maddy Curtis to the group round. I thought they both sang well enough to move on and let’s face it, Justin is a little doll. His blue eyes can sing to me anytime lol.
The best auditions of the night for me were Andrew Garcia who sang Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up.” He has a terrific voice and put his own spin on the song which is what I like to see. Also Didi Benami who sang “Terrified” by Kara DioGuardi and Crystal Bowersox who stole the show singing “Natural Woman.” I liked the fact that Big Mike got up there and did well with his wife in labor with their first child. Of course if it was me and I was in labor and my husband was off in Hollywood, I think I would be a little ticked.
Be sure to check out our Top 24 spoilers so you will know who to watch for tonight during the group round.
Next week we have our first glimpse of new American Idol judge Ellen Degeneres. Finally Idol goes to Hollywood so no more guest judges, no more bad auditions, only great singers looking for a break. Here is a small preview of what is to come:
We don’t see much of the new judge but I’m wondering by what we do see if she is going to have a problem giving criticism. What do you think? Can Ellen give the contestants the critiques they need to improve their performance?
