DeGeneres on 'Idol': 'I’ve Been Dying to Tell Everyone!'

"American Idol" has found its new Paula: Ellen DeGeneres.

In a stunning -- and potentially brilliant -- late afternoon announcement, Fox said the talk show host/comic will become the new fourth judge on America's top-rated show, starting with the live episodes in February. She replaces Paula Abdul, who quit "Idol" over the summer due to a salary scuffle.

DeGeneres simultaneously announced the news on her Twitter feed and during a taping of her daytime talk show.

"This is so exciting for me," DeGeneres said. "We’ve been dealing with this for the last couple of weeks and I’ve been dying to tell everyone. It’s just been so hard to keep it a secret and we just finally got the OK, and I’m so excited.

"It is going to be so much fun," she added. "I don’t know how it happened myself but I have not missed one episode of that show. I’ve watched every single thing. I love everything about it and I love music, as you know."

Abdul's first public reaction to the news: She used her Twitter feed to post a promo for her new gig hosting VH1's "Divas Live" concert special.

Meanwhile, industry insiders familiar with the situation say DeGeneres has reaffirmed her commitment to her daytime talkshow by adding three more years to her current deal, which had been set to expire in 2011. She's now locked into the daytime show through 2014.

Landing DeGeneres- - who's more famous than anyone on the current panel, save Simon Cowell -- is a coup for "Idol."

She brings her own fan base, something that could prove valuable as "Idol" continues to fight the natural audience erosion that's a given for any older show.

And she'll instantly become a major press magnet for the "Idol" machine, supplying reporters who cover the show with a steady stream of new story possibilities.

"She's going to suck up every last ounce of media attention on that show," one veteran PR wag predicted.

Of course, there's a chance DeGeneres could be too famous. She's such a well-known personality, she could end up overwhelming the careful chemistry on the judging panel -- a mix already tested last season by the addition of Kara DioGuardi.

Some critics aren't worried.

"Ellen is a great choice," the Newark Star-Ledger's Alan Sepinwall wrote Wednesday. "She's obviously comfortable on camera, doesn't have a big ego (or, at least, never comes across as having one), and... she loves "Idol" and understands how it works. And her relentless enthusiasm makes her not only an ideal replacement for Paula, but an improvement."

And LA Times TV critic Robert Lloyd suggested DeGeneres could bring in viewers who might have avoided "Idol" (apparently they exist).

"I might even watch 'Idol' now," Lloyd tweeted Wednesday.

Bottom line: By hiring DeGeneres, Fox has probably found a way to deal with the fact that some die-hard Abdul fans will be alienated by her absence from the show next season.

There's no guarantee that those hard-core Abdul groupies will stick with the show because of DeGeneres.

 

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