Is Ellen DeGeneres a Good Choice for American Idol?

As of January 2010, the popular TV show American Idol will have a new judge. Her name is Ellen DeGeneres. You probably know her from her popular TV talk show "Ellen" which has been on for some years now. You may also remember her from her days on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

The question in my mind is will she be a good fit for the show. I'll be honest and say that I miss the days when American Idol was just a three-man crew of Simon, Randy and Paula... but now that Paula's leaving I'm not sure that I'll be as tuned into the show as I have been during previous seasons. To be real honest I only watched the show for the auditions, not nearly as much during the Hollywood phase or the elimination rounds. Yes, I watched it more so for the comedic portions than for the people who could really sing.

Perhaps this is what will make Ellen a good fit for the show... her ability to know what engages an audience and to tell good art from bad art. I guess I'm just trying to picture her matching up with the other judges, in particular, Simon and Randy. Simon has always been the brutally honest one... Randy has always been the down-to-earth one... Paula was always the encouraging one... and now there's Ellen who will be... well... I'm not sure what role she'll play. It almost feels like one of those side stories to the real story of who will be the next American Idol.

I'm just having a hard time seeing her last longer than a season, but it could be the best thing that's ever happened to American Idol... I doubt it, though. I think with the end of Paula's reign comes the end of American Idol's reign as one of the top entertainment shows of this era. Many shows have followed since American Idol began years ago and now we see talent displayed in many artistic arenas. American Idol is partially to thank for this as it has opened up a door in television that wasn't available to America this time a decade ago... and perhaps it's merely an enhancement from the days of Star Search from the 1980s when Ed McMahon was the one and only host of the show. Nonetheless... here we are... perhaps at the end of an era, and the person chosen to hopefully keep the American Idol fire burning is a talk show host, comedienne, and lover of dance - Ellen DeGeneres.

I am almost curious to tune in this January just to witness this historic occasion. I might even give it through the auditions to find out if the show loses some of its luster or finds a different chemistry than it once had. I'm expecting that Ellen will bring something to the show that Paula didn't, but on the flipside I'm expecting that Ellen will take away from the show something that Paula brought. The question is will it be a good trade? Ellen brings a new face, some life, and perhaps a side of her artistic ability we don't normally see and that's the ability to be something other than funny or engaging. Ellen is really taking a backseat to some extent and has to work with others to make this show good.

With that said, I recommend tuning in this January to see if the debut of Ellen on American Idol will be all it's cracked up to be... or will we have a new Facebook group entitled, "Bring Paula Abdul back to American Idol now!!!"