Idol Chatter & Voice Views

So Idol has a new judge.

And it isn’t Avril Lavigne, Shania Twain, Neil Patrick Harris or any of the seemingly countless others who were supposedly auditioning to replace Paula Abdul on the nation’s most-watched TV show.

Folks, meet Ellen DeGeneres.

The good news: The Paula saga is over.

There were many, including some contestants with whom I spoke, who didn’t really believe Paula was leaving. Who suspected, with good reason given the show’s history, that it all might be some ratings publicity ploy. Who thought that when season nine began, Paula would be right back where she has always been, sitting beside Simon Cowell.

Say goodbye to those suspicions.

The bad news: Idol again has four judges.

That’s one too many, in my mind. I don’t know how that couldn’t be clear to Idol producers if they watched any of their own shows last season. There was just too much talk after each performance.

Heck, one of the top performances of the entire season — Adam Lambert’s first performance of “Mad World” — was lost to the entire DVR crowd because the judges gabbed too much over the course of the show.

And then we had that weird performance night when half of the singers were judged by Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi; the other half by Simon and Paula. The goal: making sure the show finished on time. The result: blatantly unfair judging for those who had the misfortune of being critiqued by Cowell.

Back to the good news: Idol picked Ellen.

Given the fourth-judge options supposedly under consideration, it seems like a wise choice.

Between Kara’s long-winded comments and Paula’s crayons and plunging neckline, it seemed like the two gals on the judges panel were vying for attention in season eight. Imagine that.

I doubt that will be a problem with Ellen. She’s self-assured enough to let Kara be the judging diva. Ellen will just provide the show with smarts, wit and a touch of compassion. Check out her masterful handling of season five contestant Kellie Pickler in the video below.

Besides, I can hardly wait to hear her exchanges with Mr. Cowell.

Meanwhile, here are some helpful links …

Ellen makes the announcement;

Ellen says she doesn’t plan to be a mean judge;

Reaction from the Idol community.

Oophs! The Ellen interview with Kellie Pickler I originally posted — which was a riot — has been removed from youTube. Here’s a replacement.

And I couldn’t not include a link to this one, where Kellie tells Ellen how she got out of a driving ticket.