Ellen on American Idol

[AustinTink]

I just don;t want to hear....."are you guys carpenters, cuz you nailed it"! nothing against Ellen and who gives a flip in PA lip synched.....but does she have any background in the music business?

PA is a dancer/choreographer who was mass marketed as a "singer". There are long standing rumors that she didn't even sing on her own albums, ala Milli Vinilli. That said, I think Ellen's qualifications are just as good as hers.

 

[lillygator]

we'll have to disagree....

eta ---- oh and didn't Milli V admit it and ended up being busted not singing? Most "singers" lip sync in many performances, especially ones who dance more than stand around and sing.

 

[HunnyPots]

I love Ellen! Finally - a judge with a personality! I think she will be just what this show needs!

 

[2BigKIdz]

I like her too, just feel someone associated with the music business would be a better choice as a judge.

I would think someone with a background in music would be a better judge also. Nothing against Ellen at all, I just don't understand how she can be a great talent evaluator for AI. If it was a variety of talents then I could see her as a judge but since it is specifically for singing (and performance) I don't think she is a good pick.

 

[sunlver]

I love Ellen, and enjoy her show each day. Her show makes me laugh. BUT, I was suprised to read also that she will be the new judge on AI..Like others, I am thinking does she have enough musical background(If any)

Either way, I will be watching it again. Honestly, I watch it for the potential talent, more then the judges. I guess I don't quite understand if you have been a big fan for years, and now Ellen is going to be on, why you would all of a sudden stop watching..I can't stand the way that Simon is so mean to some of the contestants, and hate the way that Randy calls everybody "Dawg"...but I just skip over those parts the majority of the time

 

[Robinrs]

Well i don't agree with her morally, politically and then there is the annoyance factor. I just don't like talk shows and wannabe comedians. She is not funny. I don't see what she has to add to the show. They should of just kept it with Randy, Simon and Kara.

This is like Dennis Miller hosting MNF. I guess if you liked that you will like this.

I am out.

Waitaminute, you like KARA?????



SHE, not Ellen, would be a reason to be OUT!!

 

[MushyMushy]

Waitaminute, you like KARA?????



SHE, not Ellen, would be a reason to be OUT!!

I love Kara! I was thrilled when they brought her on because she obviously knows her stuff and she's so well-spoken and eloquent. Doesn't talk down to people. Paula drove me nuts with her ditziness and inability to form complete sentences. It was great seeing an intelligent woman up there and probably why I stuck with the show as long as I did this season.

 

[antmaril]

I think Ellen is a good choice as Paula's replacement. While she doesn't have a musical background, it doesn't matter. She will add a level of fun to the show that is lacking now. Let's face it, Paula rarely added anything constructive to the judging process and most people are only interested in what Simon has to say anyway. Of course, Randy and Kara are there to add their opinions, as well.

I could be wrong, of course, but I think Ellen will be a pleasant addition to "American Idol".

 

[donald&daisy]

I love Ellen, it will be interesting to see what she brings to the table.

 

[nikkistevej]

I love Ellen- watch her show almost everyday. I cannot stand Kara- and had decided not to watch American Idol this season because of Paula being gone- but I may watch it now to see how it is and just fast foward through Kara.

 

[bicker]

I think this is fantastic. Ellen will add something sorely lacking up until now, a wonderful ability to take the sting off of tough situations with humor. Randy does keep things in perspective (while the other three absolutely took themselves way too seriously), but his manner in that regard is so completely understated that it had no real effect. Ellen can keep things real, but very effectively temper Simon's over-the-top caustic nature, and generally improve the contribution of the judging to the entertainment value of the program. I think, sometimes, in the past, the judges forgot that they were talent on an entertainment program. Ellen will never lose sight of that.

 

[agnes!]

Our family adores Ellen and actually threw her name out there as someone we'd like to see as a judge. She's a great music critic and hopefully she will be able to give an honest opinion without feeling badly.

Anyone would be better than Paula! Remember, Simon doesn't have a music background either, he's just a good critic for entertainment.

But Simon has been in the music-promotion business for *years*, he knows what works and what doesn't from the production side.

I wonder what made them choose Ellen? Does she have any music skills?? She's more of an entertainer. I can see her on America's got Talent instead of AI.

Last I heard they were in serious talks with Queen Latifah taking Paula's spot. I thought that would've been a good fit. The deal with Queen Latifah must of feel thru or something..

Oh MAN, she would have been incredible.

I only said that about Ellen because when the judges critique the contestants about their singing, they get technical. You know how they talk about the bravato, if a certain note was off key, what the contestants need to work on in their singing, etc... They can get technical.... Even when they have guest judges, they all have a musical background. Just my thought ...

Actually, in my opinion from a performer's perspective I think Randy is practically incoherent with his comments..."Dog, that was pitchy" "Dawg, I dunno..." "Some of those notes..." "That was HOT." He *can* explain that something is wrong (or even right) with the performance but he is simply INCAPABLE of explaining the particulars of why a performance stunk up the joint. *Much* of the poorly-performing talents' issues can be laid at the feet of insufficient breath-support and in not understanding the text of their songs. How many times have you heard contestants run out of steam at the end of a phrase (thereby going off-pitch) or inappropriately mug their way through a sad song (especially on story-songs when they are doing Country or older standards)? But even with the celebrity singer/coaches who supposedly know the music business and how to perform, I remember being stunned the season Barry Manilow & Kenny Rogers were on - at how insightful Barry Manilow was when he coached, he had incredibly spot-on constructive comments and at how incredibly *useless* Rogers' comments were. Just because someone is a good/great performer/singer doesn't mean they can articulate what it takes to make a performance good or even great. It's like in baseball or other sports - how many great coaches were stars of any magnitude on the playing field?

I didn't follow the show much in its last incarnation, but might tune in when they finally get to Hollywood. I hate how much time AI wastes on all the wanna-bees and wish they would spend more time on the people who actually make it through. Last season was a JOKE - AI spent a lot of screen-time and air-time on all the screeching banshees who were tossed to the curb in the try-out cities and relatively little time on the people who actually made it to the Hollywood round.

agnes!

 

[Robinrs]

I love Kara! I was thrilled when they brought her on because she obviously knows her stuff and she's so well-spoken and eloquent. Doesn't talk down to people. Paula drove me nuts with her ditziness and inability to form complete sentences. It was great seeing an intelligent woman up there and probably why I stuck with the show as long as I did this season.

Kara may have had the experience, etc, but she bored me with her longwindedness and, imho, added nothing to the show. Paula, of course, was comic relief.

Ellen, though not the best choice by a long shot, would bring in a demographic that may not have been watching before. On a marketing standpoint, I understand it, but on a common sense standpoint...

 

[Jennasis]

You don't have to be a music industry inisder to know when a performance was outstanding or a failure (or somewhere in between). I know jack squat about the music biz and for the past 8 seasons of idol (of which I have watched it all), Simon's critiques have always, without fail, mirrored my own....almost down to the exact verbage! So you can be an effective judge without knowing the industry.

 

[DrCavin]

Four judges was bad, now it will be difficult to watch. What could she possibly add to a signing competition? Terrible choice IMO, leave it at 3 judges!!!

 

[madcam]

LOVE LOVE LOVE Ellen!!!! I think it will be a great addition!! She was a guest judge on SYTYCD this past season however, I felt her "judging" was a little awkward. She was almost too comedic but I think she just over did it because she was only there for one night and probably was just trying to be funny because that is what people expect her to be. Hopefully, she will be more like she is on her show when she does AI. Can't WAIT to see it!! (I do think Queen Latifa would have been great as well....LOVE LOVE LOVE her too!!!)

 

[RadioNate]

Blah from me. I like Ellen. A lot. I like her show. I think she is funny.

I don't like her as a judge on AI. I really didn't like her as a judge on SYTYCD. She brought nothing of value to the critiques. Her comments consisted of (bad) jokes and enjoying the routines. I can't imagine she knows anything more about singing or the music business than she did about dancing or the dance biz.

I hardly watched last season and don't think I'll bother for this one.

 

[FayeW]

I haven't watch American Idol for years, ever since it became apparent that talent had very little to do with who would win and who would be sent home week after week. I remember Simon shaking his head in disgust when a particularly talented contestant was sent home. I don't remember who it was but Simon said "America got it wrong. This supposed to be a talent competition, not a popularity contest". What was the point in watching and hoping for your favourite when all across the country people were "stuffing the ballot box" with multiple phone calls. Remember Sanjay, anyone?

Anyway, I love Ellen and I predict she will be a breath of fresh air. I will absolutely watch again, at least for a little while, to see how she does.

 

[DisneyForLife]

I like the idea of having one person that doesn't look at things from the perspective of someone in the music business, but as a fan of music and that would buy the music

Ellen herself said that she will be there just as if it was one of us sitting there. She will be judging as a fan would. She has no musical background at all except for always loving music.
I love her show and her, I think she will be a good fit and hope she does well. She seems genuinely happy to have been offered it.

 

[ckay87]

I should probably go ahead and say something now to save a problem in the future.
I am not attacking her as a person. I have no idea what she is like in real life. For all I know she is the nicest person on TV. All I can do is judge what I have seen of her. Many of you are saying that on her show she is nice and kind and other things. I'll have to take your word on that. I have seen her on quite a few occasions on different specials, shows, etc... and every time I have heard her I've been amazed at how crude and offensive she was. I have never heard anything even somewhat resembling what many of you are saying.
I don't know, maybe for her show they have tried to soften up her image. I've never had any kind of desire to watch her show, so again, I'll just have to take all of your word on it.

I still don't think that she will last any longer than a single season (if that long even), but I'll guess we'll just have to wait and see.

You are absolutely not thinking of Ellen Degeneres here. Crude humor or rudeness isn't even a part of her act. If anything, hers is a self-depricating type of humor. I've read a book of hers, followed her standup and watch her show. I can't recall anything rude ever coming from her, ever.

Here's a pic. Is this the rude person you're thinking of?