« Work and Prayer in Nehemiah 1 | Home | Inspiration from The High Calling »
Newsbreak: American Idol Gets a Shot in the Arm
By Mark D. Roberts | Thursday, September 10, 2009
Today the producers of American Idol announced that talk-show-host and comedienne Ellen Degeneres will permanently fill the role of judge, taking the position that had belonged to Paul Abdul.
Now this is news for American Idol fans, several of which live in my family. With the loss of Paula and the addition of Ellen, we lose Paula’s experience as a successful recording artist and entertainer. We will gain Ellen playing the role of Everyperson, one who responds as a non-expert to the American Idol contestants.
Perhaps more importantly, Ellen will continue the sweetness shtick popularized by Paula, but she’ll no doubt do it with more cleverness and humor. In fact, what Ellen will add to American Idol, more than anything else, is a lot of laughs. That might be a nice addition to a show that can take itself too seriously.
What do you think about Ellen as a judge?
Topics: Uncategorized |
4 Responses to “Newsbreak: American Idol Gets a Shot in the Arm”
Comments
Thanks for your willingness to make a comment. Note: I do not moderate comments before they are posted, though they are automatically screened for profanities, spam, etc., and sometimes the screening program holds comments for moderation even though they're not offensive. I encourage open dialogue and serious disagreement, and am always willing to learn from my mistakes. I will not delete comments unless they are extraordinarily rude or irrelevant to the topic at hand. You do need to login in order to make a comment, because this cuts down on spam. You are free to use a nickname if you wish. Finally, I will eventually read all comments, but I don't have the time to respond to them on a consistent basis because I've got a few other demands on my time, like my "day job," my family, sleep, etc.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
September 10th, 2009 at 7:57 am
I love Ellen, in general. Also, the show can use a little humor … which I believe Ellen can provide. Yea! Kristin Chenowith and Ellen …this is shaping up to be a pretty fun American Idol season!!!
September 10th, 2009 at 9:18 am
From what I can tell from the internet Kristin Chenoweth will not be an Idol judge even though an announce was made this summer saying that she would be a temporary replacement for Paula Abdul. Apparently she was very temporary.
I think Ellen will do well as long as she doesn’t try too hard to be funny. Is anyone bothered that Ms. Degeneres is an open lesbian? I’m not.
I was not an early fan of American Idol. I only became interested when I took acting lessons and became an actor. Now I understand the agony of auditions and the courage it takes to perform.
September 10th, 2009 at 10:05 am
I like Ellen but I’m not sure she’s the best choice for this job
September 11th, 2009 at 6:06 am
During last season, when they added the fourth judge to panel, they found themselves pressed for time to have the “Idols” perform and get through the judge feedback. They were frequently rushed and rushing. It is unlikely I think that Ellen will bring brevity to that feedback process. If anything, it will agrivate it the problem they had for the first time last year.
She can contribute NOTHING in the way of professional advice for these aspiring singers and will likely regard her role as “entertainer” with a new “stage”. They probably should have just let Paula go her way, and revert back to three judges (Simon, Kara and Randy), each of whom actually have credibility and something important to say and leave it at that. What I fear we’ll get with Ellen is some schtick from a pretty niche-y entertainer.
Idol used to be a given in our household. They are on probation now.