http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/07/29/ellen-degeneres-is-leaving-american-idol/

Jul 29 2010 08:07 PM ET

Ellen DeGeneres leaves 'American Idol'

by Lynette Rice

Categories: American Idol, Deals, News, Television

Fox announced today that Ellen DeGeneres has decided to step down from her role as as judge on American Idol. DeGeneres joined the panel in its ninth season. The network released this statement today: “A couple months ago, I let Fox and the American Idol producers know that this didn’t feel like the right fit for me,” said DeGeneres. “I told them I wouldn’t leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next. It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for. I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings. I loved the experience working on IDOL and I am very grateful for the year I had. I am a huge fan of the show and will continue to be.”

Fox released a statement of its own: “We love Ellen and understand and support her decision to bow out of IDOL,” said Peter Rice, Chairman of Entertainment, Fox Networks Group. “We were fortunate to receive the humor, energy and love for talent that she brought to the show.”

Developing….

http://www.deadline.com/2010/07/breaking-ellen-out-of-idol/

EXCLUSIVE: We've just learned the backstory of how Ellen DeGeneres bowed out of American Idol and who will be its new judge taking her place: Jennifer Lopez, who's singing and acting career has been on the skids after her recent movies failed at the box office and she was dropped by her record company Sony. We hear her manager Benny Medina, whom she once fired, orchestrated the meeting with the American Idol producers a month ago, and negotiations have been ongoing ever since. We've learned a deal was closed earlier this week under the utmost secrecy. Still to be decided is who will replace Simon Cowell. Everyone associated with the show wants Elton John, but we hear he's asking for too much money and has too many touring commitments he can't get out of.

As for Ellen Degeneres, we're told she wanted off the show two months ago, and she and her reps went in to to see Fox Broadcasting's Entertainment Chairman Peter Rice and Alternative TV President Mike Darnell to ask if the execs would let her out of the year left on her contract. "She's not comfortable. She's not happy. It's not been fun," Fox was told. But Rice and Darnell responded that, with Cowell leaving, "We can't let you out now because it would be bad for our franchise. Give us a chance to figure out who we could get." In the end, all the show's producers -- Fox, Fremantle, and 19 Entertainment -- worked it out. "Peter Rice was awesome," an insider tells us. "Ellen is thrilled and relieved." We've learned that serious conversations took place between Idol and Jessica Simpson to replace Ellen. But once Jennifer Lopez was locked in this week, the DeGeneres announcement went out.

Paula was actually pretty entertaining and enjoyable up to about 1990 or so.

I think JLo's early music was a good listen. If I Had Your Love and Waiting for Tonight, I would watch VH1 waiting to see those videos. I think she just started taking herself way too seriously, and she seemed to become a joke that only she wasn't in on.

I think people often forget what a successful pop career Paula had, even though it was brief.

Forever Your Girl was the top selling album of 1989 in the US, and she scored 4 #1 hits off that album alone, and an additional two on her sophomore album Spellbound.

Yes, I will forever revel and live in 80's and early 90's pop culture.

Holy Idol Batman!

THIS JUST IN: Mother Angelica named fourth judge on American Idol!

I think JLo's early music was a good listen. If I Had Your Love and Waiting for Tonight, I would watch VH1 waiting to see those videos. I think she just started taking herself way too seriously, and she seemed to become a joke that only she wasn't in on.

WAITING FOR TONIGHT!! OH OH OH!!!

I used to sit and write down the lyrics as it played on TRL and think about my first boy crush. Good times.

Anyway, thank god Ellen's outta there. She never fit in nor did she ever belong there. Hopefully she sticks to her talk show for a while because I'm tired of seeing her face.

What are the format differences between Idol and X Factor? I can read wiki, but I'd rather hear it from a fellow SONer

Edited July 30, 201015 yr by All My Shadows

I'm getting some of this wrong, but each of the judges on X Factor (there were three, now there are four) mentors a certain amount of contestants. I think you have:

- a group (2-4 people)

- a teen set

- an older man group

- an older woman group

(older being up to about 30-35 I guess)

The mentors pick the songs for each of their acts.

Then in the early rounds of public voting, the public votes for a bottom two and the judges decide who among the bottom two should go. If they don't want to make a decision, then they go to a tie vote, a deadlock, and the public vote decides.

When you get to a top 5 or so, the public vote is the sole decider.

You also have a lot of backup dancers and silliness on X Factor. Here's a group I really enjoyed, for both good and bad reasons.

Edited July 30, 201015 yr by CarlD2

Though she was no great singer (something I didn't even grasp at the time), I will never diss Paula's pop culture contribution. She was really big when I was in 4th/5th/6th-ish grade, my second elementary school. The Opposites Attract video, I was a fool for that, I was really into animation and the whole Roger Rabbit thing (though now that I think of it, I BET she based that on Gene Kelly dancing with Jerry the mouse, hmmm...). And my little cousin, she just loved that song with the strings that had Keanu Reeves in the video, was that Hush?

Do you guys remember the show A Current Affair? They did a piece on a singer (ooh, I wish I could remember who it was b/c iirc she went on to do more stuff that we'd know her from) who was trying to sue Paula because she was credited on her album as a "background singer" when on Opposites Attract (I think that was the song) she wasn't singing "background" at all. She sang the song completely and they doubled the track with her voice and Paula's creating once smooth synced voice. I don't remember whatever became of that case.

Rush Rush

SFK <--embarrassed My bad, RUSH. Maybe I was thinking of, "Hush, Hush, Somebody's Callin' Mah Name".

good riddance to Ellen, she sucked. J Lo though? This could work I guess but she will need to be drunk twice weekly to make it work. But even with that, no Paula and no Simon means none of this matters.

Don't let the door hit ya, Kara!!!

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/07/30/kara-dioguardi-fired-american-idol-report-says/

Hey Kara, they used to play this at STUDIO 57!!

Edited July 30, 201015 yr by CarlD2

JLO is a horrible choice unless these kids want to be about flash and no depth

Rush Rush

My second favorite song of hers behind "Forever Your Girl"

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Don't let the door hit ya, Kara!!!

http://www.foxnews.c...ol-report-says/

Hey Kara, they used to play this at STUDIO 57!!

Oh dear gawd...Steven Tyler??....Ugh....the show is going to implode!

OH MY GOD!

Praise the sweet baby Jesus!!

I get SO MUCH pleasure out of the fact that she didn't quit, that bitch was fired. Get outta here, girl! Getcha ass gone!

JLO is a horrible choice unless these kids want to be about flash and no depth

considering how dull they all were this past year and the smaller than life personalities, I think a little more flash and a little less depth will be appreciated. I am tired of these contestants telling us how every song is for their grandmother who died saving puppies, or literally sobbing because they just find themselves oh so moving.

Hey Kara, they used to play this at STUDIO 57!!

I still remember that comment!

I'm getting some of this wrong, but each of the judges on X Factor (there were three, now there are four) mentors a certain amount of contestants. I think you have:

- a group (2-4 people)

- a teen set

- an older man group

- an older woman group

(older being up to about 30-35 I guess)

The mentors pick the songs for each of their acts.

Then in the early rounds of public voting, the public votes for a bottom two and the judges decide who among the bottom two should go. If they don't want to make a decision, then they go to a tie vote, a deadlock, and the public vote decides.

When you get to a top 5 or so, the public vote is the sole decider.

You also have a lot of backup dancers and silliness on X Factor. Here's a group I really enjoyed, for both good and bad reasons.

So wait, there's multiple contestants in each of those categories? How many contestants are there in the televised end of the competition?

That clip is hilarious (love the little leap thing she does at 1:59!!), but I don't see any American contestants doing something that fun. Idol was overtaken by those weak ass contemporary country songs, and I expect XF will be too.