Fall TV Blog

Male contestants have dominated American Idol for the past two seasons, but judge Randy Jackson, 53, predicts the upcoming year to be all about the ladies.

“I think I have to give the edge going in to the girls,” Jackson told PEOPLE at the Yahoo! Yodel Studio, one-day music event and yodeling extravaganza on Tuesday in New York City. “We haven’t had a girl winner in a long time and some interesting talented girls showed up [to audition.]“

Jackson promises AI season 9, which is set to debut in January 2010 to be “a very interesting, different season.” One of the biggest differences will be the addition of Ellen DeGeneres as the new, permanent, fourth judge.

” I think Ellen will bring an easy light kind of side to it,” Jackson said. “She isn’t that music aficionado like all of us but I don’t think the panel necessarily needed more of that.”

As far as how the easy-going DeGeneres will mesh with the highly critical Simon Cowell, Jackson assures fans that the two will get along just fine.

“Ellen is a friend of all of ours,” Jackson says. “She is going to be good.”
– Isley Kasica

Scott Gries/MTV/AP

When Ellen DeGeneres takes the seat left open by Paula Abdul on the American Idol judges’ panel, will she actually take her seat?

Kara DioGuardi hopes so!

The current Idol judge told PEOPLE that she’s lobbying to sit next to the talk show host when she starts her new gig on season 9 of FOX’s hit singing competition.

And as a newcomer herself, DioGuardi also shared her advice for DeGeneres: “For me it was to be myself, but she’s already herself,” she says. “I think it’s just really to have an opinion and never make an excuse for it. Just go with your first reaction.”

American Idol winner Kris Allen stopped by New York’s Z100 on Monday to debut his first single, “Live Like We’re Dying,” on Elvis Duran’s morning show.

Click here to listen.

Although he’s now dropping in on radio stations to promote his first single, it wasn’t long ago that Allen almost gave up on his dream of becoming a singer. “I was playing in bars, playing three hour shows, singing every song under the sun, taking requests from people,” he says of the days when he was trying to break into the industry. “I was actually trying to go back to school [before Idol]. This was one of the last ditch efforts. I’m just glad it worked out!”

That last ditch effort landed him at the top on what would become a historic season of Idol — Paula Abdul’s last. “I’m glad I was able to be a part of her last season. She was great. She cared for all of us. We got to know her the most, probably. She’s just a sweetheart,” Allen said. “I’ve met Ellen [DeGeneres] as well, and she’s great. She’s awesome. I love Ellen to death.”

Allen, whose still-untitled first album is due out Nov. 17, says he’ll miss his home in Conway, Ark., while he’s making the rounds to promote his album and the song. “I miss everything about that place. I miss Chick-Fil-A. It is the best chicken sandwich out there,” he says. “I love it, man. It’s one of my favorite places in the world.”

Tell us: What do you think of Kris Allen’s first single?

Chris Cuffaro/Fox

Ellen DeGeneres has said she will be a “compassionate” judge when she joins the panel of American Idol on its upcoming season. But she’s also promising to be honest with Idol hopefuls — whether they sing well or not.

“I think it’s going to be hard, but as my career has grown, … I’ve learned how to be tougher and learned how to say no,” DeGeneres tells the AP. “I think I can do it and I think I can do it in a respectful way.”

In the interview, DeGeneres also reveals that American Idol reached out to her to fill the spot left empty by Paula Abdul after the talk show host and comedian was a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance. (more…)

Carrie Underwood sums it up perfectly. “Everybody loves Ellen,” the season 4 winner tells PEOPLE. “I think she’ll make a great addition [to American Idol]“

And Underwood isn’t alone. Fellow season 4 alum Constantine Maroulis says of new judge Degeneres: “I think she’s amazing. She’s really funny, so likable and I think she’ll really be a mentor to the contestants.”

Still, Maroulis admits that he, like many Idol fans, was surprised by the news that the talk show host would be Paula Abdul’s replacement. “I almost didn’t believe it when I first read it,” he says. “We’ll miss Paula.”

Season 7’s winner, rocker David Cook, agrees. “I don’t know that anyone can replace Paula, nor should they try,” he says, “but I am excited to see how Ellen affects the dynamic of the show.”

“I’ve had the chance to be on Ellen’s show a couple of times,” Cook adds, “and she has always [been] a huge fan of Idol. She also brings her own brand of humor and that could pay huge dividends for the show.” –Rennie Dyball with reporting by Kristen Mascia

A. M. Parks/iPhoto

Paula Abdul may be gone from American Idol but she got to give one last enthusiastic thumbs-up: to her replacement Ellen DeGeneres.

On her Twitter page, Abdul wrote in Webspeak: “I think Ellen will b a gr8 judge on Idol. She is wildly funny, talented and I wish her the best of luck!”

Her selection also won raves from fellow judge Kara DioGuardi, who said she was “thrilled.”

“I’m a huge Ellen DeGeneres fan,” DioGuardi says in a radio interview airing Friday with Sirius XM’s Larry Flick. “I think she’s going to bring so much to the show. She’s somebody who loves music. She’s positive. She loves kids. She’s somebody who has watched the show from the beginning, knows everything there is to know about American Idol. And I think ultimately it’s going to be a great new energy.”

DioGuardi, who joined the show last season, says she has not yet spoken to DeGeneres. “I want to get her email to say congratulations,” says DioGuardi. “I’m so excited to hang out with her … I would to say this is great and let her know I am completely ecstatic.”

Just before the start of the ninth season’s tapings, Abdul abruptly announced that with “sadness in my heart” she was leaving the highly rated show hosted by Ryan Seacrest.

DeGeneres, 51, begins her stint as the show’s fourth judge after the audition rounds, which have featured a rotating group of celebrity guest judges. Idol resumes in January on Fox television.

– Mike Fleeman

Ellen DeGeneres was wooed to fill the permanent spot on American Idol’s judges’ panel, according to Randy Jackson.

“I think we reached out a little bit,” Jackson told PEOPLE Thursday at the star-studded kick-off of two major community service initiatives — the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s iParticipate and Cities of Service, a volunteerism campaign launched by a coalition of the country’s mayors — in Times Square.

“We’re all friends with Ellen, and Ryan [Seacrest] and I are pretty close with her. She’s just mad cool,” Jackson said of the talk show host who is filling the seat on the judges panel left open by Paula Abdul. (more…)

There’s one thing you can count on when Ellen DeGeneres takes over judging duties at American Idol next season.

“I’m not going to be mean,” she tells On Air With Ryan Seacrest. “I hate it when Simon’s that mean.”

Hardly a surprise from the talk-show host who’s famous for her placid demeanor, but DeGeneres does admit she lost her cool when she first was asked to be the replacement judge for Paula Abdul.

“I was like, ‘Are you kdding me? I love that show. I absolutely would give anything to be a part of that,’” she says.

DeGeneres, who says she was “shocked” to hear of Abdul’s departure, says she hopes there aren’t any hard feelings from her predecessor.

“I hope Paula’s OK with it,” she says. “I don’t want anyone to think I took Paula’s job away.”

She also addressed how she’d be like Abdul — and what she’ll be doing differently. (more…)

This week’s big announcement by Ellen DeGeneres that she will replace judge Paula Abdul next season on American Idol is being discussed everywhere from morning news programs to Internet chatrooms.

Scott Kirkland/INF; Matt Baron/BEImages

Just days after opening up about her relationship with Frédéric Thiébaud, Shania Twain is also getting cozy — professionally-speaking — with Simon Cowell during her stint as a guest judge for American Idol’s Chicago auditions.

“She’s loving American Idol. She’s having the best time,” says a source close to the singer, who is filling Paula Abdul’s vacant seat during auditions Monday and Tuesday in the Windy City. “She and Simon have a really great rapport with each other. They’re funny together.”

Cowell isn’t the only one having fun with Twain, 44. “The crew loved working with her,” says an Idol source. “Everyone thought she was a great addition to the judges’ table. She showed up in good spirits and had a lot of fun. She was clearly really excited to be a part of the day.” (more…)