Thursday, September 10, 2009

Abdul Out

I actually like American Idol. I like to watch people sing (or at least make the attempt). But as most Idol fans know, the show is really only as good as its judges. For those who haven't heard during the Idol off-season, Paula Abdul is leaving the show (supposedly over a contract dispute). I pretty much saw this coming considering her increasingly odd behavior and the fact that they added a 2nd female judge (Kara DioGuardi) last season. I had assumed that Kara would be the replacement for Paula, but now it seems they will keep Kara but ALSO replace Paula with... Ellen DeGeneres.

Ellen DeGeneres has no qualifications when it comes to the music industry. She's a comedian. She's a talk show host. She's an entertainer. And she is, perhaps most famously, a lesbian. For any or all of these reasons the selection of Ellen has upset some American Idol fans. I, on the other hand, am not upset. I think Ellen is genuinely funny. Paula and Simon sitting next to each other was actually getting quite obnoxious (the producers seem to have tries to play up a sexual tension there). Frankly, I hope they seat Ellen next to Simon (that should take care of that issue). My guess, though, is that they will seat them Randy, Ellen, Kara, Simon.

In any case, I'm looking forward to the new season. I think it will be better. Sure, there were times when Abdul was so crazy (drugged?) that it was funny to laugh at her, but Ellen actually has the capacity to make me laugh with her. Abdul's redeeming value, to some, was that she was nice to the contestants. I imagine Ellen being very warm as well, but she also has a greater ability, I think, to be honest and to the point.

No comments: