Never in my right mind did I imagine that Ellen DeGeneres being a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance would lead to her being a permanent judge on American Idol.

One, because I never really imagined her taking on another big role.  After all, she has The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which I can only imagine to be a huuuge undertaking.  Sure, you have people doing the writing and the looking for you, but it takes a hell lot to go on stage and do your thing five days a week, for most of the year.

And two, because the names that were initially rumored to be in consideration for the slot Paula Abdul left were in a much different league.  I mean, Cyndi Lauper?  Brandi Carlisle?  The obvious direction is to give someone with significant industry experience the permanent slot.  That's not what they did.

Not to mention Ellen seems to love dancing a lot, as suggested by her talk show routines--and, yes, that stint on SYTYCD.

But I'm quite happy that the selected Ellen as the new judge.  I was just talking about chemistry, and they couldn't have made a better choice.  She knows what she's saying, and she's quite funny, too, although not verging on Paula-crazy.  Most of all, she's a very warm presence.  There's something with her that makes you feel just happy--"I feel... happy," quoting Dory on Finding Nemo--she's approachable, and fans wary that Paula's departure would mean the "soul" of the judging panel going with it, too, should not fret.

My concern, though, is whether Ellen will do good on Idol.  Sure, she knows what she's saying, but I'm looking for the experience factor--and as far as I know, we haven't seen her singing.  My one complaint about her guest stint on SYTYCD is, all of her critiques had a punch line, and I didn't feel she contributed a lot to the process.  Growing pains, maybe, and now that she has an entire show to work with, rather than one episode, I'll be in tune to see how she fits in the dynamic and do things her way.

That aside, I am glad that Fox and the Idol producers did the right decision.  While a part of me still hopes to see a return to the three-judge set-up, this is better than nothing.  Ellen, congratulations to you, and let me tell you--you have shoes to fill.  Huuuge shoes to fill.  While the next crop of contestants will miss the Paula experience, they are in for a totally different one.

Good times ahead?  That, we'll have to see.


- Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of PR Photos)