Ellen DeGeneres: Idol's new no. 4 judge

This just in - Ellen DeGeneres has been named Paula Abdul's permanent replacement as the fourth judge on Idol. From Alan Sepinwall's piece in The Star-Ledger:

Fox just announced that Ellen DeGeneres will be the new fourth judge on "American Idol," replacing Paula Abdul, beginning her role after a series of special guest fill-ins (including Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Kristin Chenoweth, Joe Jonas, Neil Patrick Harris, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry and Shania Twain) fill in for next season's audition rounds.

My initial thoughts on this news are what are these producers thinking!? Ellen has been a good fan of Idol since the get-go and she is a great TV personality, but as a judge? Why not go with a more experienced, seasoned individual that has spent his or her life in the industry? I know it might take some getting used to the idea, but as of right now this move is very confusing and comes out of nowhere. Stay tuned for more (I guess).