Jennifer Lopez replaces Ellen DeGeneres - is she the right fit?

As you may or may not know by now, Ellen DeGeneres will not be returning to Idol as a judge for Season 10, and Jennifer Lopez will be replacing her on the panel. My reaction: thank you Nigel!

Of course, none of this would have been possible had Nigel Lythgoe not returned to his role as Executive Producer earlier today, and as much as I don't like him as a person, he does know how to make some smart business decisions.

My reaction isn't so much about any particular like for J. Lo, instead my general dislike of Ellen as a judge. Apparently she kind of felt the same way about the idea of staying on past her inaugural season, as made evident in the full release from FOX below (courtesy of Nikki Finke & Nellie Andreeva over at DHD):

Ellen DeGeneres has decided to bow out from her role as a judge on AMERICAN IDOL next season. DeGeneres served as a judge during the ninth season of IDOL, the No. 1 hit series on television.

“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.”

“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.”

“It was a joy to work with Ellen,” added Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “She brought an incredible spirit to IDOL and was a great new addition to the team. While we’re saddened by her decision, we are very appreciative that she gave us ample notice so that we could work through it together.”

“I loved Ellen’s passion for the artists and her nurturing skills,” said IDOL creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. “She brought honesty and optimism to our judging panel and I will miss her greatly.”

“We will miss Ellen, she has been the consummate professional throughout her time on the show, and she’ll always be part of the AMERICAN IDOL family,” added Cecile Frot-Coutaz, IDOL executive producer.

AMERICAN IDOL is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, founder of 19 Entertainment; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, Inc. and Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.

As for the growing rumor that Steven Tyler has been offered Simon's spot, that is also a move that would be alright with me. Steven is obviously a legend in his own right with Aerosmith and all, and he can actually sing, plus he's been in the industry long enough to know the ins and outs (no offense, Kara).

Speaking of Kara, expect her to walk the plank next. Her one-year contract has yet to be extended and considering the next round of auditions begins in just a few weeks, it's unlikely she'll be offered an extension at this point.

So while this story is far from over, everyone can go to bed knowing there is some sanity restored to Idol going forward, and that's a good thing for everyone.

What do you think about Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler as judges? Are the good fits? Could Nigel & co.have done any better?

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IDOL LIVE's Top 10 most memorable moments of 2009 - Part 1

Just as I did last year, IDOL LIVE has put together a list of the 10 most memorable moments of 2009 in relation to everything Idol. The countdown includes some exciting moments, some sad ones and a whole lotta Lambert. The top five moments that weren't memorable enough to be included in the Top 5 are listed below:

10) Danny Gokey's scream heard 'round the world

Danny Gokey was responsible for many good performances during his run on the show this season. Top 4 week was an exception, however, as his ending to Aerosmith's "Dream On" was an ear-piercing screech that was enough to send dogs and cats all over the world into a panicked frenzy. At first Danny was oblivious to what had just happened, but upon watching it back on TV he realized his gaffe.

Danny commented on the scream on the results show the following night and multiple times after being eliminated, and he found ways to laugh it off time and time again, much to the dismay of many of his haters. Still, the moment garnered one of the strongest reactions from the public from any on the show this season, as people posted parodies on YouTube and dubbed the performance "Scream On." Danny will probably go on to have a successful country career, but this moment will forever hold a place in Idol history.

09) Joanna Pacitti disqualified prior to semifinals

Most Idol fans will remember Joanna Pacitti as the "failed pop star" who wanted to give a career in the music biz another shot. She auditioned in Louisville and was considered by many to be the leading female front runner. When it came time for Joanna to make the Top 36, however, she was disqualified and replaced by Felicia Barton. The reason: she knew a few 19E personnel and the producers didn't want to open the show up to accusations of favoritism.

There had been calls for Joanna to be canned for weeks because of her past experiences in the business. Before making a splash on Idol, she was set to star as Annie on Broadway after performing in the musical's national tour but was replaced just prior to the Broadway run began. Joanna then went on to release an album in 2006 to little success. Joanna's lengthy past had already been covered heavily in the national media, but it came to a point where they really couldn't hide details of relationships that were leaking out. I mean, when Yahoo! Music's Lyndsey Parker accuses Joanna of "polluting Idol," those are some strong words.

This decision was of course not popular with everyone, but it was something that was necessary for the season to leave behind its earliest (but definitely not last) controversy. Still, it was the show's own fault for allowing Joanna to make it as far as she did in the first place if producers were just going to turn around and DQ her anyway.

08) Kelly Clarkson takes on Ryan Tedder over "Already Gone" / "Halo" controversy

Unless you were living over in the Sahara for the past nine months, it's very likely that you've heard both Beyoncé's "Halo" and Kelly Clarkson's "Already Gone," both of which were singles written by Ryan Tedder that did fairly well on the charts this year. Before Kelly's song was released, however, there was a war of words that went public between Kelly, her record label and Tedder after some accused Kelly of "copying" Beyoncé because the two songs sounded so similar.

What actually happened was Tedder let Beyoncé listen to "Already Gone" when he was writing for her and she told him he wanted a similar song, and so even though "Already Gone" was penned months before "Halo" it was the latter that was released first, and so Kelly came off looking like she copied Beyoncé. Kelly was understandably not happy with the situation, and when RCA went ahead and decided to release the song as her next single this summer she told the CBC:

"It sucks, but it's one of those things I have no control over," she told the CBC. "I already made my album. At this point, the record company can do whatever they want with it. It's kind of a sh---y situation, but ... you know, you learn."

Of course Tedder wasn't one to just sit on the sidelines, as he responded via a MySpace blog post:

"They are two entirely different songs conceptually, melodically and lyrically and I would never try to dupe an artist such as Kelly Clarkson or Beyoncé into recording over the same musical track, the idea is both hurtful and absurd."

Of course, IDOL LIVE sided with Kelly during this ordeal, and even though she didn't want "Already Gone" to be released as a single, it's a good thing it was because it managed to peak at #12 on the Hot 100 and just officially went platinum. Next year should be another good one for Kelly, but the odds that there won't be more controversies along the way are pretty slim.

07) Carrie Underwood has another good year

As if her career has not been spectacular already, Carrie Underwood continued to defy the odds in '09 with more number ones, award wins and other surprises. She graced the covers of many magazines including Country Weekly, Lucky and Self, all the while handling her relationship with Ottawa Senators hockey player Mike Fisher with delicacy. In fact, Fisher proposed to Carrie earlier this month, which topped off her stellar year.

Carrie kept her bond to Idol as strong as ever, as she performed twice during the show's eighth season and recorded the send-off song, "Home Sweet Home," which peaked within the Top 25 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. She also was in attendance at the opening of the "American Idol: The Experience" attraction at Walt Disney World along with many of her fellow alums in addition to countless other appearances, shared hosting duties with Brad Paisley at the 2009 CMA Awards and had her own two-hour variety special on FOX.

Even though she lost out to rising country star Taylor Swift in a host of categories at various awards shows including the CMAs, CMT Awards and AMAs, Carrie took home the prestigious "Entertainer of the Year" award and the "Female Vocalist of the Year" nod at the ACMs in April as well as a Grammy for her single "Last Name" and three People's Choice Awards in January. Carrie also saw her third studio album Play On be released and go platinum before year's end, and she tore up the charts with her #1 hit "Cowboy Casanova" and the #2 duet of "I Told You So" with Randy Travis. All in all, not a bad showing for the final year of the decade.

06) Adam Lambert's "Ring of Fire" performance

Adam Lambert made many waves on Idol's eighth season with his song choices and performance arrangements, but he raised eyebrows early on in the season with his middle eastern-tinged take on Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" during Top 11 week for "Grand Ole Opry" night. The performance was anything but country and garnered either "love it" or "hate it" reactions from the audience. This was probably the moment when his fans really grew attached to him, because as Paula said it was "Adam being true to himself," while a lot of people subscribed to Simon's "indulgent rubbish" opinion of the showcase.

Regardless of what people thought, this performance is what showed Adam was not out to please any particular group but instead he was out to convey an image he was happy with. And for this reason, it was one of the most memorable moments of the year for the franchise.

Stay tuned for the remainder of IDOL LIVE's Top 10 most memorable moments of 2009, as moments #5-1 will be revealed tomorrow. Do you agree with the choices for moments #10-6? And what is your prediction for the most memorable Idol moment of 2009?

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Flashback: Antonella Barba's "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing"

Antonella Barba was one of the most talked about semifinalists in Idol's history during the show's sixth season before famously being eliminated during Top 16 week, but it was not for her performances on the stage. After being lambasted in the media for racy photos that leaked on the internet, Antonella's singing abilities were overshadowed by calls for her expulsion from the show. Now almost three years since the controversy, watch her performance of Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" on the show making sure to focus just on her vocals below:

Antonella might not have been the strongest vocalist on her season, but she did put up a valiant effort in the face of a nationally publicized airing of dirty laundry. Still, these things happen when relatively unknowns are launched into the spotlight overnight.

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About last night: vote [for Adam] or die?

Well it would be an understatement to say that the Top 3 finalists did a great job last night with each of their two songs. Yes, some were better than others, but they all deserve to be there out of the assortment of finalists we began the season with in the Top 13. That said, the stakes were so extreme last night that tensions boiled over between the judges, specifically Kara and Simon. Plus, the judges (and Ryan) took an extra step of cautioning viewers to not assume their favorites are safe (*hint*hint* vote for Adam!), so all in all things played out the way they were supposed to according to the playbook.

Kicking the night off was Danny, who was stuck with Paula's pick of "Dance Little Sister" by Terence Trent D'Arby. "Who?" you may ask? Well, Danny apparently had not even heard of the man, as he said he did not know what to think when he received the text while he was being interviewed on a Milwaukee radio station during his hometown visit. That said, Danny did his best trying to keep up with the fast-paced song and really had fun with it. The vocals were not top-notch but they were solid all the same.

The judges were positive about the performance on the whole, with Kara and Paula more interested in discussing the choreography but Simon did say the vocals were very good despite taking a jab at the "desperate" dancing, to which Randy and Ryan had a laugh about Simon criticizing dancing. Who would have thought Randy and Ryan would jump on that comment?

Danny took on "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker later on in the show, and the performance was really beautiful. The vocals were controlled and tender, and the stringed accompaniment was exactly the correct way to go about the instrumentation for the performance. Randy said Danny has "mad vocals," Kara lathered on the praise when she said it was "stunning" and that she had "nothing else to say," Paula said Danny left them "breathless" and Simon called it a "vocal masterclass." All of them were on target with their critiques, and this was probably Danny's best performance on the show.

The second performer of the night was Kris, who has been considered the dark horse for most of the season and he was under immense pressure to deliver last night. What seemed like a perfect fit for his style of singing in OneRepublic's "Apologize," however, did not go over as well as its selectors Randy and Kara had hoped it would.

Kris did hit a few bum notes and he cracked going into his falsetto at one point, but his piano playing sounded great with the song, which is one full of emotion and allowed Kris to show off his softer side (because he doesn't do that often enough, right?). Paula picked up on one of the bum notes but said he did his own artistic take on the song. Kara and Randy were not exactly happy, though, as Randy focused on Kris' after-Idol prospects and Kara called it a "competent" performance but he had to hit it out of the park and she didn't think he did. The reason: it was not original-sounding enough. This allowed Simon to swoop in for the kill, as he told Kara she had no business criticizing the arrangement since she and Randy picked the song, and then said Kara did not live up to her responsibilities in selecting the song.

Well, Kara would not have any of this, and she went into a shouting match with Simon trying to defend herself, but on this show Simon always gets the last word and this critique session was no different. Simon sort of had a point but Kara and Randy did not choose the arrangement for Kris part, so it is hard to blame that part on them. Still, Kris' first song was sort of a mess when the dust settled.

His second song, however, was leagues better and the fact that he was able to switch up Kanye West's "Heartless" to make it sound original and acoustic with just a guitar showed that he could be more than a singer, he could be an artist. This was more to Kara's liking, and she let it be known when she asked why Kris did not sing the first song the same way. Simon was more blunt in saying he had written off Kris' chances of winning weeks ago but after that performance, everything had changed. Whether or not that stands true will come in time, but for Simon to say that, he either must have been genuinely impressed or he was just trying to keep Kris' fans satisfied enough to go easy on the voting. Probably more of the latter, but still after eight seasons, the only person that can figure out Simon is Simon.

One weird thing I picked up on was how odd Ryan's behavior was all night. Following Kris' second performance, he started congratulating him on how far he had made it and how everyone enjoyed having him on the show, plus all the reminders that everyone needed to vote more than ever before to ensure the safety of their favorites. It seemed like he was really trying to wake Kris' fans up.

And then Adam was batting third in the pimp spot (where else would he be?), but it's important to realize that going last does not always guarantee safety this late in the game. Simon gloated about having to personally call U2's Bono up and ask if "One" could be cleared for Adam to sing, and it definitely was a good choice. Adam changed up the arrangement a ton and made it out to be extremely theatrical, which worked for him even though Randy was spot on in catching him drift off the melody a bit near the end. Overall, though, Adam did what he usually does and it was more than enough to impress Kara and Paula, and Simon continued to pound the rallying drums when he said if Adam did not make the finals, it would be one of the biggest upsets ever.

Adam said the lyrics were what really made him think the song was a great choice, and while it's true the song is an amazing piece of lyric writing, that doesn't mean it is ideal for every singer's vocal style.

But on Aerosmith's "Cryin'" Adam really brought the house down. He had fun being over-the-top because, well, the song is an over-the-top song to begin with. If it says one thing about himself, it says Adam knows exactly the kinds of songs that are perfect for his range. He hit all the high notes effortlessly, though some came out better than others, and showed why the producers keep letting him perform last. He also was able to sing over the pesky backup singer that tried to get in the spotlight by shouting the song.

As for the judges, it was unanimous. Randy called him one of the best performers they've ever had on the show. Kara said we'd see him in the finals. Paula said we'd be seeing him next week (and managed to work in a pre-written comment about frequent flier miles). And that brings me to Simon.

Simon basically pleaded with viewers to vote for Adam. He didn't even try to hide his favoritism, and told everyone not to assume he was safe. This is the first time I can recall Simon blatantly directing the audience how to vote, and this is outright wrong. By doing this, Simon is suggesting that Adam's fans cannot vote him into the finale on their own merit, so he decides to scare them into working their fingers to the bone. Based on the theory that the contestant that receives the fewest votes is eliminated, which the producers and the show itself has everyone accept as fact, Adam's fans would obviously spend the full two hours voting for him if they really wanted him in there. For Simon to sit them down like babies and instruct them how to vote because many will assume Adam's safety is just unnecessary. I understand the show wants Adam to win extremely badly but that doesn't mean they need to stretch the manipulation to lengths we have never seen before.

Anyway, it was nice of Adam to praise Danny and Kris for being tough competition following his final performance.

One last thing of note: the "Idol Gives Back" segment featuring Carrie Underwood's trip to Angola was the most obvious form of filler possible, but it was nice to see her out in Africa helping with the mosquito nets and just putting a smile on peoples' faces in general. It might have disrupted the flow of the show, but it also served as a reminder for the $140 million the cause has raised for aid to Africa and this country over the past three years.

Now its up to the voting public. Although many had pegged Kris as a third-place finisher since before last nights performances even took place, it seems that he stands a fighting chance of making the finale. We will see tonight.

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About last night: Tarantino's advice fails to spice

Self-professed Idol fan Quentin Tarantino came into his role as mentor to the Top 7 finalists with less pizazz than he did back in 2004 when he served as guest judge for the third season's movie night. He seemed more relaxed and understanding of the finalists' strengths and weaknesses this time around (see his "I didn't care" comment to Diana DeGarmo for reference). That said, last night was a real letdown in terms of performance quality, as Tarantino's advice really did not seem to matter in the end.

Although Allison kicked off the night with Aerosmith's venerable "Don't Want to Miss a Thing," it paled in comparison to David Cook's rendition last season. She had some impressive moments and definitely was spot on with her high notes, but the arrangement was not unique and overall was lackluster. The two judges that were allowed to comment (oh yea, another brilliant idea from Ken Warwick & Co. since Idol did not run over last night...oh wait, it did), Paula and Simon, seemed pretty pleased with Allison's job, but the comments were more overarching and centered around Allison compared to Lil than they were about her actual singing, but what else is new.

Last night was not a lot of things, but Adam's performance of "Born to Be Wild" was certainly accurate to its title. Since he is the strongest performer on the show this season, it was not unbelievable that he delivered on expectations with the Steppenwolf mainstay. But the vocals were sort of out of control in some spots, but again, that is not something that is to be unexpected. What was a little surprising was how Simon said it was "vocally incredible." That term is pretty powerful, and that was not one of Adam's better vocal jobs for sure. And of course, Paula was her usual fangirl self with Adam and her "path of greatness" drool was the icing on the cake.

Someone who was weaker than he has been lately was Matt. He picked a great song in Bryan Adam's "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman," but there were pitch problems galore as Randy so wisely pointed out. His piano playing was as good as usual but his vocals were inconsistent. Kara actually stated it well when she said if Matt wanted to change up the melody as much as he did it needed to be close to perfect. And it wasn't. Matt will be in serious hot water tonight based on the performance.

Like Matt, Danny had a rough night compared to what he is usually capable of. In addition to some off notes and pitch issues, Danny's lack of glasses took away part of his persona. Aside from that, Simon was right about him not stepping out of the box and coming off as boring compared to Cook's ultra-changed up rendition of Lionel Richie's "Hello" last season. Maybe it would not have been as believable had Danny gone and done a 180 with the song, but it at least would have become a bit more interesting. Definitely one of his weakest offerings to date, but he should steer clear from any trouble tonight.

Anoop on the other hand did a pretty solid job on Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You." He slowed it down yet kept it sounding fresh and current, which is not usually an easy task for him. Randy and Kara each loved it, so that's got to count for something, right?

The best performance of the night was without a doubt Kris' take on "Falling Slowly" from the film Once. All the elements that combine for a great end result were present, including vocal control and correct usage of the falsetto. It may be true that he didn't end up going with the guitar as Tarantino originally suggested, but that actually ended up being the right decision because his vocals would have played second fiddle to his instrumentation. Randy's downer critique was unexpected because it really is hard to find something as wrong as he did with the performance. Kara might have overreached when she said it was his best to date, but she was closer than the truth than Randy.

But all was pretty much forgotten by the time Lil took the stage, as she delivered a wreck of a rendition of Bette Middler's "The Rose." Lil was under immense pressure after weeks of critical comments from the judges regarding her inability to pick the right song and make it her own. Last night was no different, as Simon truly lashed into her by saying she was not the same singer they met weeks ago, which prompted Lil to go on the defense as she tried to justify her infusion of R&B and gospel sound into such a soft song. Had Lil not gone last, she would most likely be going home tonight. But she got the pimp spot, thus she is going nowhere.

The prognosis of last night's performance offerings may not be good, but that does not mean all of the remaining finalists are not good. All of them are great in their own right, but there are still weaknesses to each of them. This is something people should take into account before they go ahead and declare the winner.

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SHOCK & AWE-STRALIA

Many Americans are still reeling over the shocking elimination of Australian native Michael Johns. From Ryan's classless teasing of Michael over whether or not he would actually be voted out to the judges' dumbfounded expressions, nothing about last night's results show.

The bottom 3, which consisted of Michael, Carly Smithson and Syesha Mercado was expected by many, but the actually ranking was not. Syesha was heavily favored to be leaving after her vocally-good but emotionless version of Fantasia's "I Believe."

Michael said he was surprised, but he went out with class and gave his final performance of Aerosmith's "Dream On" his all. Paula was the most visibly upset judge during the performance, and gave him a big bear hug following the performance.

Before the bad news was delivered, the show went fairly smoothly. The opening number of "Shout to the Lord" was vocally on par with the previous night's performance, and the videos of the three presidential candidates (Barack Obama, John McCain and Hillary Clinton) were more than enough to put the show in a spirited mood. A few more celebrity appearances from Ricki Lake and Michael Chiklis also helped the donating mood carry over from the previous night.

Despite the extremely early exit by Michael, it would be foolish to think he will not find success in at least some capacity in the music industry. The sometimes-rocker and blues artist will most definitely ride his "Daughtry wave" as far as he can, and his multitude of angry fans will make sure his material tops the charts.

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