Paula is gone.

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b137736_pa...=rss_topstories

If the show had any integrity she should have been gone after banging a contestant

I will miss her incoherent arguments with Simon.

I kind of hope Kara comes back now because her fights with Simon are more real, they actually get pissed at each other.

The only way the show loses ratings because of judges is if Simon ever left, but honestly I'd still watch the show if Simon wasn't there. I don't think he is worth that ridiculous amount of money he is getting. I'm not saying I don't enjoy what Simon does, I just think he doesn't deserve the pay check of an oil tycoon.

Didn't see this before bumping my own thread.

If it really was her own decision (even in part) to leave, it has to rank in the Top Ten of all time poor career decisions. Where else is she going to get any exposure/mega-bucks?

Part of the reason that they pay Simon so much is to keep him from starting a competing show which he could do in an instant.

If he doesn't have one of these, then Fox and American Idol are the stupidest corporations in history.

"You just...You brought yourself out and...your performance...you made it your own"

Add clasped hands and meaningful tilt to the head.

I will not miss Paula. I hope they get rid of Jackson next. He's just as useless:

"Dawg...that was a HAWT one!" or "Pitchy" or, at his most negative, "It was goooood, but it didn't really DO it for me"

****ing horrific.

It's like a Jake Peavy situation.....if you are THAT good, you can insist on a contract that does not have a non-compete clause (or the equivalent for a baseball pitcher is having a no-trade clause in your contract).

I really dislike Randy quite a bit. He said that Kris singing Falling Slowly was pitchy the whole way through... and I instantly knew that Randy didn't know what 'pitch' was.

Randy sucks for so many reasons......his ongoing "pitch" commentary is like reason #312.

And we're not slagging his body of "real" work as a bass player or producer, but it's simply ridiculous to get paid to judge such a hig profile show and use a vocabulary of 3 or 4 words to do it with.

Paula>>>Randy AINEC

I don't think non-compete clauses are common in the entertainment industry. I doubt anybody would have one that says if they don't sign a contract extension that they can no longer be on TV and even if they did it probably wouldn't be enforceable.

It wouldn't be.

They should really just have Simon, whoever the guest is that week (Tarantino, Jamie Foxx, whatever), and a revolving cast of music industry insiders and/or well respected professional musicians (Steve Albini, Butch Vig, Brendan O'Brien, Berry Gordy, etc, etc, etc) on the panel.

One of the Spice Girls may replace Paula

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showb...rican-Idol.html

Steve Albini on American Idol might constitute the apocalypse

Not being on TV wouldn't be the same as making the exact same product for another company.

Non-competes in the entertainment industry are just far too restrictive to be practical and my guess aren't enforceable. What you're saying is that producers should make their actors sign a non-compete that means they can't act in another sitcom for example when their current contract expires. It's just not realistic.

It worked with the cast of Friends and Seinfeld.

New Judge

ellen annoys me but i have to admit its a perfect choice

really? i like her but i think she's a terrible choice. actually terrible may be an overstatement but i don't get it, i think she's a weird choice. are they trying to broaden their audience into housewives and lesbians?

Dawg. I think she has a quick enough mind and wit to be able to say something relevant and entertaining each time she bothers to open her mouth. Something which Randy and Paula are completely incapable of doing.

God forbid they pick a judge who might have something relevant and informed to say.

I agree with this.

If they got rid of Randy, I would figuratively do a little dance.

I don't care for the show, but I could see Ellen's appeal.

She's been famous for a long, long time. She understands about hard work, charisma, and how far talent can take you. She also seems to really enjoy music, and dancing. And crazy women.

She understands the entertainment business. She's a 10 figure salaried lesbian. Yeah, she probably has some insights for a successful career.

It's still not enough to make me watch, though.

Well, sure, she might enjoy music and dancing, but so does Elaine Benes. I know a bunch of people who enjoy music but can't name what they listen to.

I'm holding out for a spot on So You Think You Can Dance?, but thanks for thinking of me.

I love the choice. I think Ellen is very quick witted and funny. She's been a huge idol fan and talks about it on her show
every week and has had all the contestants on her show. She is passionate about it and though she isn't qualified musically
to be a judge neither are we. It's American Idol and the winner is who the public picks.

It will be good to see someone passionate, yet funny and entertaining. I can't wait for the early shows when the contestents
are really awful.

Paula was awful, sappy, hung with her favorites despite what was going on on stage and mostly made we want to puke.

Now if they would only replace Randy with Brian Boitano.

Degeneres is exec producer and writer for her show. Her taste may not be my taste, but she's very successful, and knows what works for a certain (large) audience.

As my beloved Nina Garcia would say, "She has a particular point of view."

Also, girl likes to work, and she's easy to work with, which will be a nice change from Paula. As eccentric as she could be on the show, she was on good behavior, and progressively worse and worse off camera.

I can't wait until she scissors one of the contestants.

I don't mind Ellen, but American Idol seasons go on for a long time and I'm afraid her schtick might get old after awhile. I can't wait until Simon starts insulting her.

Does this mean they will have 5 judges? Simon, Kara, Ellen, Randy, plus a guest judge? If so I'm going to do a lot of fast forwarding this season.

A guest judge?

They have been talking about guest judges for awhile. I remember hearing Posh Spice, one of the Jonas Brothers, and a bunch of other people.

All that talk was before they hired Ellen.

Ellen didn't join until after the traveling auditions, so all those shows will have guest judges.

You've got to be kidding. All the auditions will be Ellenless? That was going to be her main appeal to me.

did you not even read the link that YOU posted?

no. I rarely read.


EDIT: I just read it, and it doesn't say she missed all of them... just that she hasn't yet been apart of them.

Ellen was a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance this season and I thought she was aw-ful. Like, get her off the screen bad. Hopefully she treats her role differently in this.

shark officially jumped, which ain't easy when she show started off mid-jump from the get go

Simon is gone after this season. I bet the show would still be top rated with a different host, but I wouldn't be suprised if this is the last season.

Auditions start tomorrow.

I think the show would fall apart without Simon. Maybe not ratings wise but certainly quality wise.

Paula's gone, Simon soon gone, Randy still here. Not a desired result....

Entertaining 1st audition show. It seemed like they showed more good contestants than bad. I liked the hippy guy with broken wrists and the chick with all the brothers that had down syndrome. Also, the Guido was cool but I don't see him getting anywhere.

The guy who pissed the judges off was pretty good and deserved a 2nd shot, you can't piss off the judges though. He obviously went in with a gimmick and it backfired. If you have a bad voice you are supposed to act crazy, not if you have a good one lol.

It's like Paula never left with Posh Spice and Kara agreeing with everything. I hope Ellen doesn't do the same thing once she shows up.

I liked the Rivers Cuomo lookalike too - but he wasn't using a gimmick he's really that much of an ass"

Pretty weak first show from a talent perspective though. I really wasn't wowed very often. Broken wrist guy and the chick with the really nice smile (and body). Other than that, the show was pretty meh. I guess though, the talent level is going to be pretty thin nowadays seeing as it's the 9th season.

I can't watch 2hrs of auditions (annoys the crap out of me), but I watched the last half hour and didn't really care for anyone.

...because clearly they have already found ALL of the talent available in this country. You do realize that someone who was 8 years old when the show debuted is eligible to compete for the first time this year

that one chick had one hell of a badonkeydonk! too bad she didnt make it

I really liked the annoying nerdy guy that started off with the glasses and gave the judges a bunch of shizit. I thought he had a good voice.

I did lol when he was talking to Ryan and was like Whoa I dont know what happened

I liked the guy with the guitar and the beanie cap as well.

The Down Syndrome sister was pretty decent and the black chick was pretty decent.

I liked one of the earlier people that sang Hallelujah too, but mainly just because I love that song.

I agree with the rest, no one has knocked me out of my chair yet with impressiveness.