Idol News: Ellen DeGeneres Out, Jennifer Lopez In?

So, Ellen DeGeneres unfortunately bowed out of her Idol contract. She has officially resigned from her position as a judge next season.

“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 in a press release. “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.”

Now, Associated Press is confirming that Jennifer Lopez is close to signing a deal with Idol. This is pretty interesting.

Ok. Here are my thoughts about this whole judging panel sweep. I'm not actually surprised to hear that Ellen is leaving the show, but I'm more surprised to hear that she decided to leave on her own. I'll miss her though even if she wasn't as helpful as I'd like her to be last season.

As for Jennifer Lopez, I think she's a good Paula Abdul replacement. She's a huge popstar that has become progressively irrelevant and she somehow has a kind of spirit that ties with the show. I think it could work. I mean, JLo was a mentor during Season 6 and was surprisingly good. Heck, she even got Sanjaya Malakar to sing quite good. I don't mind her at all because she obviously got swag! Haha.

Oh well, as long as the show becomes more about the contestants and less about the judges it won’t matter much. I'm wondering though if they'll have a complete judges panel overhaul.

Other rumored judges: Steven Tyler, Jessica Simpson, Harry Connick Jr., Justin Timberlake, Chris Isaak, Elton John and Courtney Love.