Ellen DeGeneres the 4th Judge on American Idol!

Wow...what a wholly random choice. And, most likely, a bad one.

The producers of American Idol no doubt wanted to grab a big name and surprise people. But look, it's not like the show is desperate for publicity. Yes, its ratings are sliding (slightly), but gimmicks like this will not turn the show around -- more likely, after the show is over, people will look back on it as "one of those things they tried when the ratings were sliding."

I like Ellen a lot. In the right situation, she is hilarious and a lot of fun. "The right situation" is usually in hosting situations: her daytime talk show is successful for a reason, and I admired her laid-back style she brought to hosting the Oscars.

But sharing the spotlight with three other people, all of whom, unlike her, actually know stuff about music? I have some doubts that this will last past the upcoming season.

She'll begin, by the way, after all the audition rounds, which have already taken place with guest judges Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne, Neil Patrick Harris, Katy Perry, and Joe Jonas.

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