Thursday, July 29, 2010

Ellen DeGeneres is out on "American Idol."


Fox Broadcasting Co. announced late Thursday that Ellen DeGeneres will leave her role as a judge on "American Idol," in what is likely to be the first of several changes aimed at rejuvenating the aging reality-TV series.
Ms. DeGeneres had spent just one season as a judge on the nine-year-old singing competition
Ms. DeGeneres's departure comes as Fox executives and "American Idol" producers prepare significant changes to the show's judging panel for its 10th season. Simon Cowell, the acerbic judge whose withering critiques

Fox is owned by News Corp., which also owns The Wall Street Journal.

"American Idol" remains the most-watched show on U.S. television by a solid margin, averaging 24.3 million viewers in its most-recent season, according to Nielsen Co.

Top Fox executives are scheduled to appear before reporters Monday in Beverly Hills, Calif., for the Television Critics Association press tour, and will likely face questions about "Idol" changes.


After days of furious rumors, Fox just made it official: Ellen DeGeneres' much-criticized tenure as the fourth judge on "American Idol" has sputtered to an end after just one season, with the show in the midst of a massive overhaul
Ellen DeGeneres is out on "American Idol."

DeGeneres will not return as a judge on the hit singing competition series, Fox announced Thursday. And more judge changes are in store as the network tries to stem the show's alarming loss of viewers.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopez appears to be the show's new Paula Abdul.

A Fox rep declined to comment.
For J-Lo, a move to "Idol" would mark a return to the Fox network.

Sources say the suits behind the show were happy with Ellen's exit.

Sources say the swap-out of Ellen, who survived just one season on the show, is not the producers' last move.

This past season -- Ellen's first and, as it turns out last, Lythgoe was the show's most outspoken critics, telling pretty much anyone who would listen, including Zap2it.com last April, "I would replace the entire judging panel."

The comic-turned-sitcom-star-turned-daytime-talk- show-host started her new "Idol" judging career on the same day Simon came to Winter TV Press Tour 2010 to announce he was quitting the show.

DeGeneres was never comfortable performing the responsibilities of an "Idol" judge

No comments: