Ellen has won over American Idol's fans, but what about the judges?
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Ellen DeGeneres has already won over many “American Idol” fans after her debut on the popular reality series Tuesday night, but what about the judges?
Kara DioGuardi says she has nothing but praise for the TV talk show host, who became Idol’s newest judge after Paula Abdul left the series after eight seasons due to a salary dispute.
“I felt she had a really good handle on whether a contestant had potential, whether they had a star quality. She knew if something was off in the vocals or in their performance and I thought she delivered the message with kindness, but also (with) criticism,” said DioGuardi, during a conference call.
After a seven-city audition tour that welcomed guest judges like Avril Lavigne, Shania Twain and Victoria Beckham, DeGeneres joined the regular judging panel of DioGuardi, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson for the first episode of “Hollywood Week.”
DioGuardi, who only took a seat at the judging table last season, knows all about the pressure of coming into an established show late in the game and says it’s hard to critique someone after just one episode.
“I’m speaking from experience that when I first came in, it’s something that takes time to get used to and I think she did an incredible job for her first time there.”
And even though it’s inevitable that DeGeneres, who has no formal music experience, will be compared to Abdul, DioGuardi says it’s futile to do so.
“You can’t really compare Paula and Ellen. They’re completely different and I think they both bring something valuable to the table.”
Also inevitable are rumours, many of which have already been swirling about how DeGeneres and Cowell, who has announced he is leaving Idol after this season, aren’t getting along.
“I think you have to take any rumour you hear about ‘American Idol’ with a grain of salt. They’re usually not true,” said DioGuardi.
It’s too soon to tell whether having DeGeneres on the panel will change the judging dynamic but DioGuardi is optimistic that Season 9 of Idol is going to be one of the best yet.
“It’s very unpredictable, you don’t know what’s going to happen and I’m just very excited to see it through and find a great winner.”
Part 2 of 'Hollywood Week' continues tonight on CTV at 9/8C.
