Ellen Out, Kara Fired, Steven Tyler, J-Lo In

But ultimately, the show isn't much different, critics say

(NEWSER) - American Idol’s two new high-profile judges debuted last night, and critics, for the most part, yawned:

• “Losing Simon Cowell from American Idol was like losing Alan Alda from MASH,” moans Ken Levine on the Huffington Post . In his place, we have Jennifer Lopez, “a vacuous former movie star/former recording star,” and Steven Tyler, “a walking cautionary tale to not do drugs/alcohol/glue/mushrooms/tobacco/cannabis/electric bananas/sleep deprivation for five weeks in a row.” Between them and original judge Randy Jackson, “there wasn't one insightful comment.”
• The introduction of the new judges was “labored, long, and almost painfully lighthearted, like a divorced husband awkwardly presenting the new wife to his grown but unforgiving children,” writes Alessandra Stanley in the New York Times . And Tyler’s “bad boy reputation” was overplayed with a montage of him “leering and flirting … he looked too much like a long-haired version of Italy’s prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi.”

Comic blames bad fit; show now has 2 judging vacancies

(AP) - Ellen DeGeneres is dancing off American Idol after one season, leaving Fox's hit show with two vacancies on its judging panel. If the singing contest intends to revamp itself to stem a ratings slide, it has the opportunity to bring in two new faces for Season 10, which starts in January. Fox has yet to announce a replacement for Simon Cowell, who left after the season finale in May to start a new talent show for the network. More»

Or it could be because the show kinda sucks now...

(NEWSER) - American Idol is floundering, and the director of Christian Newswire knows why: Because new judge Ellen DeGeneres is a lesbian. She’s a “left wing social activist” who spouts “lesbian one-liners” left and right, Gary McCullough writes, adding that “network television is on a pro-homosexuality bender" which Idol never should have joined. What’s next? Maybe “pro-pedophilia group NAMBLA” will get Roman Polanski a gig on Dancing With the Stars. More»

DeGeneres talks Cowell, Paula Abdul as American Idol returns

(NEWSER) - Ellen DeGeneres makes her debut as the newest American Idol judge on Tuesday, and she talks Simon Cowell (he’s “smart,” but “mean” and “insensitive”) and more with the Wall Street Journal :

• Paula Abdul: “I don't know if I'll be as nurturing as she is. I'll probably try to be somewhat encouraging. But I'll be honest. I don't think it helps anybody to be encouraged and not told the truth.”

Jessica Sanchez gets standing ovation for Whitney Houston cover

(NEWSER) - Sixteen-year-old Jessica Sanchez "made 40 million people cry" last night when she performed Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" on American Idol, judge Steven Tyler told her. The San Diego high school student enjoyed a standing ovation after her performance and reaped praise from all three judges; Randy Jackson called her "one of the best talents in the whole country." Last night's Idol featured Stevie Wonder songs for the male contestants and Houston songs for the females, the AP notes. More»