Remember two days ago we suggested that there was a small glimmer of hope that Paula Abdul would return as a judge on American Idol after Randy and Simon expressed that they missed her? Well, scratch that. Paula Abdul is out and Ellen DeGeneres is in. Ellen DeGeneres will be the permanent fourth judge on the upcoming season of American Idol. Needless to say, we are elated. Although Paula added an interesting element to the show, we love Ellen longtime. This isn't Ellen's first time in the judge's seat either. This past summer she served as a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance.

Now many of you might be wondering what right does Ellen have to judge a singing contest. However, the same could have been said for Ms. Abdul. Although she was a successful pop act in the '90s, she isn't exactly the definition of a songstress. I don't think we'll be seeing Paula Abdul on anybody's "Greatest Singers of All Time" list. Her and Ellen are actually each other's equivalent in that respect. Both are good dancers, neither one can sing. And the same could be said for the millions of people who tune in every week, form their judgments, and vote but can't sing, dance or even give a decent rendition of "Row Your Boat." According to Ellen:

"'I'm the people's point of view because I'm just like you [...] I'm looking at it as a person who is going to buy the music and is going to relate to that person.'" (Source: Yahoo News)

Ellen will also continue on with her Emmy Award-winning talk show during her stint as a judge on AI. The ninth season of American Idol will premiere on January 12, 2010 on Fox. We at MDM strongly approve.