So You Think You Can Dance: Ellen DeGeneres and Twitch Performance

No, I'm not going the SYTYCD route - because I don't know anything about dance, technically - but I just want to post this because it's FUN!

I mean, Ellen DeGeneres was a judge on American Idol, Nigel Lythgoe, a judge on the show, is coming back as an executive producer of Idol next season, and Twitch was part of Step Up 3D (Movie) - so there's the connection with my blog, I guess. Haha.

Anyway, Ellen took the place of Alex Wong - a contestant who was injured during the competition and was forced to quit - for this cute Finale 'tribute' performance for Alex. Now, this sure made my day! I freaking love Ellen. She may have been a useless judge on Idol, but she's great here. This was pure entertainment. Enjoy!

Ellen DeGeneres and Twitch (Finale)

Alex Wong and Twitch (original)

Behind-the-scenes video

Idol News: Ellen DeGeneres Out, Jennifer Lopez In?

So, Ellen DeGeneres unfortunately bowed out of her Idol contract. She has officially resigned from her position as a judge next season.

“A couple months ago, I let FOX and the American Idol producers know that this didn’t feel like the right fit for me,” said DeGeneres in a press release. “I told them I wouldn’t leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next.  It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for.   I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings. I loved the experience working on Idol and I am very grateful for the year I had.  I am a huge fan of the show and will continue to be.”

Now, Associated Press is confirming that Jennifer Lopez is close to signing a deal with Idol. This is pretty interesting.

Ok. Here are my thoughts about this whole judging panel sweep. I'm not actually surprised to hear that Ellen is leaving the show, but I'm more surprised to hear that she decided to leave on her own. I'll miss her though even if she wasn't as helpful as I'd like her to be last season.

As for Jennifer Lopez, I think she's a good Paula Abdul replacement. She's a huge popstar that has become progressively irrelevant and she somehow has a kind of spirit that ties with the show. I think it could work. I mean, JLo was a mentor during Season 6 and was surprisingly good. Heck, she even got Sanjaya Malakar to sing quite good. I don't mind her at all because she obviously got swag! Haha.

Oh well, as long as the show becomes more about the contestants and less about the judges it won’t matter much. I'm wondering though if they'll have a complete judges panel overhaul.

Other rumored judges: Steven Tyler, Jessica Simpson, Harry Connick Jr., Justin Timberlake, Chris Isaak, Elton John and Courtney Love.

American Idol 9: Aaron Kelly Visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Aaron Kelly made a stop at the Ellen Degeneres Show to chat about his time on Idol and sing Sarah McLachlan's Angel.

That’s right. He has a strong, decent voice but he is just plain vanilla to me. I don’t find anything about his singing that draws me in at all. The main response I get is boredom. I do hope he finds a way to infuse his singing with charisma and some kind of electricity. That said, I'm positive that with a little work he’s got a great Country music future ahead.

Video after the jump!!

American Idol 9: Siobhan Magnus Visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Siobhan Magnus made her first stop on her whirlwind post-Idol media tour on the Ellen Degeneres Show, airing today. And after a little chat with Ellen, she performs House Of The Rising Sun.

I thought Siobhan sounded super fantastic. I wish she performed all her songs at this level. Siobhan, to me, has a natural gift but it really has not been developed or she has not learned how to properly control it or use it at it best but I think she has tremendous potential. The basics are there - the voice, the looks and the quirky personality. Heck, she is like the modern day Cyndi Lauper. Haha. Someone who beats to the sound of their own unique drum. Anyway, I wish her all the best!

Video after the jump!!

American Idol 9: Tim Urban Visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Tim Urban dropped by the Ellen DeGeneres Show and chat about his run on Idol and perform Hallelujah.

That was such a charming interview, I really enjoy the way his positivity makes me feel included rather excluded. He doesn’t come across like someone blindly optimistic, but someone who has made a conscious choice to be happy. I love that idea. To be honest, I feel deflated since Tim left. I did not imagine he would win, but I was hoping he can stay as long as possible to have some good runs. Oh well.

Video after the jump!!

American Idol 9: Andrew Garcia Visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Andrew Garcia drops by Ellen's show and performed Sunday Morning after a show interview.

Now, why couldn’t he sing like that during the competition? It’s funny that the contestants are more personable and sound better when they are OFF the show. Maybe, Andrew was not ready for all these old school themes. I mean, he didn’t have one good performance doing old songs.Oh well. Enjoy!

Video after the jump!!