Fox Source

Yes, THE Ellen. As in, DeGeneres. Fox approached the dancing comedienne and talk show host -- who can often be seen bustin' a move at the beginning of her show or during Visa commercials -- and the self-proclaimed HUGE fan of American Idol, though shocked by the offer, tap danced her way into the 4th judge's chair, recently vacated by Paula Abdul.

Instead of a one-episode stint, like guest judges Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Kristin Chenoweth, Joe Jonas, Neil Patrick Harris, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry and Shania Twain, DeGeneres was offered the permanent gig. "They didn't even ask me to be a guest judge," DeGeneres said on buddy Ryan Seacrest's morning radio show.



"I could not be more excited to have Ellen join the American Idol family. Ellen has been a fan of the show for many years, and her love of music and understanding of the American public will bring a unique human touch to our judging panel. I can't wait for this next season to begin," gushes Idol exec producer Simon Fuller, according to US Magazine.

But the newest addition to the team tells E! Online, "I hope Paula is OK with it. I don't want anybody to think that I took Paula's job away... Paula was a huge part of the show. I think that she's kind of part of the American Idol family, that's how I felt." And some fans are grumbling about her lack of singing and music industry experience. DeGeneres still has a lot to bring to the table: "First of all, I love music, period. I've always loved music. And I'm a huge fan of the show; I haven't missed a show since season one. I'm just a fan like everyone else. The people are the ones who choose the American Idol. It doesn't come down to a music expert ultimately."

One thing we can definitely count on though, she'll definitely bring the funny. What do you think about Ellen DeGeneres as the new permanent addition to Idol: Are you doin' a little happy dance at the news or are you ready to sing "bye, bye, bye"? ... opinionate in the comments!

Posted by Michelle Riche at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

She's in... she's out... she's in... she's... OUT! For weeks, those close to Paula Abdul and American Idol have done that little dance as to whether the former pop star and judge will return to the hit show next season. Was it about money? Was it a case of Kara's in and Paula's out? Was it hurt feelings about not being asked to the dance?

US Magazine's report made it sound like Paula was hurt that everyone else had made (or was making) deals to return for the ninth season, but that showrunners (Freemantle and 19 Entertainment) hadn't contacted her with an indication of what they wanted to do.

Fellow judge Randy Jackson is signed on through 2011. Host Ryan Seacrest made headlines with his 3-year/$45 million deal to return. Newest judge Kara DioGuardi has inked a deal to return and the acid-tongued Simon Cowell is in for at least another season (he's indicated they'll have to pony up some serious dough for him to stay after that).  

But, according to E! Online, all the speculation has come to an end. Paula sent out two Tweets Tuesday evening: "With sadness in my heart, I've decided not to return to #IDOL. I'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all...being a part of a show that I helped from day1 become an international phenomenon." Her departure from the show was confirmed by Fox shortly thereafter.

How do you feel about Paula's departure? Grieve or rejoice in the comments!

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The Sourcies are sobbing quietly as we contemplate this year's most heartbreaking moments on FOX. There were plenty of three-hankie episodes throughout the network this year -- we're almost wondering if the writers all have stockin antidepressants! Here's what we picked as the best sob-inducing moments:

Kutner's suicide House Kutner's suicide was so traumatic that it even spawned a memorial website. There was no explanation for his death, which makes it all the more painful for us - and House. In fact, House is so discombobulated by the death that he starts crying homicide - until he finds a candid picture in Kutner's apartment of Kutner looking away from the camera, showing a side of him that perhaps no one else saw.		Derek's death Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Derek lived through Judgment Day, a computer-controlled nation and multiple travels through time, all in an attempt to keep humanity alive. He grew into a man living in old nuclear fallout tunnels, and when he returned to 2007 he got to watch over his family, knowing that they were destined to die once Skynet took over. And after all of that, he still got killed by a terminator and was buried in an anonymous grave.
Michael's death Prison Break As if Michael's life wasn't dramatic enough, his death was a real kick in the gut. He survived multiple prisons, countless close calls, a whole bunch of escapes, and a worldwide conspiracy bent on bringing him down... but he couldn't survive the ticking time bomb in his head. He accomplished his goals -- he saved his brother, took down The Company, and convinced Sara that he loved her - but he didn't get to enjoy the fruits of those labors. Sob!		Jack's coma 24 Jack faces death all the time... so his being exposed to a brain-eating bioweapon that will kill him in a matter of days is sad, but we're sort of prepared. What we weren't prepared for was Jack (1) refusing to let Kim contribute the stem cells that may save him, and (2) seeing Jack agree to be put into a morphine-induced coma - before Kim can tell him that he has a granddaughter. He may die without ever having met her.

Adam's defeat American Idol Those screams of anguish you heard on May 20? Those were the heartbroken wails of countless Glambert fans reacting to Kris Allen winning the American Idol title over their beloved Adam. YouTube was awash with screaming, crying and otherwise agog fans who couldn't believe their man had been denied. Was it because of questions (now resoled) about Adam's sexuality? Was he too cool for the show? Did the voting public just feel more comfortable with Kris? Or did Kris win on his own merits? We don't know - but we do know a whole bunch of Idol fans who are still nursing their broken hearts.

Polls are open until August 6, so get voting!

Congratulations to Bones, which won the Best Plot Twist category with Brennan's Baby Business! Bones is the show to beat -- are any other shows up to the challenge? Talk about it in the comments!

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It's official! We now have the FOX Network TV schedule for 2009-2010, so let the discussion begin!

First, the good news: Some of our favorite shows are returning. Fringe and Lie to Me, the two strongest freshman series, continue to see the network love, as we already knew. Lie to Me moves to Monday night, following House. It's a night of prickly, insulting-yet-adorable geniuses with parental issues and complicated love lives! Just imagine a crossover between those shows -- Lightman as patient, picking up every lie that House and his minions told, or House trying to diagnose weird medical reasons Loker's pathological honesty.

We get two different takes on the FBI on Thursday, as Fringe jumps nights to follow Bones. Twice the horrific corpse effects, twice the fun! Could Booth and Brennan's will they/won't they dance be part of The Pattern? Will Brennan ever be called in to identify some particularly gnarly remains that Olivia, Walter and Peter stumble over? We know, it's unlikely, but this is the sort of thing that keeps us up at night. We need help.

Find out the fate of Dollhouse, Terminator, So You Think You Can Dance and more after the jump!

Continue reading "Returning shows on FOX: Get the Scoop on Fringe, Lie to Me, Dollhouse, Terminator, SYTYCD and More!" »

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We caught up with last season's American Idol runner up, David Archuleta, at the Holiday of Hope tree lighting in Hollywood, where he sang, entertained the crowd, and generally exuded the sort of  adorable energy that gained him his legions of devoted fans. David talked to us about having a holiday-season birthday, how he rates his salsa-dancing skills, what it's like to translate a hit song into Spanish, and what he's thinking about for New Year's resolutions. Check it out, then talk about it in the comments!

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As we prepare for the annual Festival of Starch and tryptophan-induced food coma that is Thanksgiving, we've been pondering the things we're thankful for this season on FOX. Here's what's running through our heads as we count our blessings this year:

• Our favorite animated families are still bringing the hilarity - even, in The Simpsons' case, after 20 years!
• No matter what obstacles are thrown in his way, Michael Scofield always has a plan on Prison Break.
• The fabulous relationships on Prison Break. There's the Michael and Sarah love story, of course, but there's also the bond between the brothers, and we still get sniffly when we remember Sucre praying for Michael's health!
• Robots just keep getting sexier on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
• Terminator keeps hitting us with new twists - Riley knows Jesse? Ellison is teaching ethics to a rebuilt Cromartie? What's going on?
• That House remains one of the best shows on TV - AND that our doctors don't seem to be turning to House for hints on proper bedside manner!
• Finding out Wilson has a dark side that involves jail time and stained glass windows
• The House and Cuddy kiss!
• Walter Noble on Fringe - we love his stream-of-consciousness food reports, his childlike glee at being out of the mental institution, his matter-of-fact grasp of things that make our head spin - and his frequent paeans to pharmaceuticals. That is one heavily medicated man!
• Joshua Jackson is back on TV - and he's got such a juicy part on Fringe!
• The continuing knee-buckling chemistry between Booth and Brennan on Bones.
• That Brennan figured out that Jared was Booth-Light - and there's no substitute for Seeley!
• Sweets!
• That Gordon Ramsay is cleaning up the countries restaurants one expletive-laden rant at a time.
• Jack Bauer is back - and we'll get Day 7 of 24 in January!
• American Idol returns, and there's a new judge to mix up the dynamic. We can't wait to see how Kara DioGuardi shakes things up!

What about you? What makes your list of reasons to be thankful this year on FOX? Tell all in the comments!  

 

Posted by Sarah at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Get out your calendars -- FOX is juggling its primetime schedule to make room from returning favorites and highly anticipated new shows alike! To prepare you for the TiVo shuffle, here's the scoop on whenyou can look for your fav shows:

Jack Bauer and co. return with the movie event 24: Redemption on Sunday, Nov. 23. The new season of 24 kicks off with a two-night, four-hour event, Jan. 11 and 12, then settles into its regular times slot on Monday, Jan. 19.

American Idol returns with a two-night, four hour premiere on Tuesday, Jan. 13 and Wednesday, Jan. 14. After that, it's an hour of Idol every Tuesday and Wednesday starting Jan. 20.

The news series Lie To Me will premiere on Wednesday,  Jan. 21, after Idol. And Dollhouse, the new show from Buffy/Angel/Firefly Wunderkind Joss Whedon, launches Friday, Feb. 13.

Check out the full winter schedule below!

Continue reading "FOX Winter Schedule Announced" »

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