Source: AP - Fans took to the Internet to express their pleasant surprise over the 52-year-old funnylady's debut as the singing competition's fourth judge.
DeGeneres assumed her judging panel post for Tuesday's episode chronicling the first round of "Hollywood Week," the cutthroat post-audition phase in which 181 contestants will be narrowed down to 24 semifinalists.
The majority of folks posting about DeGeneres on Twitter praised her performance. Some said they were only tuning in for DeGeneres, but not everyone was a devotee. A denim ensemble worn by Degeneres, also host of "The Ellen Degeneres Show," was mocked by a few tweeters.
When Fox announced that DeGeneres, an Emmy winner with no formal music experience, would be the new judge last September, fans were divided over the unlikely replacement for Paula Abdul, the sugary sweet pop singer who judged "Idol" since it debuted in 2002 then left amid contract negotiations after the eighth season ended last year.
"Ellen completely met my expectations," said Dave Della Terza, founder of VoteForTheWorst.com, which encourages viewers to champion bad – but entertaining – singers. "She was trying way too hard. Her critiques weren't funny because no one wants to see a standup act at the judges' table."
But Andy Dehnart, editor of the popular reality TV blog realityblurred.com and a lecturer at Stetson University, said DeGeneres seemed "more polished and on-point than the people who've been sitting at that table for eight years." DeGeneres is on the judging panel alongside Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi.
"Ellen DeGeneres keeps surprising us," he said. "She excels as a talk show host, and if she keeps up what she did tonight, she'll easily establish herself as the best judge."
