It's been confirmed!

Ellen DeGeneres will be taking Paula Abdul's spot on American Idol this upcoming season. She'll be joining veteran judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson along with no-longer-the-newbie Kara DioGuardi. Her debut kicks off with the 2010 season in January.

First of all, it must be noted that I absolutely adore Ellen. I've read her books, seen her sitcom, watched her show, LOVE her.

Anyway, let's talk about this. She was a guest judge this past season on FOX's So You Think You Can Dance, which I thought was a great and natural fit for her. If you've ever seen her show, you've seen her dance her way into the crowd as the show starts. You can find on YouTube a video of her dancing with now-President Barack Obama (then, President-Elect). This made sense. I really enjoyed how real and genuine she was in her guest role there also. She was emotional, involved, and genuinely invested in each of the performances.

But will that translate to Idol? Frankly, I wonder if she's too nice. Simon's obviously never been afraid to voice his opinion when he hates something (or, it should be noted, when he loves something, though those instances are fewer and farther between). Randy's not outright mean, but he's been harsh on a contestant or two in the past. Paula and Kara just about got into fisticuffs with Bikini Girl last year.

Those chicks are scrappy.

But Ellen? Scrappy? I kind of get the feeling she'd be more likely to give someone a hug and congratulate them: "you gave it your best shot! I'm so proud of you!" than she would be to tell someone that they sing like a dying crow. Or William Hung.

But will I watch it and love it? Absolutely. I've been a wishy-washy fan of the show for years, catching it every other to about every third year. I think this was the hook needed to get me to tune in this year, which will make FOX happy to hear I'm sure.

I'm interested to see how her relationships develop with the other judges. Another initial thought I'd had was the possible expansion to a younger fanbase, but then I remembered that the median age of Idol viewers is closer to 40 than it is to 14. (I know, right?)

So Ellen? Dance your way right on up to the judge's table and have a blast this year. I'll miss Paula and her "seriously, I promise I didn't spike my Coca-Cola"-type outbursts, but I think this could definitely be a fun change.