American Idol newbie Ellen DeGeneres, has expressed concern for outgoing judge Paula Abdul, saying that she hopes she is ok with her appointment.

Ellen was announced as the fourth judge on the show yesterday, while Paula was let go just last month.

“I’m gonna have fun with it. The one thing you know about me is I’m very honest. But I think you can be honest in a pretty kind way,” she told show presenter Ryan Seacrest on his radio programme.

“I hope to be that compassionate person, ’cause that’s the one thing Paula did bring – that compassion and that empathy.”

She added: “I hope Paula is okay with it. I don’t want anybody to think that I took Paula’s job away.

“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.”

Ohhh those American Idol bosses are a canny lot. They drop the jibbering idiot judge (although possibly on a temporary basis) and fill her chair with some of America’s biggest celebrities and stars. Thats sure to pull them out of last year’s ratings slump.

The latest star reported to be taking on a judging stint alongside Simon and Co is ‘Skater Boy’ singer Avril Lavinge. According to EW.com, she will spend a full day critiquing auditionees for the show, as will ‘I Kissed a Girl’ singer Katy Perry.

Roll on American Idol 2010!

We’ve had various tweets and statements from her manager, but for the first time since she left American idol, Paula Abdul has broken her silence.

In an interview with TV Guide, Paula has revealed how she feels about leaving the American talent show.

“You know, to say ‘no regrets’ isn’t easy. I feel like I have been such a big, huge part of the success of the show from day one. I loved being able to be the artist’s artist; being there from my point of view of knowing what it feels like to be vulnerable and to be out there wanting to achieve the most magical moment in a minute and 30 seconds. To be able to do that was an amazing experience, and the show was wonderful for me in that regard.”

She also revealed that she plans to watch the new series and possibly even her own replacement.

“I’ll watch it as much as I can. I had some really unforgettable moments that hit plateaus for me and I’m very blessed to have been a part of what made television history.”

Paula hinted that she may be about to get her very own chat show. Although nothing has been signed yet, she promised that her show would be “different.” “I’d be Paula,” she promised. “It would be a lot of fun variety with a ton of unexpected stuff and tributes to everyday people getting their big chance.”

Radar Online is reporting today that ex-American Idol judge, Paula Abdul, has been offered a job on Australian Idol.

It follows hot on the heels of the news that Paula quit her job on American Idol amid a row about her salary. The site reports that the bosses of Australian Idol “put their request to strike a deal with her in writing.”

And it seems that they aren’t the only ones keen to snap Paula up; it’s rumoured that the makers of So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars are also keen to sign her up too.

There have also been suggestions that she might be making a guest appearance on Ugly Betty. Paula is quoted on the site as saying, “At this point, there are so many wonderful things that are being offered to me.

“And I got to take a deep breath, sleep a little… and go through everything.”

It seems that Simon Cowell is to be offered a pay rise worth £5.4 million for his role as a judge on American Idol.

The Sun newspaper reports that Simon’s salary is expected to be in the region of £27 million – not a bad wage eh?

Simon, who’s currently rumoured to worth in excess of £120 million, is said to be in talks with the US Fox network about his role in American Idol.

Robert Sillerman, chief of American Idol’s parent company CKX, is quoted in the paper as saying, “We’ve heard from Fox, who asked us for approval for Simon Cowell to appear for three more years on Idol.

“We did grant approval for that, quite obviously.”

Meanwhile, Simon’s fellow Idol judge, Paula Abdul, announced that she quit the show last week because of a disagreement with show’s bosses over her own salary. It seems that Paula was insisting on a salary of £6 million but was, “only offered half that.”

The Sun further reports that in her absence, Idol bosses “will bring in female guest judges, including Victoria Beckham and Katy Perry, to fill in until a permanent replacement for Paula is found.”

Outgoing American Idol judge Paula Abdul has received a concrete job offer from rival show ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’

ABC’s president of entertainment Steve McPherson revealed that he had “reached out” to Abdul after he heard that she had quit AI.

“I would love to [have her]. I was a little stunned by the [Idol] decision. We would love to have her on Dancing either as a participant or a contestant,” he told reporters.

“I definitely have reached out to her. I gave her a call first and foremost to say I was sorry about the situation and to say we’d love to see her on ABC.”

McPherson added: “I think she is a huge talent. There’s a sensitivity and an empathy that balances out Idol, and we’d love to get a piece of that.”

Former American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, has called the producers of the show ‘dumb’ for letting Paula Abdul go.

“It was dumb on American Idol’s part,” the winner of season six told us earlier today at 102.7 KISS-FM’s Teen Choice Awards gifting lounge. “I love American Idol and I respect them. It’s because of them that I got my start, but Paula was one of the original judges. She helped soften the blow for contestants when we didn’t do well. I love Paula.”

“The show will definitely not be the same without her, and I feel bad that future contestants will not get to experience having her on the show,” she continued. “I’m so sad.”

Kara DioGuardi has insisted that she was not drafted onto the American Idol panel last year to replace Paula Abdul.

“The way I’m understanding it is that it was her choice to leave,” she told show host Ryan Seacrest’s radio show. “I never was here to replace her. It would be impossible to replace Paula Abdul.

“She’s an incredible talent. She is somebody who helped make the show as big as it is. How could you ever replace that?”

DioGuardi added: “It’s such a loss for the show, such a loss for the contestants. She’s definitely the heart of the panel.”

Nigel Lythgoe is said to have approached former American Idol judge Paula Abdul about joining rival TV show, So You Think You Can Dance.

At a Fox press conference Nigel was asked if he would like Paula for the show. He responded:

“Absolutely, no question.”

“I spoke to her yesterday. I said, ‘we’re going to Vegas for season six this weekend’.

“She’s coming out to meet me. We’re going to talk about what the opportunities are.”

Nigel said: “I don’t know anybody who’s had her experience of being a performer, dancer, choreographer and judge.”

She may be able to dance, but surely as a judge on a hugely popular TV show she should also be able to speak coherently. Has Nigel not learned from moments like this……

Paula Abdul sensationally quit American Idol earlier this week, but instead of sticking with a three judge format, producers of the show have revealed that she will be replaced.

The show kicks off in January 2010 and Fox’s entertainment chairman Peter Rice has said that they will use temporary female guest judges (like Victoria Beckham) until they find a permanent replacement.

“Our intention is to have guest judges at each of the auditions,” Rice said at the TCA summer press tour. “Our intention is to have the guest judges be female pop stars, female performers, female artists. Between now and January we will come up with a more permanent solution (and) come up with a replacement for Paula. There’s also something exciting about that, and we’ll be looking to bring a different element and a different energy to this season.”

Victoria Beckham and Katy Perry are said to be booked. The auditions kick off this week in Denver.

Asked if there’s any chance of Abdul returning, Rice replied, “Our understanding is … we’ve concluded the negotiation.”