A New Nice Guy in Town

Those who feared "American Idol" would be left with a panel of harsh critics had their fears allayed when Fox confirmed that popular talk show host Ellen Degeneres would be filling the spot left vacant by Paula Abdul, known as the "nice" judge.

Degeneres told CNN "I'm not going to be mean. I hate when Simon [Cowell] is that mean."

Getting Degeneres for the show isn't just nice for the contestants. Though "American Idol" is already wildly popular -- winning some 30 million viewers for last season's finale -- getting a known name with a built-in audience like Degeneres can only help the show. She already has proven experience reaching a wide, mainstream viewership and she's great on the fly -- not only from hosting her daily show but also as MC for the Emmy and Academy Awards.

We'll bet Degeneres' humor will even be a welcome change for those who were sick of watching some of Abdul's stranger antics. Looks like the only downside is for those who tuned in to see which unsung song the former "nice" judge would critique this time.

Photo courtesy Alan Light, via Flickr.