Comedienne and TV host Ellen DeGeneres made her "American Idol" debut Tuesday night, as Fox's hit singing competition kicked off Hollywood week. While DeGeneres was forced to deliver some bad news during last night's broadcast, she still managed to make everyone laugh, telling one contestant, quote, "It was crazy I think. In a bad way. Crazy."A total of 181 aspiring "American Idols" performed in front of Ellen DeGeneres and the rest of the judges panel on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, only 95 contestants will be advancing on to the second round. Several vocalists had memorable performances on the evening, including Andrew Garcia, who blew the judges away with his rendition of former "Idol" judge Paula Abdul's "Straight Up."
The first sighting of DeGeneres on FOX's hit show follows rumors that she's unhappy with one possible replacement for departing judge Simon Cowell -- radio shock jock Howard Stern. Deadline.com quotes a source who say DeGeneres "is not in favor" of Stern. Stern, who is in the last year of his 500-million-dollar contract with Sirius XM, said on his satellite radio show this week that he was weighing the possibility of joining "Idol." He said he was equipped to take what he called a "cush job," noting his readiness to speak his mind.
Tune into Fox tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern for an all-new episode of "American Idol."
