COMEDIENNE Ellen ­DeGeneres (left), one of the top talkshow hosts in the US, was named as the new fourth judge on ­American Idol, replacing Paula Abdul who quit the most-watched American television show last month.

Fox television executives and the producers of the hit singing talent show had been searching for a permanent, new judge to sit in Paula’s seat when the ninth season of the show returns to TV in January 2010.

“As the new judge, Ellen will offer her own unique ­perspective to the contestants throughout the competition,” Fox said in a statement.

DeGeneres, whose award-­winning talk show The Ellen ­DeGeneres Show is in its ­seventh season, described herself as a longtime fan of the show.

“So getting this job is a dream come true, and think of all the money I’ll save from not having to text in my vote,” she said in the statement.

American Idol has become an audience juggernaut for News Corp’s Fox network, with an average 26.3 million viewers per episode, and has grown into an estimated US$1 billion-plus brand that is aired in about 100 countries.

Paula abruptly quit the show after seven years when she failed to secure a new contract with a big enough pay raise.

DeGeneres will take her seat at the judge’s table after the audition rounds start.

Idol producers have renewed the contract of songwriter and record ­producer Kara DioGuardi, who was added to the judging panel this year to help boost sliding viewership.

The two other judges – the often-acerbic Briton Simon Cowell and the ­laid-back Randy Jackson – are still under contract and host Ryan Seacrest also will be returning to the show’s ninth season.
– Reuters