Ellen DeGeneres (51) was chosen to replace Paul Abdul on American Idol. Fox said in a statement:

"DeGeneres will sit alongside Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi and offer her own unique perspective to the contestants throughout the competition."

DeGeneres starts her judging after the audition rounds, which have featured a rotating group of celebrity guest judges including Shania Twain, Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Joe Jonas and Kristin Chenoweth.

We here Paula Abdul was stunned at being permanently replaced on American Idol by Ellen DeGeneres:

“Privately, Paula is very upset. She’s never going to admit it publicly but this stung.”

Publicly Abdul said:

"AMERICAN IDOL is a fantastic show that offers an invaluable platform to young talent. Ellen DeGeneres is wildly funny and talented in her own right."

"I wish her and the show only the best of luck.”

Abdul must be seething mad, but we’re happy to see her humbled.

Ellen is an incredible choice. With Ellen on the panel of judges American Idol might be able to sustain their viewers’ interest for a few more seasons.

As we suspected, Paula Abdul quit because Idol producers wanted to give her a tiny raise. A source said:

"Paula had demanded a raise from $8 million to $12 million to stay on as a judge on Idol. And her management took a tough line with the show’s bosses and refused to negotiate."

"Paula’s managers issued a statement in July saying Paula hadn’t been offered a deal at all, which only inflamed the situation. After that, the relations between both sides deteriorated to the point where Paula’s management was slamming the phone down on Idol staff."

"Poor Paula has been having daily meltdowns over the negotiations and has been left feeling hurt and abandoned by her Idol colleagues."

Simon and Ryan got huge raises. We don’t know what Randy got, but at least he still has a job. It is clear now Paula’s contribution to the show was negligible, although in her delusion of grandeur she made the show a hit single handedly. If that’s the case Paula should have no problem getting another show together that will make her ten times as much money, although we doubt it.

Paula was offered a 30% pay increase and turned it down. Paula was demanding $20 million.

Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Rice was asked Thursday what the network would do if Abdul sought to reopen negotiations. Rice replied:

"I have no expectation that Paula’s going to do that. And in terms of the negotiations themselves, the negotiations have concluded."

"My understanding is that her only issue is money."

Paula was asked about her future prospects, to which she replied:

"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."

Uh huh, riiiight. Good luck Paula, you’re going to need it. Paula might take a job as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance, but she’ll probably have to take less than $8 million, which means a pay cut. You should have stayed with American Idol Paula.

Paula Abdul confirmed Tuesday she will no longer be at the judge’s table on American Idol. Paula Abdul has quit American Idol. Abdul said in a statement on Twitter:

"With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to Idol. I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day one become an international phenomenon."

"What I want to say most, is how much I appreciate the undying support and enormous love that you have showered upon me. I do, without any doubt, have the BEST fans in the entire world and I love you all."

Fox Television released the following statement in response:

"Paula Abdul has been an important part of the American Idol family over the last eight seasons and we are saddened that she has decided not to return to the show. While Paula will not be continuing with us, she’s a tremendous talent and we wish her the best."

In other words, Paula was asking for too much money in her contract negotiations. Ryan Seacrest got a $45 million contract.

Good luck finding another project that will pay you what you think you are worth Paula.

Kris Allen and Adam Lambert appeared on The Today Show, and were interviewed by Natalie Morales. After being asked if the voting was rigged using AT&T phones at party, both Kris and Adam said they believed the voting was fair and there is no scandal. Adam went on to say people were just looking for drama and conspiracy, but it was fair, and Kris won.

AT&T released a statement on Wednesday saying:

"Last week, countless parties were held in homes, bars, and other public places across America to watch the American Idol finale. In Arkansas, a few local AT&T employees were invited to attend two local watch parties organized by the community. Caught up in the enthusiasm of rooting for their hometown contestant, they brought a small number of demo phones with them and provided texting tutorials to those who were interested."

"Going forward, we will make sure our employees understand our sponsorship celebrates the competition, not individual contestants. That said, it’s quite a leap to suggest that a few individuals could have impacted the final results."

"Fox and the producers of American Idol are absolutely certain that the results of this competition are fair, accurate and verified. Kris Allen is, without a doubt, the American Idol. We have an independent third-party monitoring procedure in place to ensure the integrity of the voting process. In no way did any individuals unfairly influence the outcome of the competition."

We blame the gay activists for trying to make this non-scandal into a scandal, and we have Lambert to thank for speaking the truth, and being so respectable.

Adam Lambert sang Its so Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday at his Mt Carmel High School graduation in 2000.

Adam had his natural hair color back in the day.

Adam did an interview with Entertainment Weekly which addressed his sexuality:

I want to just get this question out of the way first, something that’s been dangling a bit over you for the whole season:

Would you like to put to rest all the speculation about your sexuality?

It’s not dangling over my head. [Laughing] It may be dangling over yours, but it’s not over mine. Yeah, I think speculation keeps things really interesting.

So you don’t want to say anything one way or the other?

Like I said, I think speculation keeps things very, very interesting. [Laughs]

All right. What was it like singing with Queen and KISS tonight?

Oh my god, what an honor. Queen is like one of my all time favorite rock bands, and then to be up on stage with KISS with the pyro and the costumes — I mean, it was a dream come true. It was awesome.

You were called a front-runner from the very beginning. Did you feel that pressure?

I didn’t feel it as pressure. I felt it as support. I felt like they were very encouraging early on, and that really helped me feel like I could take the risks that I took, you know? Had it not been for that support, I probably wouldn’t have done as well in the competition.

Your friendship with Kris has been pretty amazing to watch. On paper, you don’t necessarily have a lot in common. What brought you guys together?

Yeah. We were roommates, so we were kind of thrown in together, and he’s just like a really open-minded, good person. He’s got a great view of the world. We share a lot of philosophies on the world, even though we have different backgrounds. You know, I’ve learned a lot about his relationship with his wife. She’s great. We’ve hung out. He’s just a good guy, you know?
So you’re happy he won?

I’m so happy for him. He deserves it. He’s so talented, and he’s a good person.

Adam teased the gays by not saying he is gay. We already know, but it’s going to torture some who really want him to come out. Adam is teasing the way Clay Aiken did. It’s Adam’s choice, but its not like he’s really hiding it.

Below is the backstage interview Adam did after he lost American Idol. Adam was a very gracious loser, and he’s really talented. We respect the way Adam handled the whole thing, and look forward to covering his career.