Elen working out great as a new ‘Idol’ Judge

“American Idol” Hollywood Week kicked off on Tuesday night (February 9) with a slew of new faces up on the stage and one new face behind the judges’ table. Some singers soared (like Andrew Garcia with his soulful take on Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up”), while others crashed and burned (like Vanessa Wolfe and her shaky version of Blind Melon’s “No Rain”). Almost everyone could agree, though, that new judge Ellen DeGeneres rocked out on her “Idol” debut.

Count Kara DioGuardi as one of the enthusiastic supporters. “When I was sitting next to her, I felt she had a really good handle on whether a contestant had a potential, whether they had star quality,” she said of Ellen during a conference call with reporters. “She knew if something was off in the vocals or in the performance. I thought she delivered the message with kindness, but also had criticism in there.”

MTV

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