Out comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres made a big move toward total domination of the airwaves today after it was announced that she would be permanently replacing Paula Abdul as the fourth judge on Fox's American Idol, the top-rated show on television. Abdul announced her departure in July and was replaced by a number of guest judges during the auditions that occurred this summer across the country, including out actor Neil Patrick Harris, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and Tony-winner Kristin Chenoweth. Ellen, who will continue her Emmy-winning talk show, will take her place alongside judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi when American Idol returns in January 2010. In an episode of her talk show set to air Thursday, Ellen made the following statement (text via EW.com):

“We’ve been dealing with this for the last couple of weeks and I’ve been dying to tell everyone. It’s just been so hard to keep it a secret and we just finally got the okay and I’m so excited. It is going to be so much fun. I don’t know how it happened myself but I have not missed one episode of that show. I’ve watched every single thing. I love everything about it and I love music, as you know. Hopefully I’m the people’s point of view because I’m just like you…I’m not looking at it in a critical way from the producer’s mind. I’m looking at it as a person who is going to buy the music and is going to relate to that person. So I’m hopefully going to be that voice of what we’re all doing at home.”

As if you all couldn't wait for the new season of Idol before, the countdown to January is going to be unbearable now!