Ellen Degeneres has been chosen to replace Paula Abdul on American Idol.

Ellen says that she will follow along in Paula’s footsteps as being the “nice one” on the panel. In an interview broadcast on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show, Ellen said, ““I’m not going to be mean.” Referring to Simon Cowell, the British judge who usually offers the most piercing criticisms of “Idol” contestants, she added: “I hate when Simon’s that mean. You can be constructive and you can criticize somebody in a way that’s helpful instead of meanspirited.”

Time will tell whether Ellen’s style of telling jokes and doing a lot of talking in between performances that she demonstrated when she was a guest judge on “So You Think You Can Dance” will be a good fit for “Idol.”

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi were married on Saturday night in Los Angeles. Nineteen family members and friends were on hand for the intimate ceremony.

We wish them well.