I’ll still miss Paula Abdul and I still think the middle finger “American Idol” producers gave her was unfair, but…pretty genius move tapping Ellen DeGeneres to replace her on the judges’ dais.

DeGeneres has been an unabashed fan of the show for years, and almost always provided the latest also-ran the opportunity to visit her daytime talk show (and surely this new deal will give her first crack at the castoffs before Oprah or Leno snags them).

She’s also quick, amusing, follows pop culture, loves music and, most important to the chemistry of the foursome, will perfectly fill Abdul’s slot as the Judge Least Likely To Offend. Now if only she’ll let Simon Cowell draw a mustache on her or start reciting loopy poetry about moths – that would be awesome.

I’m a little surprised that Cowell – and his ego – allowed for such a big name to possibly overshadow his, but the addition of DeGeneres is more likely to bring viewers to “Idol” than alienate them.

Most interesting to me will be the dynamic between her and Kara DioGuardi. You could tell throughout last season that even when DioGuardi wanted to pounce on Abdul for offering commentary completely devoid of criticism, she pulled back – maybe out of respect for their “friendship” or maybe because, mock if you will, Abdul DID have a pretty healthy pop career for a few years and has a slight clue about performing.

DeGeneres is a magnificent stand-up and one of the breeziest talk show hosts to ever hold the job – at least in daytime – but being a fan of music and breaking into dance whenever someone taps their foot in her studio doesn’t equate to industry credibility, which, love her or hate her, DioGuardi possesses.

DeGeneres didn’t need this gig – her show wins Emmys and maintains a devoted fan base and one would assume she’s got serious star money – but she’ll certainly bring a new enthusiasm to “Idol.”

Right now, things look rosy (and speaking of, who else thinks that Rosie O’Donnell was on the short list of Abdul replacements?), but in the fickle world of TV, who knows?

Do you think “Idol” folks made the right choice with DeGeneres? Are you more or less likely to watch now that she’s joined the cast?