Ellen DeGeneres On American Idol: I'll Be Honest

Ellen DeGeneres on American Idol Tuesday night for the first time. Photo INFDaily.com.

Ellen reveals how she'll approach judging...and Simon Cowell.

American Idol takes a turn Tuesday night, with Ellen DeGeneres changing the face of the nine-season show in the biggest Idol judge-switch in history. We've been covering the buzz surrounding her conflict with American Idol vet Simon Cowell, but Ellen's been holding her own. Now Ellen is sharing exactly what we can expect from her in the judge's chair tonight.

An earlier report had Ellen DeGeneres on American Idol preparing to judge contestants "tenderly." Now she's saying we might see some edge: "I want to be really, really honest," Ellen said. "And sometimes the best way for me to be honest is to use humor, so I think I'm going to try to cushion it with humor, and at the same time not belittle the situation.'

Why the need for balance? Ellen said, "Yes, it's a show and I want it to be entertaining and I want to be funny, but at the same time it's possibly somebody's career."

Sounds like Ellen's approach will be a bit different from Simon Cowell's. Here's what she had to say about her high-profile fellow judge: "I think he's a funny guy and I think he's a smart guy. I like Simon. He's going to be a challenge. He's Simon, and I'm me. We are completely different people. We'll see how it goes."

So, no Ellen DeGeneres American Idol controversy just yet...but we are seeing some strong reactions about the contestant Nicci Nix, whose audition last week came across seeming as though she was claiming to be from Italy (she's not).