:: Sean commented on the preview of Madonna’s new music video saying: “I love it. Fun as hell. People complain when Madonna is too serious and they complain when she’s fun like this. I love both sides to her, incredible artist and this song sounds nothing like all the generic David Guetta wannabe dance songs on the radio. I hope it does well b/c Madonna is def missed on the radio and will always be the Queen.”

:: Stating he “totally agrees with all that Sean said above”, Dustin Farmer adds: “Glad that Madonna is back and I am loving this song! I’m always curious to see what Madge is going to come up with. This video is pure fun and anyone hating on it is obviously a negative nancy.”

:: This song had the opposite effect on Sahil who thinks: “It is stupid.”

:: Kerry couldn’t believe the news that Paula was fired from The X Factor: “This is just a rumor though right? It hasn’t been confirmed?” (Sorry, Kerry. It’s true.)

:: John didn’t jump to blaming Simon for the firings: “I bet Simon had nothing to do with this. Since the show has already been renewed for 2012, Fox probably stepped in and did what they felt they had to, especially since the show didn’t generate the ratings that Cowell wanted it to.”

:: Isaac Mitchell is partial to the slew of pink slips: “Bad Mistake to let Paula go, Nicole was a good decision and Steve the host, but not Paula! Xfactor will pay for this in the future!”

:: Speaking of The X Factor, MusicManDave loved Melanie Amaro’s new song “Respect”: “Hot Hot Hot. Melanie has the chops man!”

:: Salatiell Junior is supportive of Melanie, too, though he didn’t love her single: “This song is not that bad, but too repetitive for me. I think she’ll grow and better songs will come!”

:: Jessica on the other hand, has a different opinion by asking: “What THE HECK?”

:: With Taylor Swift not cast in the Les Miserables movie, Aarron can save his money to see TSwift in concert: “Well at least I dont have to see this movie anymore, more money for me! Would have seen this just for Taylor now its just another musical movie.”

:: Lily Tabolt was rather overjoyed that the pop star was no longer attached to the musical: “THANK GOD IN HEAVEN!!!!!! Taylor Swift would have been terrible in this role! Almost as bad as Joe Jonas in the above video!”

:: Nick also agreed, and suggested who he would like to see in the movie: “THANK GOD! I would never see a film version of ‘Les Mis’ with Taylor Swift’s rat-like mug stinking up the screen… Although I would have loved to see Lea Michele on the project, ANYONE is better than TaySwift.”

To see exactly how these artists entered the hype index, check below.

• Preview Madonna, Nicki Minaj & M.I.A. In “Give Me All Your Luvin’” Video
• In Honor Of Don Cornelius: The 10 Best Soul Train Line Dances
• Paula Abdul To Leave The X Factor In Shakeup
• Adele Confirmed As 2012 Grammys Performer
• Michael Jackson’s Glee Tribute Episode: What A “Scream”
• Garbage To Release New Album Not Your Kind Of People In May
• Will Lana Del Rey’s Born To Die Bump Adele’s 21 From #1 Next Week?
• Taylor Swift Not Cast In Les Miserables After All
• The Wanted Make Their US Debut On Ellen With “Glad You Came”
• Is Miley Cyrus Wearing An Engagement Ring?

How does this week’s chart rank for you? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

Abdul told reporters after the conclusion of Season 1 (which featured the comeback win of Melania Amaro) that she expected to be back “unless something weird and bizarre happens.”

That’s one more indication that her departure from the show wasn’t her decision. We’re not expecting to see Simon and Paula this chummy again anytime soon.

Let us know what you think of the shakeup on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

Earlier today, The X Factor judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, L.A. Reid, Nicole Scherzinger and eye candy host Steve Jones stopped by Ellen DeGeneres to sit and chat about the singing competition with the daytime talk show host, herself having served as a judge on American Idol briefly following Adbul’s departure. (Ah, memories.) Everyone was all smiles, particularly newcomer Jones, who beamed as he spoke about his love for LA (both the city and the man), and provided an interesting way to describe the show’s panel of judges. Watch the crowded group interview below.

Nerd alert: when asked about the judges, Jones used a Star Wars motif to explain how Simon, Paula, L.A., and Nicole coexist in The X Factor galaxy. (We’re assuming Fox Broadcasting is the Death Star in this situation.)

X

Will you tune in for The X Factor tomorrow?

We know a lot of you out there want a female to finally win one of these competition shows, but personally, we’re putting our money on whatever this thing is:

While much of the show is reminiscent of the old American Idol (this preview is clearly hoping to draw an audience that misses Simon’s snarkiness and Paula’s hot messiness), there may be a few surprises in store. The slow-mo shots of the judges walking toward camera and Simon driving sports cars are more reminiscent of Fast & Furious than a reality singing competition — is Simon auditioning to be the next 007? And we certainly weren’t expecting to hear Guns ‘N’ Roses “Live And Let Die” in this trailer!  We also love the tongue-in-cheek humor beginning with Simon’s worst nightmare — it seems even his dreamscape isn’t safe from product placement.

The Chevrolet-and Pepsi-sponsored (gee, we hadn’t noticed!) program starts September 21.

Much like when we singled out the “Sanjaya” of each season of Idol and ranked them accordingly, we wanted to honor these noble entertainers who’ve attempted to steer America’s singing youth down the right path by ranking them on our special scale of “Karas” (named, of course, after divisive former judge Kara DioGuardi). We’ll let you decide whether a high score of Karas is a, uh, good or bad thing. (Note: it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out.)

Judge: Randy Jackson
Time Spent Administering Idol Justice: Ten seasons and counting (1-10)

With ten seasons of America’s favorite TV pastime under his belt, Randy is top dawg. And we’re not just talking about the fact that he’s the only judge to have lasted the entire duration of Idol — we also ranked him with the least amount of Karas! Whether he’s engaging in total Randy speak (”Yo, you know what was wrong with that performance? NOTHING!”) or telling it straight to the contestants (”For me it was a little pitchy”), Jackson has proven to be the durable rock of the ever-rotating lineup of judges on AI.

How Many Karas:

*******

Judge: Simon Cowell
Time Spent Administering Idol Justice: Nine seasons (1-9)

Oh, we love you, Simon, but let’s face it — you made America fall in love with your lethal mix of arrogant swagger, brazen honesty and the droll, bitchy quips dripping off your wicked tongue. And then you went and left us after Season 9. (To be honest, Simon appeared to have mentally checked out sometime around Season 7.) Yeah, we dig Steven Tyler and J.Lo, but really they’re just rebounds until we get another Cowell fix this fall via the US version of The X Factor. Just don’t break our hearts twice.

How Many Karas:

*******

Judge: Paula Abdul
Time Spent Administering Idol Justice: Eight seasons (1-8)

As far as the female judges on Idol go, Paula is forever our girl. And we really don’t need to go into why, do we? This clip alone says it all:

Of course, as entertaining as she is, we’re slapping the “Straight Up” songstress with two Karas for also ditching Idol, like Simon. Guess we’ll have to wait a few more months to see if those two can re-create the magic — not to mention their unique brand of icky/fascinating sexual tension — on The X Factor.

How Many Karas:

*******

Judge: Kara DioGuardi
Time Spent Administering Idol Justice: Two seasons (8-9)

Poor Kara had the thankless job being the first new AI judge to come along while the original three were still on the show. And not only did the songwriter spar with contestants like Bikini Girl, she also got into a bit of a dust-up with guest judge Katy Perry, with whom she had previously co-written Kelly Clarkson’s hit “I Do Not Hook Up,” during the Season 9 auditions. Whether she was difficult to get along with or America just didn’t like the song she wrote (”No Boundaries”) for Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, something about Ms. DioGuardi just never clicked. But, hey — at least she had a rockin’ bikini bod, right?

How Many Karas:

*******

Judge: Elle DeGeneres
Time Spent Administering Idol Justice: One season (9)

Hon, we love you. But stick with gettin’ jiggy in the aisles for housewives.

How Many Karas:

*******

Judge: Jennifer Lopez
Time Spent Administering Idol Justice: One season and counting (10)

On paper, J.Lo and Steven Tyler joining American Idol for its tenth season to replace three departing judges seemed like a last-ditch resort for a series that appeared to be ailing from as many woes as the record industry itself. What we actually witnessed on our TV screens over the past four months proved to be quite the opposite. Lopez and her fellow AI rookie not only had us saying “Simon who?” by the end of January, they also filled the aging dog-and-pony act with something we never knew we’d been missing all these years: kindness. True, the “On The Floor” singer comes with a lot of previously-accumulated tabloid baggage. But let’s get down to brass tacks —  who didn’t enjoy the weekly fashion parade she rocked at the judges’ table?

How Many Karas:

*******

Judge: Steven Tyler
Time Spent Administering Idol Justice: One season and counting (10)

We’ve got nothing but love for Steven and his bad-boy rocker ways. He’s like the naughty kid who’s constantly swearing in class, hitting on the teacher and telling all the underclassmen (and underclasswomen) where babies come from…while wearing a three-foot-long fuchsia scarf! We’ve come to consider the Aerosmith frontman as the anti-Simon of this season; his mood is always up and his sense of humor is at times both off-color and infectious. Hell, we even love “(It) Feels So Good,” the new solo single he premiered on the show a couple weeks back. Our one gripe: get just a bit tougher with the contestants, Steven. They’re not always great.

How Many Karas:

*******

Who’s your favorite judge to emerge out of the first ten seasons of American Idol? Let us know below!