The Queen of Hollywood annexes another kingdom: Ellen joins "American Idol."

ellen is very friendly and obviously finds the good in everyone, so it doesn't surprise me she is friends with ryan....or anyone really. she loves people. i think thats why she is so easy to love by anyone. :-)

One way or another, Simon Cowell has been involved with the music industry since the late 1970s or early 1980s.

He's done all sorts in the business - from PR to A&R, producing and even performing (when he was first producing records he decided that he would perform at least one note or musical sound on a record - shaking a marraca, tinging a triangle, etc to ensure he would earn something from the PRS or ERS every time the song was played on the radio or a jukebox).

He's got an enormous amount of experience of the highs and lows of the music industry and has been responsible for some of the most godawful, but popular, hits in Britain, Europe, Australia and in some cases America over the last 20-plus years.

I met Cowell a couple of times many, many years before he became famous or successful and can tell you that the man eats, drinks and breathes the business side of the music industry with every fibre of his being. Also, although I don't know what he's like these days, back then - once you got past him being a pompous bastard - he was a thoroughly pleasant, down-to-earth, decent and intelligent man who has far greater empathy with people than ever comes across on screen. He also owes me a packet of cigarettes (we both seem to smoke menthol these days, Simon, so if you read this, message me and I'll tell you where to courier them).

The thing you have to bear in mind is that Cowell probably doesn't really evaluate contestants on any of his shows as radical, new, ground-breaking or different artists. No matter what he says on TV, every time he sees a performance I'll bet his first thought will probably be how he'd sell that singer into any given market. In the nicest possible way, Cowell is a shark. He doesn't take prisoners but he's vital to the ecology of the music industry.

And, to be honest, out of the many potential sharks out there, the very human Cowell is probably one of the best.