'SYTYCD:' Welcome, Adam

Reader Ashley alerted me to this very important bit of television news: Adam Shankman, my very favorite guest judge on "So You Think You Can Dance," has been promoted to a permanent seat at the judges' table for this fall's season. It's a brilliant move; he knows dance, he lives for dance, he wears his emotions on his sleeve, and he directed the movie musical "Hairspray," which earns him my enduring love.

The wisdom of this move makes me think, once again, about how unwise "American Idol" was to name Ellen Degeneres as a permanent judge. We don't need voices-of-the-people on the panel of a talent show; we need people who can tell us how to evaluate the talent. Would "Project Runway" use Ellen in place of Michael Kors? Would "America's Next Top Model" let Ellen replace Paulina Porizkova? (OK, don't answer that last one. I can't trust Tyra to follow logic.)