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Portia sings Ellen's praises for 'Idol'

By April MacIntyre Dec 8, 2009, 19:59 GMT

Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

Surprise: Ellen DeGeneres' wife thinks she will knock her judge slot out of the park for the long running talent show on FOX.

Portia de Rossi thinks her wife Ellen DeGeneres will be a perfect fit on "American Idol" this season.

"Ellen is going to be unbelievably funny and honest," de Rossi told "Extra" from the set of her ABC show, "Better Off Ted."

"She loves music, and she loves watching new talent and I think she's going to be just in her element molding these young kids and trying to encourage them to bring out the best they have," continued de Rossi.

But Portia cautions there may be a critical monster inside everyone's favorite afternoon chatter host.

"She's going to be very honest," de Rossi said. "She's a kind person, but she's very honest. She's going to give it to them straight."

Earlier this month, Simon Cowell  told "Extra" that DeGeneres was "quite nervous" about joining the show.

"She's going to be very different than Paula [Abdul]," he said. "She's smart, but make no mistakes: this will be a very different kind of show than what you're used to."

The 8th season kicks off Jan. 12 on FOX.

For more of "Extra's" interview with de Rossi, Read more: here