Here's Ellen

Ellen DeGeneres kicks off her "American Idol" career tonight -- and she's already having problems with Simon Cowell.

Or so it seems.

DeGeneres opens a new era in the life of TV's most popular show as she replaces Paula Abdul as the show's fourth judge.

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The episode, taped last month in LA, starts the Hollywood round of auditions -- four nights of taped performances that air through next Wednesday night and end with the judge's choice of the top 24 semi-finalists.

The true test will come later this month when "Idol" goes live and Ellen will have to prove she can dance with Simon and the rest of the cast.

FUNNY GIRL: Ellen DeGeneres begins with Hollywood Week tonight to find her place in the "Idol" line-up.

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DeGeneres has been guarded in her comments about Cowell so far, likely to build suspense around her debut and play up the reported "friction" between the two.

In one of the few interviews she's given to talk about her new role on "Idol," DeGeneres did say her opinion of Cowell has shifted.

"I had one idea of Simon when I came in, and it's changed," DeGeneres told "Entertainment Tonight."

"[Simon is] actually meaner than I thought.

"It's hard to listen to him tell people things and me not to go, 'You poor thing.' "

And she did throw a backhanded swipe at Cowell's legendary nastiness when it comes to assessing "Idol" wannabes.

"I'm good at delivering bad news, myself, but I'm trying to do it in a tender way," she said.

"I hate hurting people's feelings, so that, I think, is the hardest part."

She also told Katie Couric, in an online interview that, "I won't have a hard time being brutally honest . . . I don't think you have to be mean to be honest."

Ellen may not be the big news of "Idol" for long.

Howard Stern yesterday poured more fuel on rumors that he is being considered to replace Cowell next season.

"It might be possible," he told listeners to his Sirius radio show, "We'll see."

Still, few people inside Fox believe that the shock jock is a serious candidate for the "Idol" job.

Stern's controversial ideas and his X-rated mouth would be a poor fit for the family-oriented show.

Stern's five-year, $500 million Sirius contract ends next January, so it's more likely he's using the "Idol" chatter as leverage for a new radio deal. (Clear Channel has also expressed interest in bringing Stern back to terrestrial radio.)

"A hundred million to judge a karaoke contest? Yeah, I think I would do that show for $100 million," Stern said on his radio show yesterday.

"They'd have to pay me a ton of dough, because I already make a ton of dough."