Well thank you, sweet baby Jesus!

Apparently the conversation that’s been happening at my house (”I LOVE YOU, ADAM!!”) has been happening Chez Everyone, and So You Think You Can Dance has been listening, because Adam Shankman has been named a permenant third judge.

Don’t worry, there’s a fourth seat that producer/judge/fine, upstanding douhchebag Nigel Lythgoe was quick to assure the public remained open for guest judges. Which means that sure to fill those seats are standbys like Debbie Allen (who manages to make everything she says sound ridiculously profound) and Lil’ C (who manages to make everything he says sound profoundly ridiculous). But this development leaves the choreographers to do what they do best — choreograph, and not judge. Can I get an amen hallelujah?

Between this and naming Ellen DeGeneres as the third Idol judge, I think we’ve just proved that Token Gay Judge is the new Token Black Judge. Now if only we could find a judge that brings the two together, well, with that we could just take over the world. (Are you listening, Ms. J? I believe that’s your cue.)

American Idol pretty firmly has set the judges’ formula for every performance reality show ever. Sure, the Randy Jackson role of a wise-yet-incomprehensible black dude is sometimes rotated and a bit of a wild card, but you’ve got two roles that remain steady. First, you have the potentially psychotic yes-woman Paula Abdul type with her weird way of talking, fame from a bygone era, and rampant pills/plastic surgery/botox. And then, of course, there is the Simon Cowell — the British guy who is a giant douchebag.

Since So You Think You Can Dance is made by the same people as American Idol, they naturally follow the sacred formula, only, as if to make up for a lack of a Randy Jackson replacement, they have made their Paula Abdul, Mary Murphy, extra crazy and botoxed, and they’ve made their Simon, Nigel Lythgoe, way, way more douchey.

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Is it just me or have the girls in this season of So You Think You Can Dance, much like their counterparts in American Idol, totally fallen flat this season?  I mean, partially talent-wise, I’m just not feeling the girls, but especially personality-wise. Especially since Asuka left, the girls have felt completely flat to me. I have a few who I like above the others (Jeanine, Janette, Randi), but, really, they’re all kind of a blob of “eh”-ness to me.

The boys, on the other hand, at least inspire emotion. I actually care when it comes to elimination time who’s going home. Which, correct me if I’m wrong, is sort of the point.

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We — as in, my household of two adults and two kids — love watching American Idol during the winter months. It comes on in January, just about the time we’re going stir-crazy here in the North Woods, and carries us into the spring months. I know Idol has gotten a bad rap lately, but it keeps us from killing each other during those long, cold, cabin-fever nights.

And just about the time Idol ends, we have another talent show to keep us interested into the summer: So You Think You Can Dance. I wouldn’t say it’s the life-and-death situation of American Idol, but it’s definitely a fun diversion from the hectic rush of our lives. And it’s hard not to compare the two shows, which is what I’m going to do right now.

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No need to beat around the bush. Stuff happened this week. Let’s get right to it.

• Jon & Kate Plus 9.8 million viewers for their season premiere; that’s better than all of the broadcast nets on the night.
• Susan Boyle, the Britain’s Got Talent sensation, earned a spot in the finale this Saturday, but may be having a nervous breakdown in the process.
• The first step in the new television landscape begins this week as Jay Leno says goodbye to The Tonight Show, with Conan O’Brien taking over Monday.
• There was lots of bitching this week about the voting results of American Idol, with AT&T admitting to helping Kris Allen fans “power vote” for free. In the end, it doesn’t really matter.
• Nigel Lythgoe got GLAAD mad by criticizing two male dancers who performed a samba on So You Think You Can Dance, saying words that some say were homophobic and others say were simply in bad taste.
• Rumors have started to swirl that a reimagining of Buffy the Vampire Slayer might make its way to the silver screen, without the involvement of creator Joss Whedon.
• Twitter is developing a television show that looks like it’s training the next great celebrity stalkers.
• This just in, Karen Gillan will be The Doctor’s companion when Matt Smith takes over the role of Doctor Who in 2010 from current Time Lord David Tennant. She’s really young, too (21)!