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Ellen DeGeneres and her funny were given the first look at the preview of "American Idol" next week. "You frightened me. You were stalking us. You were like a leopard behind a cage," the new permanent judge told a contestant during a Hollywood week episode that will air on February 9.

From the auditions, 181 people advanced to Hollywood. The Hollywood Round is divided into four parts and Top 24, consisting of 12 guys and 12 girls will be revealed on February 17. Audience will then be able to vote starting February 23 when the girls perform live for the first time.

Ellen is the replacement of Paula Abdul who quit over contract dispute late last year. Sitting next to Simon Cowell, the comedienne allegedly has called Simon a "prima donna". The producer was more than an hour late to the first day in Hollywood and Ellen could not tolerate that because she had moved up the taping of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" so she could be there on time.

"Here it was the first day of taping of the Hollywood shows, and Ellen was there waiting for Simon to show up," an insider told Deadline Hollywood. "Ellen's new to the gig and she's very organized and she made a commitment to take this on, and now she's asking herself, 'What did I get myself into?' She called Simon Cowell a prima donna. So right from the start, the chemistry isn't great."

However, Ellen only has to keep up with Simon for one season. Simon announced his departure from "Idol" to concentrate on developing the U.S. version of "The X Factor". Ellen reportedly asked FOX alternative programming chief Mike Darnell to "hurry up and pick" his replacement.