Ellen DeGeneres is a surprise pick for an American Idol judge, especially alongside music veterans like Simon, Randy, and Kara DioGuardi.  The casual conversation piece is whether she has the musical chops, and Idol die-hards are probably miffed by the move.  But Fox has ratings in mind, and the TV-savvy DeGeneres just might do the trick.

But major label groups have a separate beef.  The Ellen DeGeneres Show has apparently been skipping any royalty payments for songs played during the program, according to a lawsuit filed in Nashville by all four major label groups. 

The complaint alleges that DeGeneres Show producers brushed off royalty demands by stating that they "did not roll that way," perhaps the wrong comment to a highly-litigious executive set.  "As sophisticated consumers of music, defendants knew fully well that, regardless of the way they rolled... they needed a license to use the sound recordings lawfully," the plaintiffs stated.  The show is distributed by Warner Bros. Television.