Fox just announced that comedian, talk show host and now record label owner will not return as a judge for American Idol.

“A couple months ago, I let Fox and the American Idol producers know that this didn’t feel like the right fit for me,” DeGeneres said. “I told them I wouldn’t leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next. It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for.”

She continued: “I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings. I loved the experience working on IDOL and I am very grateful for the year I had. I am a huge fan of the show and will continue to be.”

A few months ago, the stand-up comedian announced she was starting a record label; her first signing was 12 year-old singer Greyson Chance.

Here’s our one line editorial on the situation: with your new free time, Ellen, focus on signing up and coming comedian talent to your label instead of obvious money-making machines in the form of floppy haired tweens. Yay!

If you want to see Ellen explaining her label, you’re in luck. Just look below.

After his roles in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him To The Greek, would you trust Russell Brand with a sword?

Didn’t think so.

But our opinions don’t matter when it comes to casting movies. And it just so happens that 20th Century Fox thinks otherwise, as Brand has just been cast in Hawkwood, an action comedy about a morally challenged but gifted swordsman, according to Deadline.com.

Brand will play the title role in the film, named after John Hawkwood, who was paid to lead various European armies during the Renaissance wars.

It will be a different kind of role for Brand, who is currently filming a remake of Arthur, continuing his recent string of characters with a drinking problem.

Comedy icons Cheech and Chong will appear on a spring 2011 episode of The Simpsons. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the episode revolves around the split-up of the duo, after which Cheech and Chong each find a better half.

Cheech and Homer pair up as a new comedy team, Cheech and Chunky, while Chong pairs up with a Springfield teacher to create Teach and Chong. Hilarity is bound to ensue, and if our careful studies of media (i.e. excessive TV watching) provide any precedents, our guess is that Cheech and Chong will be back together by the end of the episode.

Keep an eye out for Cheech and Chong next spring, but in the mean time you can catch them on their currently running live national Get it Legal tour.

At the start of next year, Comedy Central will debut its network in Israel, making it available to more than 1.3 million households.

According to the Hollywood Reporter: “The channel will broadcast a mix of international and local comedy programming; from timeless classics to the newest hit series, from sitcoms to stand up, from animation to sketch shows.”

Comedy Central is currently seen in nine other countries and commonwealths besides the U.S. They are: Poland, Hungary, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Germany, Italy and the U.K.

One country you won’t soon see the network? China.

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galfianakis, a.k.a. the greatest web series of all time, is back. The latest episode hit the interwebs today with a very prepared Steve Carell as guest.

If you have insecurities about the size/shape of your nose as I do, ready yourself for some refreshingly original insults. You aren’t off the hook either, fat people.

As we’ve said before, newcomer cable channel Epix, is fast becoming the go-to place to see exclusive premieres of stand-up comedy specials from some of the country’s best-respected comedians. You can already count David Cross, Janeane Garofalo, and Eddie Izzard as members of their roster.

And this week, it was announced that Louis C.K. has chosen the network to premiere his highly anticipated, critically acclaimed new hour special Hilarious.

And today, we learn that Epix will air Lewis Black’s new special, Basic Black, set to premiere Aug. 1. But, check it out: Basic Black is more than a traditional hour-long stand-up comedy special. New live footage of Black will be accompanied by vintage stage footage of the comedian in his younger days, interspersed, as well, with sit down interviews with Black.

Epix kicked off their string of comedy specials last year with Black’s Stark Raving Black.

In the latest Futurama episode, we learn that if you’re taking someone out to lunch, you should show up on time.

The ever-tardy Fry is late to Leela’s birthday lunch. Little does he know that she carried on with the meal without him. Check out a clip below and be sure to tune in tonight at 10 pm EST on Comedy Central.

Starting tonight, the Comedy Caravan in Louisville, KY is hosting a series of shows through Sunday billed as “Clean Comedy for Dirty Minds.” From a business standpoint, it initially seems like a good idea. Don’t alienate those who don’t embrace liberal use of the F-Bomb, right? Sure. But does a comedy club run the risk of turning off a large portion of their crowd who might be looking for a no holds barred night of fun?

Check out Big John Richardson in this local news spot below, promoting said shows in which he’s performing. What do you think? Would you go to a show like this or is it a huge turn off? Let us know in the comments section.

What happens when a comedian steals a joke? In most industries, creative material is effectively policed by Intellectual Property (IP) laws, putting a type of copyright on original material. However, in the chapter “Intellectual Property Norms in Stand-Up Comedy,” which will appear in an upcoming book from the University of Chicago Press, two University of Virginia law school authors find that stand-up comedians find their own ways to police originality in their work.

Instead of using the legal system to protect their jokes, comedians use a system of social norms. Based on 19 interviews with working comics, the authors found that some comics will confront an alleged joke stealer to try to work things out, while other comics will refuse to be on the same bill as a comedian who steals material. We see this every day with comedians like Patton Oswalt speaking out against his act getting stolen, or Marc Maron confronting Carlos Mencia about stealing jokes on his podcast WTF.

The chapter also explores the difficulty in determining whether a comedian has stolen a joke or has merely experienced “parallel thinking,” when multiple comedians come up with the same premise independently. Many comics interviewed in the chapter said that it is important for them to find their own point of view and explore unique material to avoid even the suspicion of having taken a joke. These comedians also find it easier to identify when their jokes have been used because they are written in a distinctive voice.

Usually, intellectual property rights serve to promote more creative material because it prevents people from repeating what has already been done. But despite the lack of formal property rights associated with stand-up material, the authors concluded that comics still create original acts. The system of social norms established in the stand-up community are enough to push the form forward and to encourage comics to establish their own voice and point of view, even though there are rarely legal ramifications for stealing a joke.

You can read the full chapter of the book here.

Comedy Central and Jon Stewart’s Busboy Productions will join together again for their third bi-annual charity event Night Of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Concert For Autism Education.

The concert will be hosted again by Jon Stewart and will have appearances by comedians Lewis Black, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, Joel McHale, John Oliver, Chris Rock, and Sarah Silverman with many more to be announced. The show will be taped at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on Saturday, Oct. 2.

Tickets can be purchased starting Aug. 2 for the live event on TicketMaster.com. Night of Too Many Stars will air on Comedy Central Oct. 21, 9 pm ET and will include live wrap-arounds with Jon Stewart among others.

Let’s say we get a taste of what’s to come by looking a the past. Check out Ricky Gervais’ appearance on the last Night of Too Many Stars following by comedian Amy Schumer interviewing Sarah Silverman on the red carpet. Fun!