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whadu · Level 49: GameShark **Posts:** 37190 **Timestamp:** Mon Aug 25, 08 11:46 AM

washingtonpost: Because when TV ratings dip, the suits always shuffle around the women (see "Today" show, etc.), Fox announced today it is adding another, younger, female judge to the country's most popular TV show, "American Idol," when it debuts its eighth season in January.

Pop-lite song writer/producer Kara DioGuardi, who is young enough to be judge Paula Abdul's kid sister, has been added to the singing competition, which last season suffered a decline in ratings, as did virtually every other program on the primetime landscape.

Fox says it is making the change for Paula's sake. Seriously, it did.

"For the past seven seasons, Paula has had to endure the experience of being the only woman at the judges' table," Mike Darnell, who oversees reality programming at Fox, said in an announcement. "She's been an island of consideration and gentle criticism between Randy [Jackson] and Simon [Cowell], offering her invaluable expertise as a performer and No. 1 artist to the thousands who have competed on 'American Idol'. With Kara by her side, Paula finally has some back-up and now there is going to be a lot more 'girl power' on the show."

Wanna bet she won't actually be sitting by Paula's side?

Another of the show's plethora of exec producers, Cecile Frot-Coutaz, noted they've seen from overseas versions of the singing competition "that having a fourth judge creates a dynamic that benefits both the contestants and the viewers."

Which is odd, given the judges on the American version, also including Jackson and Cowell, were given far less on-air time for critiquing Idolettes last season. Particularly Paula, who seemed far more, well, sane last season. Maybe this move is intended to drive her back over the edge, which made for the kind of train-wreck TV viewers have come to expect on "Idol."

"Idol" exec producer Simon Fuller added that they are "turning the heat up" on "Idol" this year and are "thrilled" to be adding DioGuardi to the judges' table because she is "a smart, sassy lady" and one of the country's "most successful songwriters." To back up this claim, Fox notes she is "Grammy-nominated." This is different from "Grammy-winning."

That said, Fox notes her songs have been recorded by actual Grammy-winning artists -- not for her songs, however, it would appear.
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The network lists a slew of them, including Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, Santana and Pink. Also releasing DioGuardi songs are such pop-lite-ers as Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Pussycat Dolls, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Natasha Bedingfield, Jewel, Ashley Tisdale, Katharine McPhee, Taylor Hicks, Bo Bice -- not THE Bo Bice?! -- Clay Aiken, Ashlee Simpson, Hilary Duff, Jessica Simpson, Kylie Minogue, Enrique Iglesias and Nick Lachey. You may know DioGuardi from her songs featured in Disney Channel's "Camp Rock," or "The Cheetah Girls 3," or the Hannah Montana flick.

In an "interview" somebody allegedly conducted with DioGuardi, on Fox's Web site, she says she found out she was in the running for the gig when "my agent called me and he said, 'you are on a short list to be the 4th judge on AMERICAN IDOL,' and I said 'Are you calling for me or did you dial the wrong number?' They were, like, 'no seriously this is going on this can happen,' and I was, like, 'there is no way they are going to pick me. Why wouldn't they pick someone famous? Someone everyone knows?'

"But you know, I guess they saw something about me that they thought was good, and they wanted to put somebody who was from the industry on the show and so, I got the job."

Source: washingtonpost.com

Kara-DioGuardi,

American-Idol,

TV-Shows

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