American Idol Adds A Fourth Judge

08-26-08
From nydailynews.com:

The judges' table at "American Idol" is going to get a little bigger this season with the arrival of a fourth judge, singer-songwriter Kara DioGuardi.
The proven hitmaker will join the current judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul in the coming season of the hit Fox series, which returns in January.
"We are turning the heat up on 'Idol' this year and are thrilled to welcome Kara to the judges' table," creator and executive producer Simon Fuller said in a statement. "She is a smart, sassy lady, and one of America's most successful songwriters. We know she will bring a new level of energy and excitement to the show."
Adding DioGuardi is the latest twist in the popular singing franchise. It also comes after a season in which the show suffered some audience erosion and critical barbs that the format had grown stale.
After the season was over, the producers and Fox executives vowed to shake up the series.
Recently, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe said he would step away from day-to-day involvement in the show.
DioGuardi is no stranger to being around budding pop stars. Some of her catalog of several hundred songs have been recorded by such folks as Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion, Taylor Hicks, Carrie Underwood, Pink, The Jonas Brothers, Britney Spears, Jewel and Hilary Duff.
This isn't the first time the producers have tried to add a fourth judge to what has been a very successful panel. In the second season, New York radio deejay Angie Martinez was added to the mix, but she left the program soon after saying she couldn't be critical of upcoming singers who had a dream to hit big.
"We had originally intended for 'American Idol' to have four judges," executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz said in a statement. "We've seen from our international series that having a fourth judge creates a dynamic that benefits both the contestants and the viewers."
Mike Darnell, Fox's head of alternative programming, said the addition of DioGuardi would add another female voice to the mix and provide a buddy for Abdul.
"With Kara by her side," Darnell said in a statement, "Paula finally has some back-up and now there is going to be a lot more 'girl power' on the show."
DioGuardi gets her start on the show Tuesday in New York when the contestants who have been passed through the early addition phases so far face the big judges for the first time.