“Idol” adds fourth judge
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The hit reality TV singing contest “American Idol” is adding a fourth judge for its upcoming eighth season.
Grammy-nominated songwriter and former singer Kara DioGuardi will be critiquing contestants alongside Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson when the new season premieres in January.
According to the Associated Press, DioGuardi’s songs have been recorded by Oklahoma native Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Pink and others.
“With Kara by her side, Paula has some backup and now there is going to be a lot more `girl power’ on the show,” Mike Darnell, president of alternative programming for Fox said in a statement to the AP.
Executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz told the AP that “Idol” was originally supposed to have four judges.Â
“We’ve seen from our international series that having a fourth judge creates a dynamic that benefits both the contestants and the viewers,” she said.
The show’s official Web site, www.americanidol.com, includes a video with DioGuardi in which she describes herself as feisty, opinionated and unafraid of confrontation. Should be interesting, and it will be nice to have a woman on the show who isn’t gushing about how strong everyone’s spirit is and how their talent shines.
Still, I have to wonder two things: 1. If there was always supposed to be a fourth judge, why did it take seven seasons of Paula slurring and blathering, Simon insulting and grumping and Randy blurting “yo, dawg” to inject some new blood?
2. Could we not get someone with a big higher profile to judge the top-rated, hitmaking show? For heaven sakes, “America’s Got Talent” at least has Sharon Osbourne and David Hasselhoff - whatever you think of them, they’re people you’ve actually heard of and seen on TV before - to go along with their cranky Englishman.
With the reality show working to keep its hold on TV’s top spot, it will be interesting to see how many other changes the producers make by the time Season 8 begins.
While we’re on the subject of “Idol,” don’t forget that the Season 7 top 10 contestants, including winner and former Tulsa club player David Cook, are playing at Thursday at the Ford Center as part of the “American Idols Live” tour. Go to www.okfordcenter.com for more information.
-BAM
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