Kara DioGuardi returning as 'American Idol' judge

This jan. 13, 2009 file photo shows Kara DioGuardi of 'American Idol' arriving at the FOX Winter All-Star Party in Los Angeles. DioGuardi will be back for her second round as a judge on 'American Idol.'

The Fox network says Kara DioGuardi (KA'-ruh dee-oh-GWAHR'-dee) will be back for her second round as a judge on "American Idol."

The Grammy-nominated songwriter joined original panelists Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul last season.

Her arrival raised questions about the future of Abdul on the hit talent competition. Abdul is still negotiating for next year.

"American Idol" starts its ninth season in January.

DioGuardi on being `Idol' judge: It's not easy

In this Feb. 6, 2009 file photo, Kara DioGuardi arrives at the MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute honoring Neil Diamond in Los Angeles.

When Kara DioGuardi accepted her job as the fourth judge on "American Idol," she did not immediately grasp the enormity of a full-time gig on the most-watched TV show in the United States.

"I probably in my own way didn't really take in what a huge thing it was, just `cause it would be so overwhelming," she said. "Until I kind of showed up and was like, `Oh my god, what am I doing here? This is, like, huge!' And then it really hit me when we went live that, wow, `I got to speak live in front of 30 million people?'"

Since joining the judges' panel, DioGuardi has weathered the curve balls of live television, eye rolls from Simon Cowell and criticism of her judging abilities by the viewer peanut gallery. As the eighth season progresses to a showdown between Adam Lambert and Someone Else, the 38-year-old songwriter and producer's "saving grace" has been connecting with the finalists and helping steer them in the right direction, by way of her industry expertise.

"It's not an easy job," DioGuardi said in an interview from Los Angeles. "I mean, there was nothing wrong with that panel. It wasn't like I had to fix something. It was great. So to come in and kind of be part of it was really tricky. ...

"So I look at it sometimes and I think, `All right, maybe I could have done this better or that better,' but I'm literally just trying not to" act like "a bumbling moron because I'm so, you know, nervous at times," she said.

Adding a fourth judge to the veteran threesome of Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Cowell was part of series of changes producers implemented this season to shake up the franchise. A 13th contestant, picked in a wild card round, joined the top dozen. A one-time rule allowed judges to save contestant Matt Giraud from voter elimination.

And — in an "Idol" first — only two judges were allowed to review a singer last Tuesday to save time. The show has been running over schedule, which Cowell blamed on DioGuardi and Abdul talking too much.

"Of course, we're going to have time issues — you added a fourth judge! What did you think? I was going to just sit there and, you know, like do a grading system on my hands? Which probably I would mess up because you know how my remedial math is," DioGuardi joked, referring to the now-classic blunder she made while reviewing Lambert ("I've got six words for you: One of the best performances of the night!").

Cecile Frot-Coutaz, an executive producer on "Idol," said producers envisioned a fourth judge could create a time crunch.

"It's hard for (the judges) to figure out whether they've spoken for 30 seconds or 45 seconds, so ... we're going to try and help them with that and give them a sense of their timing so that we keep it under control a bit more," Frot-Coutaz said.

DioGuardi, whose criticism can be as long-winded as Cowell's is blunt, said she's making an effort to cut her comments short. She seems to have scaled back in the last couple weeks.

Her remarks are generally rife with musical jargon (especially "artistry") and she has been an unwitting target of hecklers in the studio audience. Recently, cast-off Megan Corkey's brother shouted: "Broken record!"

"Kara's opinion is so irrelevant that I don't think people even listen to it," said Dave Della Terza, founder of VoteForTheWorst.com, which encourages "Idol" viewers to vote for bad-yet-entertaining singers. He derided DioGuardi as humorless and unskilled at thinking on her feet.

DioGuardi, who has worked with such singers as Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion and Kelly Clarkson, said she tries to tune out the negativity and focus on her goal: "to help America find the best `Idol' and to help these kids."

It's clear she takes her job very seriously. In conversation, she offered unprompted, thoughtful analyses of various finalists; she often schedules one-on-one advising sessions with hopefuls after they get voted off.

As for her recent on-camera gaffes, including a reference to the legendary New York club Studio 54 as "Studio 57," she said: "It's OK. I'll poke fun at myself and I'll look like an idiot on that front. But I want to make sure that what I'm telling them makes sense and it has meaning."

How does she fit in with Cowell and the gang?

"I'm a combination of them in different ways," she said. "I think I can be hard sometimes and then soft in other times, depending on what I think the contestant needs."

Frot-Coutaz said the four-judge system has worked thus far, and viewers have responded positively to DioGuardi.

"We're certainly not talking about going back to three at this point. ... We're pleased with the fourth judge," she said.

Plus, Frot-Coutaz noted, DioGuardi provided one of the season's greatest moments: Her feud with Katrina "Bikini Girl" Darrell during the audition rounds, when the judge — a talented singer in her own right — told the scantily clad wannabe to bring a stripper pole next time.

The exchange, viewed by some as immature on DioGuardi's part, revealed an intriguing glimpse into her personality — less Pollyanna, more Troublemaker.

DioGuardi said she's funnier than she appears on the show. But she's not completely stiff.

"I noticed that my hands go all over the place, and sometimes I look like I'm a gesticulating fool," she said. "You know, it's very Italian."

"American Idol" debut audience slides

Kara DioGuardi, a new judge on 'American Idol,' arrives at the FOX Winter All-Star Party in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009.

"American Idol" launched its latest run with 10 percent fewer viewers than watched last year's season opener, ratings showed on Wednesday, despite hoopla surrounding a new judge for the hit talent contest.

Still, the 30.1 million viewers tuning in to Tuesday night's debut of the show's eighth installment on the Fox network, a unit of News Corp, marked the biggest audience for any U.S. television broadcast so far this season.

The previous benchmark was held by the CBS detective drama, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," which drew 23.5 million viewers with its season premiere on October 9, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The opening-night tally for "American Idol," down 10 percent from last year's season premiere, marks the lowest audience total for a season-debut episode since 2004, when 28.2 million tuned in, Nielsen reported.

Ratings also were down 14 percent from last year's opening broadcast among viewers aged 18 to 49, the group most prized by advertisers.

The show's biggest season premiere was in 2007, watched by 37.3 million viewers.

"Idol" easily remains the most watched program on U.S. television, and Fox spokesman Scott Grogin said it was not surprising for even the most wildly popular of shows to see a ratings decline after eight seasons.

He added that the increasing tendency of viewers to record the program and watch it later has taken a toll on the show's first-day ratings, as it has on other programs.

The cavalcade of pop-star wannabes auditioning in the two-hour "American Idol" premiere included a swimsuit-clad contestant who earned the nickname Bikini Girl, and an almost completely blind man who sang a Billy Joel song.

The show's premiere also featured for the first time a panel of four judges, with the addition of newcomer Kara DioGuardi appraising the talent of try-out contestants in Phoenix, Arizona.

DioGuardi, a songwriter and producer, joins veteran panelists Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson.

"American Idol" drew an average 28.1 million viewers each week last season. The show is a spin-off of a British hit that was brought to the United States in 2002.

The reality show has launched the careers of such recording stars as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson, who went on to win an Oscar for her performance as a Motown singer in the 2006 musical "Dreamgirls." Last year's winner was rocker David Cook.