The new American Idol

In the summer of 2008, American Idol announced a new addition- a fourth judge. In a matter of hours the internet was buzzing. Everyone had their own theories of why this fourth judge was being added.

One of the most popular theories was that Paula Abdul, Idol’s resident kind and at times distractive judge was leaving. Abdul immediately issued a statement that she was not being replaced, and that she knows the new judge. The new judge turned out to be singer/songwriter Kara Dioguardi. Others went on to say this was a ratings ploy, because Idol had experienced a decline in ratings the previous season. Although, I believe there is substance to that, I think more than anything it was the hope of the judge’s interaction would become newsworthy.

The media and we as a society are very quick to judge and closely analyze women. Were Kara and Paula going to dress similar? Were they going to argue? Is Kara the female version of Simon? How were the other two men (Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell) going to react?
People were very scared of change, rightfully so. American Idol has become a staple in many North American homes, and culture. There are so many versions that stem from Idol worldwide. Each one of those judges has established their presence on that show.

Randy is the neutral, technical judge. Paula is the comical relief, with her always positive criticisms. Simon, well Simon is Simon. He’s the brutally honest and sometimes overdramatic judge that everyone wishes they could be. Although all three have creditability with the many years in the music business, they were still missing something on that show.

Personally, I wasn’t too crazy of the idea of a new judge and I was ready to heavily judge her premiere episode. To my surprise, along with many other people’s she was a positive change. She somehow merged with the other three, but still made herself unique. It didn’t seem too forced. In the beginning it was awkward, but she quickly grew on people.

Kara is a very accomplished songwriter, writing for artists such as Pink, Rascal Flatts, Christina Aguilera, and Carrie Underwood. She has over a 100 hits to her name. (www.karadioguardi.com) Along with that she has plenty of experience of failed career chances. She has made albums that have never sold, been in bands that were unsuccessful. This gives her a tremendous advantage; she has been in the business and has been criticized and has been given second chances. That’s something that she regularly addresses and is evident in her criticisms and comments.

Another important part of her is she understands the business side very well. She has approval from the business side and the creative, artistic side. Again this separates her from the other judges. The last thing that really works in her favor and sets her out is her look and personality. She’s very much a “girl’s girl”, she’s a lot about the female empowerment. She doesn’t act or come off as superior, she acknowledges her flaws, makes fun of them, but never lets them get in her way.

With the news that she only signed on for one season, and she might not be coming back Idol received their dream reaction. Everyone once again started buzzing and sharing their opinions. It’s been said she’s coming back, but it has not been confirmed. I hope she does come back as I believe she is very fair and more than qualified to do so. She is a mixture of all three of the judges- she understands the technical, realistic, artistic and emotional side.