Paula Abdul Ain't Down With New 'American Idol' Judge

Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi will sit alongside Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson when the eighth season of "American Idol" premieres in January, the Fox network said Monday.

"For the past seven seasons, Paula has had to endure the experience of being the only woman at the judges' table," said Mike Darnell, president, alternative programming of Fox, in a statement.

"With Kara by her side, Paula has some backup and now there is going to be a lot more `girl power' on the show," Darnell said.

DioGuardio's songs have been recorded by Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood and Pink, among others.

Just hours after the announcement that "American Idol" will be adding a fourth judge, Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi, for the show's eighth season, Paula Abdul said she has concerns about the newcomer.

On Monday (August 25), Paula said on Phoenix's KISS-FM that she's excited about DioGuardi coming aboard, according to UsMagazine.com, but added: "I am concerned about the audience and acceptance. Time will tell. We'll see."

She said that DioGuardi was added because the show's producers "wanted to try a change," and noted that the show "always tried for a fourth judge because it followed the format of the original show, 'Pop Idol.' We haven't had much luck with that working, but we're gonna give it another try."

Abdul replied with a "nope!" when asked if the four judges — Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, along with DioGuardi and herself — have sat down and given their chemistry a test run. She said DioGuardi will be involved in "everything" related to "Idol," adding that the judges are currently in New York for "Idol" auditions (for which "American Idol" expert Jim Cantiello tried out last week). "We shoot tomorrow," she added.

Abdul admitted that the presence of a fourth judge complicates the judging process.

"That's gonna be weird if it's a split decision," she said. "I'm sure Simon will get to make the final [call]. It takes the fun out of all the hard work I do to push those kids through."