American Idol producers have decided that the show needs a little something extra for their upcoming 8th season — a 4th judge. Now, with a show as popular as American Idol (arguably the most popular show in the US) you might imagine that this plum 4th spot might go to someone of stellar importance and fame but, in fact, the producers decided to go with someone with zero name recognition … and way more Paula Abdulness (at least in looks) than I would’ve guessed. Here is a pic of Paula Abdul making her way thru LAX airport this weekend bound for NYC and a pic of the new 4th AI judge, Kara DioGuardi, who is lookin’ to start wearin’ Paula‘s hat:

American Idol is adding a fourth judge: Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi. DioGuardi will appear at the judges’ table with Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson on the eighth season of the hit show, which premieres in January. “We are turning the heat up on Idol this year and are thrilled to welcome Kara to the judges’ table,” show creator and executive producer Simon Fuller said in a statement. DioGuardi’s songs have appeared on more than 100 million records by the likes of Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Pink, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey … “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,” Fuller added. American Idol was originally slated to have four judges, executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz said in the statement announcing the news. “We’ve seen from our international series that having a fourth judge creates a dynamic that benefits both the contestants and the viewers,” she explained.

To be totally honest, this move to add a 4th judge feels really forced … like the producers felt like they needed to do something to jazz up the show which will be entering its 8th season in January. On the one hand, going with an “unknown” person as the 4th judge means that she will not take away too much from the already established judges on the panel. On the other hand, this new judge looks a lot like Paula Abdul … and the fact that she has written Grammy Award nominated songs for so many performers gives her a pedigree that Paula doesn’t have — should she be worried? I am actually very surprised that AI didn’t go for someone with more starpower to be the 4th judge … no offense to the obvs talented Ms. DioGuardi but she doesn’t really inspire any more desire to watch the show for me. In the end, I believe that AI will still be as popular as it would’ve been even if they didn’t add a new judge to the mix … I find it hard to believe that ratings will go up merely because of the addition of this new judge. I guess we’ll see come January.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]