Posts Tagged ‘kara dioguardia’

Simon Says All is Well with Idol Judges

April 16th, 2009

If you ever needed any confirmation that OK!’s current cover story about on-set tension between American Idol judges Paula Abdul and Kara DioGuardi, you just had to watch this past Tuesday’s performance show where the show’s judges were split into teams right down the middle of the overcrowded table.

As previously reported, while the boys on the show — Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest joked around with each other, the ladies at the heart of the conflict could barely look in each other’s direction.

But Simon — ironically, the first to stir up rumors of dissent long before the season even started! — is now changing his tune and saying that all is well on the hit Fox show.

"They both seem to get along well," Simon tells Extra. And what about the fact that it’s being widely reported that at least one of the four judges won’t be at the table next season? "As far as I’m concerned, we’ll all be back on it next year… Theres no weirdness going on behind the scenes."

PICS FROM TUESDAY’S SHOW:

Even if what Simon says is true, it looks like OK! readers are all in favor of giving Kara the heave-ho, with more than 70% of them voting her as the least necessary judge.

For the complete story, pick up the new issue of OK! — on newsstands everywhere Thursday!

Simon Says All is Well with Idol Judges

April 16th, 2009

If you ever needed any confirmation that OK!’s current cover story about on-set tension between American Idol judges Paula Abdul and Kara DioGuardi, you just had to watch this past Tuesday’s performance show where the show’s judges were split into teams right down the middle of the overcrowded table.

As previously reported, while the boys on the show — Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest joked around with each other, the ladies at the heart of the conflict could barely look in each other’s direction.

But Simon — ironically, the first to stir up rumors of dissent long before the season even started! — is now changing his tune and saying that all is well on the hit Fox show.

"They both seem to get along well," Simon tells Extra. And what about the fact that it’s being widely reported that at least one of the four judges won’t be at the table next season? "As far as I’m concerned, we’ll all be back on it next year… Theres no weirdness going on behind the scenes."

PICS FROM TUESDAY’S SHOW:


Even if what Simon says is true, it looks like OK! readers are all in favor of giving Kara the heave-ho, with more than 70% of them voting her as the least necessary judge.

For the complete story, pick up the new issue of OK! — on newsstands everywhere Thursday!

Cover Story: Paula & Kara’s Idol War

April 14th, 2009 / Author: OK! Staff

It’s not just the contestants fighting to stay alive each week on American Idol. Both Paula Abdul and Kara DioGuardi are in danger of losing their spots alongside Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson at the overcrowded judges’ table next season, and the tension among the panelists has become unbearable.

“The plan to add a fourth person backfired,” an Idol insider tells OK! about the troubles that have been mounting since Kara joined the cast at the beginning of this season. “Now the producers are left with a tough decision: Do they go back to the original three-judge format, or leave Kara there?”

With all four judges in contract negotiation — and no ninth-season spots confirmed — the competition has turned fierce. “As long as the show brings in millions of viewers, everyone wants a piece of it,” says a pal of the former pop star. “Paula wants to remain on the program for as long as Simon is involved, and Kara’s trying to stay on for as much time as possible. She wants Paula to get the ax.”

The increasing turmoil marks a shift from the camaraderie once enjoyed by the female judges, who had been pals for a decade.

“Kara was bold enough to come tap me on the shoulder,” Paula has said of their initial meeting on an NYC sidewalk. After a few weeks of knowing the aspiring songwriter, Paula invited her to L.A. “I moved a complete stranger into my home and we were the best roommates,” Paula has said. “I took her all around, and she has become one of the most successful songwriters.”

But Paula shocked everyone when she told OK! in January, “Kara and I get along great and have known each other for years, but we tried four judges before when we had celebrity guest judges sitting in, and it just doesn’t work.” Kara hit back in a statement: “Paula has a right to her opinions, but I was disappointed by her comments and hurt that she did not address them to me in person.”

Soon, things turned from what Randy, 52, dubbed “man versus woman” to a girl-on-girl brawl!
 

For the complete story, pick up the new issue of OK! — on newsstands everywhere Thursday!

No Idol Catfights, Says Ryan Seacrest

August 26th, 2008 / Author: OK! Staff

For seven seasons, Paula Abdul has been blessed (though some might say "cursed") to be the only woman judge on America’s most popular show. But with the announcement on Monday that songwriter and producer Kara DiaGuardia had been added for the upcoming season of American Idol, some Hollywood insiders were predicting that the "Straight Up" singer would be showing her claws to defend her territory.

But according to Idol host Ryan Seacrest, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

"Let’s clear the air," he said during a break at Tuesday’s first-round auditions in Manhattan. "Paula and Kara are great together. They used to live together and Paula helped her out years ago. Now the two of them are on the same team."

However, this hasn’t stopped resident imp Simon Cowell from trying to stir up trouble. "I love catfights," he told OK!. "I encourage them. It’s no fun if everyone gets along."

To that end, Simon has already started in on trying to cause a rift. "I wouldn’t have recognized Kara by the way Paula described her," Simon said. "I was expecting someone maybe 50 years old, about 180 lbs., maybe a bit of gray hair."

During yesterday’s announcement, AI producer Simon Fuller described Kara as a "“smart, sassy lady," who will "bring a new level of energy and excitement to the show.”

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