Kara DioGuardi

We definitely did not see this one coming, but it looks like a stroke of genius! Fox announced yesterday that Ellen DeGeneres will be joining American Idol this season as the fourth judge, replacing the departing Paula Abdul. She won't be giving up her talk show. She will continue to do both, she says.

Paula Adbul might be plotting to take American Idol down, but Simon Cowell still misses her. He says, "I miss her, of course," and that the show is just different without her.

American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi says she might be leaving Idol after just one season.

“I’m only here for one season,” DioGuardi told TV Guide Magazine. “That’s what we’ve discussed. So we’ll see what happens.”

“My life has become extremely exciting and I am so excited for this opportunity,” she says. “I feel grateful to America that they let me grow and they let me find my groove on the show and that they were patient. And hopefully I haven’t disappointed them. It’s been a scary experience at times.”

New American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi has revealed that when she was younger, she privately battled an eating disorder.

“I had kind of a binge eating disorder, where instead of dealing with my emotions, I would stuff them down with food,” Kara told Extra. “I actually went into a treatment center for it.”

Kara explained she never threw up, starved herself or exercised maniacally; she would just eat her feelings.

Last night American Idol premiered with a new judge and a kinder, gentler audition round.

Rather than watching head cases massacre Etta James’ “At Last,” Idol decided to focus on people who can actually, Gasp, sing and a judge who sincerely wants to, whaaaa?; critique and judge.

Where’s the fun in that?

Instead of car-wreck antics from the contestants, most of the premiere drama came from the Idol regulars.

Awww! Don’t they just look like the coziest of peas in a pod?

American Idol introduces their new judge, Kara DioGuardi, at the New York auditions which kicked off on Tuesday. It was the first time all four judges were able to get together.

What does this photo say to you?

We told you to expect some major changes at American Idol.

Today, the show announced there will be a fourth judge that tone-deaf wannabes will have to impress if they want to be sent to Hollywood. Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi is joining Randy, Simon and Paula when the show premieres its eighth season in January 2009.