Kara DioGuardi: “I feel very confident that there are at least 5 men who are great.”

By On 01/09/2009 · 24 Comments · In Uncategorized

New Idol judge Kara DioGuardi gave a press conference earlier today.   Just like Simon Cowell, Kara seems to be bullish on the guys.   She says there was a Maroon-5 like vibe going on with some of the boys, and she loves when contestants play instruments.   Plus, she’s waiting for a call from Chris Daughtry.   She wants to co-write with him. Her catch phrase? “Be you. Don’t try to be anybody but you.”

Here are some of the highlights:

  • The guys have the edge? “I’m not sure I can get into the names of the contestants but looking at the contestants as a whole I felt that the males were strongest.   That being said, there are one or two females that I’m really excited about as well. I’m really excited for the show to start the next phase.”
  • Season 7 vs. Season 8 contestants, “There is a uniqueness to some of the male contestants in terms of their voices and song choice.   I feel very confident that there are at least 5 men who are great.”
  • More on this year’s contestants, “There were people doing country, people doing rock, and there was a lot of soul influence, especially with the male contestants. Not just R&B but more like how Maroon 5 is soulful.”
  • On working with Chris Daughtry, “I would love to co-write with him. At one point he was going to do a duet on a song I’d written, but it didn’t happen. If he’s out there and wants to do a co-write, call me!”
  • On working with Kelly Clarkson, “I love Kelly. I can tell her to sing anything and she can just sing it. She was feisty and she put her personality into the songs and for the stuff I was writing at the time she was just perfect for it.”
  • On contestants playing instruments, “I love when people play instruments. It adds another component, shows artistry and there are a lot of people who really fall apart when you take their instrument away from them so it really shows their range.”
  • How has the judges dynamic changed? “I think there are times that definitely Paula and I have sided against the guys, there’s a little girl power going on. It’s also just a change and so it does bring out a different dynamic. I was nervous: I didn’t know when I was going to speak or where I was going to sit.”
  • How would she describe each of the judges? “Paula has a lot of heart, Simon prett much tells it like it is. Sometimes he can be harsh but he’s usually right.   And Randy’s a diplomat.”
  • How would you describe yourself? “I think I have a combination of all of them. I don’t mince words but I do feel I have a heart and when you’re dealing with creative people you want to make sure you encourage them but you also don’t want them to waste their time. I say negative things but I do it with some heart and some understanding.”
  • Does she have a signature line? “I’m working on it. I’m not sure I have it yet, but give me some tme. [later] “Be you. Don’t try to be anybody but you.”

Like Simon Cowell, Kara seems to be bullish on the guys.

Source: Zap2it Billboard

 
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  • primeminister

    there was a lot of soul influence, especially with the male contestants. Not just R&B but more like how Maroon 5 is soulful

    …like Ryan P.A. Johnson? Too bad he wasn’t one of the judges favorites during Hollywood week.

  • hypertwink

    The guys have the edge? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not sure I can get into the names of the contestants but looking at the contestants as a whole I felt that the males were strongest. That being said, there are one or two females that Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m really excited about as well. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m really excited for the show to start the next phase.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

    How great are the girls? Because if they’re Syesha great, then watch the last few weeks mirror Season 7 where Jason, and the Davids were overshadowing all the girls (hence all their bitching about how the guys had it easy). If they’re like Kelly or Carrie great, then watch the guys cannibalize each other especially if the set-up for this year is an uneven split between boys and girls.

  • primeminister

    If theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re like Kelly or Carrie great, then watch the guys cannibalize each other especially if the set-up for this year is an uneven split between boys and girls.

    I agree with you. It doesn’t matter if the guys are better as a group, if there is a Kelly or Carrie-level individual star, a girl could still win.

  • Lisa

    I have a gut feeling their top guy is Adam. I hope I am wrong because I hope there are more great voices out there that we have not heard of yet. Which could also be a downside for said person since alot of these peeps already have fanbases. I hope too there are more girl’s we have not heard about yet.

    What I do not like is being told male/female is the better singer in a so called year. It’s like they already picked out who they want to win and we have no say in the matter.

    ETA… Adam already has one helluva fanbase from “Wicked”.

  • jimmyboyd2

    Von has the top fanbase so far on IDF. Both Adam and Von are soulful and sing high like the guy in Maroon 5. They both can get over the top, though, so it will be interesting to see how they fare. I wouldn’t assume anyone is the favorite until we can see who is good at playing the game.

    What is Wicked?

  • poporange

    Stated before I am starting to like her as a judge and would be nice to see how she does as a judge. It always seems they call out whom they predict will win a boy or girl so it is nothing new but the the downside you get an inking whom they pimp early on.

    “Wiked” is a broadway play that is now touring nationally and is sort of a new twist what happened before “Wizard of OZ”. I saw it, was good and thier were very talented preformers.

  • Dr. Tracey

    Was the duet Chris Daughtry was going to do the one with Kelly?
    I’m thinking probably not ‘cos they did end up recording that right?

    à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“There is a uniqueness to some of the male contestants in terms of their voices and song choice.”

    I hope that’s true, especially about the song choice.

  • http://www.myspace.com/gwendolyndiane GwendolynD

    I have a gut feeling their top guy is Adam.

    Really? I’d be very surprised if that was true. Nevertheless, I love it when the guys are better than the girls.

    I like Adam Lambert, but I hate buzz overkill. It makes me jaded.

    Not just R&B but more like how Maroon 5 is soulful.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

    I like Felicia Barton because she’s soulful. Not just R & B but more like Natasha Bedingfield and Natalie Grant are soulful…with a sprinkle of Alicia Keys.

    Nevertheless, the true test comes with theme weeks. One wrong move could be one’s downfall.

  • snuffles

    I think their love of the men is why they switched back to the old semi-finals format. Instead of forcing the old even 6 guy / 6 girl split, this increases the chances of more men getting voted through.

    And if some of their favorite guys don’t get voted through, then they’ll use the wild card round to put them there.

    I personally don’t mind it because I’ve always preferred the guys. When it comes to the girls, too many of them are divas, pageant princess and or child star types that have spent their entire lives being groomed for this very moment by their desperate stage parents.

    It’s rare that we get a girl as talented and REAL as Kelly Clarkson.

  • JudyOhio

    I wonder why she didn’t mention her work with DA, especially since her duet work with him on To Be With You was so pretty.

    ETA – Oops, it was a press conference. Probably nobody asked her about DA during it.

  • http://www.myspace.com/gwendolyndiane GwendolynD

    Kara looks weird in the picture.

    I just keep noticing it.

  • hardkandy

    LOL @ Maroon 5 soulful… is there even such a thing?

    Eh, I want a girl to win this season.

  • weareallinnocent

    LMAO

    The picture, weird? Yes, and not just that one.

    Maroon 5 soulful? Yes, odd indeed. Not my impression, but obviously someone’s!

  • J.S.G.

    I personally donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mind it because Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve always preferred the guys. When it comes to the girls, too many of them are divas, pageant princess and or child star types that have spent their entire lives being groomed for this very moment by their desperate stage parents.

    Sort of describes David Archuletta doesn’t it?

  • http://stores.ebay.com/BookWomanBlues-Book-Nook Bobbi

    Why oh why is she being pushed to come up with a signature line? Don’t we have more than that than we need?

  • http://www.myspace.com/gwendolyndiane GwendolynD

    LMAO

    The picture, weird? Yes, and not just that one.

    Constricted…or something. Heeeee.

  • whosefanryou

    I consider Maroon 5 very soulful pop, so I think I get what she’s saying and would be delighted to see more of that sort of genre on Idol this season. If there are 5 guys who are “great” and a couple of girls too, that bodes really well for the Top 12. Since Ju’not Joyner was supposedly one of their Hollywood favorites, I guess it’s very possible that he’s one of the five, along with Adam and whomever the guy was who sang Georgia and got a standing ovation from the judges for it. We need more spoilers, darnit!

  • snuffles

    Sort of describes David Archuletta doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t it?

    It sure does! And that’s why I didn’t like him on the show. I couldn’t tell if this was his dream or his parents dream. But since the show ended he’s demonstrated a passion for music that’s current and unique and not the crap he was singing on the show (that, in my opinion, was clearly picked by Daddy for strategic purposes).

    Archuleta was a rare case for a male contestant.

  • bigjr6633

    I personally donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mind it because Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve always preferred the guys. When it comes to the girls, too many of them are divas, pageant princess and or child star types that have spent their entire lives being groomed for this very moment by their desperate stage parents.

    Sort of describes David Archuletta doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t it?

    Exactly describes David Archuleta and that’s the same thing for Jordin Sparks.
    I don’t know if she had stage parents or not, but she was a child star in the spotlight groomed to be on this show just like Archeluta. No offense, but that’s what really bugs me about these type of people, they spend most of their childhood preparing themselves for this show instead of just living their lives. There’s another girl in this upcoming season who I think is 16 and her influences are everything involving American Idol which is just sad to me and she was properly groomed just like the rest of them.

    This is why I root for contestants like David Cook or Melinda Doolittle, their life goal was not to be on American Idol. They weren’t properly trained to be on a show like this, natural contestants who just figured they tried out, not people who have prepared themselves since birth to be on this show. I don’t have anything against Archeluta or Sparks, but it really bothers me when contestants like this who are child stars or have pushy parents just waiting to get on this show and have been seriously trained to death as to how to get on the show and do well.

  • http://myspace.com hgzaj

    Good god… who cares haven’t we heard enough about guys!? It seems like everyday we have some judge saying “the guys are so good” like we haven’t heard it before- ok! enough already! jeezzzzz…..

    so annoying
    so annoying…

    again- let us hear the girls before we take your words.
    man i’d hate to be a girl in the comp. this year they are taking all this sh*t from the judges about how good the guys are and how good the girls aren’t.

    and to whoever said the girls complained last season that they were at disadvantage because the guys had it easy- They DID have it easy!! Jason Castro got to the top 4 because he was popular- that’s all. the ladies loved him…. and David Archuleta wasn’t always stellar himself… not that he should have left the comp. early, but there was no reason he couldn’t be in the bottom 3 on off nights, well, as compared to others.

  • JudyOhio

    Kat Mcphee (sp?) appeared to have a stage mom, as I remember.

  • hypertwink

    Wasn’t there an instance where the men were being touted as great but a woman won? I’m thinking it was Carrie’s year but I may be making things up in my head.

  • oceana

    To me it’s not a matter of liking the guys or the girls best, it’s individuals who have that spark and that excitement that moves me. Season 1 it was Kelly, and other seasons it was Clay, Kimberly Locke, Taylor, Kellie Pickler, David Cook, Jason, and Brooke. If they have the “it” factor for me, they can be men or women.

    I do feel sorry for the women this season when the judges make those statements, it’s not very fair but they’ll just have to rise above it and show what they can do.

    I definitely go for the artists who had that unquenchable desire in them to be musical artists and nothing could stop their dream from finding a way. I don’t care for the ones who are groomed and pushed by mama and papa. I think katharine McFee was another one of those kind. (Judy you had the same thought.) Over-doting parents.

    I agree that I like David A. more since the show ended. His personality is really coming through now that he’s not under the pressure, and he did choose some dull slow songs on the show. I worry about that kid because of his overbearing father (that’s my impression anyway).

  • jimmyboyd2

    Why are you guys blaming contestants for the actions of their parents? There sure is a lot of talk here about everything BUT talent. I happen to be adopted. Should I be looked down upon because I was adopted? LOL. If you look down upon children for the actions of the adults around them, you could eventually ostracize just about everyone.

    You guys prove time and time again that this show is not about talent.