Although new Idol judge Kara DioGuardi is long winded, uses empty jargon, and hasn’t really added much to the panel–not to mention that shoe-horning 4 judges critiques into each performance has proven impossible without the show running long, American Idol producers still think the four judge setup is working.
From an AP report on Kara DioGuardi:
Cecile Frot-Coutaz, an executive producer on “Idol, ” said producers envisioned a fourth judge could create a time crunch.
“It’s hard for (the judges) to figure out whether they’ve spoken for 30 seconds or 45 seconds, so … we’re going to try and help them with that and give them a sense of their timing so that we keep it under control a bit more, ” Frot-Coutaz said.
Frot-Coutaz said the four-judge system has worked thus far, and viewers have responded positively to DioGuardi.
“We’re certainly not talking about going back to three at this point. … We’re pleased with the fourth judge, ” she said.
Plus, Frot-Coutaz noted, DioGuardi provided one of the season’s greatest moments: Her feud with Katrina “Bikini Girl” Darrell during the audition rounds, when the judge ‘ a talented singer in her own right ‘ told the scantily clad wannabe to bring a stripper pole next time.
Kara isn’t the only one unable to be pithy. So far, the judges have been unwilling and unable to cut their remarks down to accommodate Kara. I have no idea how the producers are going to fix the time crunch problem without extending the hour-long performance shows to 90-120 minutes.
In the article, Kara whines a bit about how hard the job of Idol judge is, but I give her props for having a good sense of humor about herself:
“Of course, we’re going to have time issues ‘ you added a fourth judge! What did you think? I was going to just sit there and, you know, like do a grading system on my hands? Which probably I would mess up because you know how my remedial math is, “
Heh.
