“American Idol” Adds a Platinum Weird Judge

Kara DioGuardi

As Idolator noted this morning, this contains the distinct whiff of someone (or hell, an entire show) needing a “break” for “exhaustion.” Songwriter Kara DioGuardi, who was briefly in a wildly unsuccessful project with Dave Stewart called Platinum Weird (allegedly a recently unearthed Fleetwood Mac clone according to press releases, but sounding more like the most generic adult-contemporary music of 2006) will be the fourth judge.

Since I’m repeatedly forced to professionally care about “American Idol,” and the new regime at “A.I.” is claiming that a four-judge panel has always been in the cards, I’m wondering why such a clockwork machine took so long to implement its original plans. Paula needing a little “holiday”?

And seriously, while DioGuardi has placed a few songs on discs by Hilary Duff and “A.I.” alums Kelly Clarkson and Katherine McPhee, is this the level best they could do? I mean, how busy is notorious empty-ballad-purveyor Diane Warren these days, or the Diane Warren of the ’80s, Holly Knight? Or is Kara DioGuardi the Diane Warren/Holly Knight of the late-00s who once ineffectively masqueraded as the proto-Stevie Nicks of the early ’70s?