Paula Abdul ‘Ecstatic’ About Kara DioGuardi Coming To ‘Idol’

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Simon Cowell,American Idol,Ryan Seacrest,Paula Abdul,Reality TV,Faith Hill,Music
 
 

FIRST PUBLISHED: August 26, 2008 7:22 PM EDT
LAST UPDATED: August 26, 2008 7:41 PM EDT

NEW YORK, New York --

The “American Idol” judges met their newest member on Tuesday at the New York City tryouts, and Access Hollywood was on the scene as Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul got to welcome Kara DioGuardi.

Kara, a songwriter with hits including collaborations with Britney Spears, Faith Hill, the Jonas Brothers and a number of “Idol” vets, didn’t seem nervous about her famous new colleagues.

“[I’m] not intimidated,” Kara told Access. “Now that I look at Simon, I can hold my own.”

Paula was especially excited to have Kara join the show.

“This is ecstatic for me,” she said. “Honestly it’s not just another girl, it’s a friend. We’ve been friends since ‘99, ’98.”

The two songwriters had collaborated on the song “Spinning Around,” a U.K. number one for Kylie Minogue in 2000.

Meanwhile, “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest is looking forward to having a fourth judge to banter with – and let Simon know when he’s gone too far.

“I think she will bring sort of a candor and an unvarnished female point of view for the show, and I also think that she’ll stand up to Simon at times when he needs to be stood up to,” Ryan said.

He’s hoping that Kara will shake things up as the show enters its eighth season.

“I believe that having something different in the mix and having something unpredictable is good for all of us,” he said. “We don’t really know what to expect. And that’s the beauty of it. We don’t know what’s going to happen.”

One thing they do know is the judges’ new seating arrangements.

“I’m going to sit in between the two chicks,” Simon said.

Copyright 2009 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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