Kara Dioguardi

Songwriter, singer and former "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi has listed a home in Studio City at $10 million. The estate features a 7,600-square-foot house renovated and expanded by DioGuardi and her husband, home builder Mike McCuddy. The five-bedroom, 6 1/2-bathroom manse, originally built in 1923, sits on 3.5 acres with an artist studio, an infinity pool and a hot tub. DioGuardi, 40, was on the panel of "American Idol" for two seasons starting in 2009 and this year was a judge on "Platinum Hit. " She has written hundreds of songs and worked with Celine Dion, Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Pink and "Idol" winner Kris Allen, among others.

Heidi Klum is adding a new show to her already busy schedule: She's joining "America's Got Talent" as a judge. Klum will be joining returners Howard Stern and Howie Mandel as well as the recently announced judge Mel B. It will be the first time the show has used four judges. Former judge Sharon Osbourne left the show after last season amid a dispute with NBC. But have no fear, the new judging job doesn't mean Klum is giving up her role on her other long-running reality competition program, "Project Runway.

As word spreads about friction between Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj on the set of "American Idol," we at Pop & Hiss find ourselves wondering what ever happened to Kara DioGuardi, the singer and pop songwriter who occupied a judge's seat in 2009 and 2010. (We're not alone, either: Music-industry gadfly Bob Lefsetz recently included DioGuardi alongside Macaulay Culkin and Jimmy Ray in a missive titled "Where Are They Now?") On Thursday morning, our in box provided the answer: DioGuardi -- who prior to "Idol" penned big singles for Ashlee Simpson and Christina Aguilera , among many others -- has joined the academy, teaching a class at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Songwriter, singer and former "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi has sold her home in Studio City for $6.3 million. Built in 1923, the 7,600-square-foot French chateau-style house was renovated and expanded by DioGuardi and her husband, home builder Mike McCuddy. The five-bedroom, 6.5-bathroom home sits on 3 acres with an infinity pool and a hot tub. Features include a 23-foot-tall stone fireplace, herringbone walnut floors and a sauna. DioGuardi, 42, was on the panel of "American Idol" for two seasons starting in 2009 and a judge on "Platinum Hit" in 2011.

LINDSAY LOHAN couldn't believe her ears. In early September the actress-singer was recording her second album, "A Little More Personal (Raw)," when she heard Ashlee Simpson's pop single "Boyfriend." "Hey, how long till you look at your own life instead of looking at mine?" Simpson sings. "I didn't steal your boyfriend ... Don't you got somewhere to go?" Talk about personal and raw.

Kara DioGuardi, a.k.a. "the fourth judge," will be back on "American Idol" next season. A person familiar with the situation confirmed that DioGuardi, a songwriter and producer who was added to the judging panel for its eighth season, has had her contract option picked up for the show's ninth season. "She's coming back for a second season. She really enjoyed the first," said the person, who asked not to be identified. Filmed auditions will begin next Thursday in Denver.

Fact about the number eight: Scorpio is the eighth sign of the zodiac. Scorpio traits include loyalty, passion and commitment. On the flip side, those can manifest themselves as possessiveness, jealousy and manipulative or controlling behavior. The march to Kansas City, Mo., confirmed many of the trends seen on the Season 8 premiere (a more energetic judging panel, a gentler spirit of mockery toward the misbegotten).

As the drumbeat toward Season 8 of "American Idol" continues, judge Simon Cowell addressed the media Wednesday morning in a national conference call. Asked about the addition of Kara DioGuardi as a fourth judge to the lineup, Cowell said, "I have no idea whether this is going to work or not, because I haven't seen the shows back yet. The thing I do support is at least trying new things." On the overall crop: "My feeling having done the Hollywood round is that we've got an interesting bunch.

In May, responding to a small decline in "American Idol" ratings, Fox executives said there would be changes to the show in its eighth season. The first of those changes was announced on Monday. When "Idol" premieres in January, there will be a fourth judge seated at the table: Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi. The New York-born DioGuardi, 37, has written songs for and with Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion and Gwen Stefani. She has also worked with former "Idol" folk such as Kelly Clarkson, Bo Bice and Taylor Hicks.

It could not have had a less auspicious beginning. Season 8 of "American Idol" came out of the gates in a hailstorm of controversy, missteps, shake-ups and wildly uneven episodes. After a seventh season in which the reigning juggernaut of entertainment showed its first signs of mortality as the ratings eroded, the buzz among showbiz cognoscenti was that the long-awaited decline of "Idol" had begun. And in its early days, Season 8 seemed on the way to fulfilling that prophecy. The preseason was dominated by news of format changes, including the addition of uncertain new elements (such as Kara DioGuardi as a fourth judge)

As word spreads about friction between Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj on the set of "American Idol," we at Pop & Hiss find ourselves wondering what ever happened to Kara DioGuardi, the singer and pop songwriter who occupied a judge's seat in 2009 and 2010. (We're not alone, either: Music-industry gadfly Bob Lefsetz recently included DioGuardi alongside Macaulay Culkin and Jimmy Ray in a missive titled "Where Are They Now?") On Thursday morning, our in box provided the answer: DioGuardi -- who prior to "Idol" penned big singles for Ashlee Simpson and Christina Aguilera , among many others -- has joined the academy, teaching a class at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Singer Mariah Carey finally validated weeks of rumors that she'd be joining Fox's long-running "American Idol" talent competition show when she revealed to reporters by speakerphone at the Television Critics Assn. press tour Monday morning that a deal had been finalized. So what does this mean for the show that has already seen six judges, including Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and multitasking pop diva Jennifer Lopez, vacate their posts over the years?    With Carey aboard, “Idol” scored itself a wealth of credibility for its 12th season, a particular credibility it's lacked from Day 1, by doing something incredibly simple: hiring a singer widely recognized for her singing.

Fox is poised to overhaul its most lucrative franchise after Thursday's announcement that Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler won't be returning to"American Idol" as a judge. The 64-year-old rock singer's departure may be the first of a host of sweeping changes ahead for what was until last season, America's most dominant television series. "American Idol" co-judges Randy Jackson, who has been with the hit show since it began airing in 2002, and Jennifer Lopez, who is negotiating a new contract, could be the next to step away from the judges' table, according to sources.

Songwriter, singer and former "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi has listed a home in Studio City at $10 million. The estate features a 7,600-square-foot house renovated and expanded by DioGuardi and her husband, home builder Mike McCuddy. The five-bedroom, 6 1/2-bathroom manse, originally built in 1923, sits on 3.5 acres with an artist studio, an infinity pool and a hot tub. DioGuardi, 40, was on the panel of "American Idol" for two seasons starting in 2009 and this year was a judge on "Platinum Hit. " She has written hundreds of songs and worked with Celine Dion, Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Pink and "Idol" winner Kris Allen, among others.

In "Platinum Hit," premiering Monday, Bravo takes the formula it perfected with "Project Runway" and "Top Chef" and plugs in a dozen singing songwriters — which is not necessarily to say "singer-songwriters," in the James Taylor sense of the phrase — and whittles them away weekly until only one remains, holding cash and contracts. You will recognize the elements, even to the way that the demerits of the losers are enumerated in groups of three: "Your song was trite, confusing and uninspiring.

Season 10 and "American Idol" finally brought in a couple of pros. Whether new judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez will find and foster an actual pop star or create the ratings-generating buzz of their predecessors remains to be seen. (Wednesday night's opener was the lowest-rated premiere since its first season and was down 13% compared with last year's, but with an audience of 26.2 million, it easily trounced the competition.) But as soon as they took their seats, it was as if the elephant in the room had finally ambled out of view ?

A paradigm shift defined this week's "American Idol" competition, and threw a few contestants -- and, at times, the judges -- for a loop. In a canny bit of cross-promotion, Ryan Seacrest dragged the contestants down to the studio where he records the radio show "American Top 40." Then he announced this week's theme: "Top Downloads."

In "Platinum Hit," premiering Monday, Bravo takes the formula it perfected with "Project Runway" and "Top Chef" and plugs in a dozen singing songwriters — which is not necessarily to say "singer-songwriters," in the James Taylor sense of the phrase — and whittles them away weekly until only one remains, holding cash and contracts. You will recognize the elements, even to the way that the demerits of the losers are enumerated in groups of three: "Your song was trite, confusing and uninspiring.

Prolific songwriter and " American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi's Spanish-style home in the Hollywood Hills is on the market at $1,649,000. The gated house, built in 1964, has city and canyon views, wood-beamed ceilings, an open floor plan, extensive decks and a spa. Three bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms sit in 3,400 square feet. She added an outdoor cedar sauna to give the secluded property a spa-like feel. The guest unit has its own entrance, living room, kitchen and bathroom.