When word got out yesterday morning that American Idol was introducing a fourth judge, my immediate response was to question why. And when I found out it was songwriter Kara DioGuardi, my next response was, “Who dis?”

Money Mike smartened me up.

She’s a pretty popular songwriter. Her name’s probably not known much outside of industry circles, but then again, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell’s weren’t either. She’s written for Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Kelly Clarkson-basically she’s Sony BMG’s right hand girl.

She definitely has credentials. However, if they want to make some changes to the show, I don’t think they looked in the right place. While they are definitely a batty bunch, Simon, Paula, and Randy have really good chemistry together. And adding a fourth voice either takes away some of the Simon/Ryno Seacrest back and forth (which is either the best or worst thing on the show based on your sense of humor), or it makes the show feel more rushed. They are rushed enough.

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Money Mike thinks it’s a change directly related to sliding ratings and it definitely could be that. But if that’s the case, I think it’s a bad move. It’s still the biggest show in America. I think they’ve made changes for the better recently. They’ve allowed the artists to play their own instruments and the show feels a little more human because of it. But changing the judges feels way too much like a publicity stunt. Mike thinks it’s there to create drama and I think he’s right. But it could create the wrong kind of drama. The kind that gets you to turn off the television.

But the show is too iconic for it to really be hurt by anything short of Simon leaving, so I think they’ll be ok.

Paula Abdul agrees with me though. And that’s a scary thought.

She was interviewed by MTV.com’s Jocelyn Vena and had this to say.

“I am concerned about the audience and acceptance. Time will tell. We’ll see.”

She also added that having a fourth judge will take all the fun out of tie breaking and now breaking ties will probably fall into the hands of Simon.

“I’m sure Simon will get to make the final [call]. It takes the fun out of all the hard work I do to push those kids through.”