Here’s Hoping Kara DioGuardi Didn’t Sign A Long-Term Deal With “Idol”

noah | April 1, 2009 12:30 pm

During last night’s American Idol—and the episodes leading up to it—new judge Kara DioGuardi has seemed like something of an odd fit. Of course, it’s hard to break into a fraternity that’s had the same members for the past seven years, but something about DioGuardi’s insistence on proving herself as a Music Business Professional, from her sing-off with the admittedly annoying Bikini Girl to her overuse of the phrase “package artist,” has been rubbing me the wrong way. Megan Joy Corkrey’s brother apparently feels the same way, as he decided that his sister’s post-warble critique was the right time to start a tempest in a Coke cup—one that extended all the way into the commercial break!

While judge Kara DioGuardi critiqued contestant Megan Joy’s performance of “Turn Your Lights Down Low,” her brother yelled out, “Broken record!” It startled the judge.

During the break, DioGuardi approached him and the rest of her family. At first, she thought he was yelling “broken record” at his sister. When Joy’s brother told her the comment was aimed at her, DioGuardi was taken aback. “I am? Why?” she asked. He then said “packaged artist” could be her “packaged phrase.” Upset, she stormed off with her bodyguards.

She approached Joy’s brother again during the next break, tapping him on the shoulder. She then said to the people around them, “Can you believe what he said to me?”

It wasn’t her only miffed moment. After DioGuardi and low-scoring contestant Anoop Desai clashed over his rendition of Usher’s “Caught Up,” the show went to commercial and DioGuardi made an annoyed face as she turned away to walk backstage. She then greeted guest Neil Patrick Harris (who was with his beau David Burtka) as he waved wildly from the audience.

But wait, there’s more—including the possibility that DioGuardi is so annoying, she’s making Simon Cowell think that Paula Abdul is actually pretty OK.

DioGuardi recently complained on the Ellen DeGeneres Show that the other judges “talk about the clothes” more than the “technical” aspects of a singer’s performance. But when contestant Allison Iraheta walked on stage in a poofy red dress and black leggings, DioGuardi ended up commenting on her look. When Simon Cowell remarked that Iraheta resembled “something out of The Addams Family,” DioGuardi leaned over and said to him off-mic, “So, you agree with me!” Cowell refused to acknowledge her.

Throughout the show, Cowell and Paula Abdul (who was “upset” over DioGuardi’s comments to DeGeneres, says a source) bonded, talking and whispering frequently. After contestant Scott MacIntyre sang, the two cut off DioGuardi’s critique by walking backstage with their arms around each other.

Wow, that is a Mean Girls freeze-out right there. Will Kara start pureeing CalTeen bars and slipping the remains into Simon’s drink as revenge?

What You Didn’t See On Last Night’s Show [Us via ONTD]