Women Affairs

Paula Abdul Feels Threatened By Kara DioGuardi As American Idol Judge Kara DioGuardi joins the show today in NY for the first round of auditions, where she'll meet her co-panelists face to face. When asked whether her judging style falls into the nicer, Randy/Paula brand of criticism or on Simon's blunt, sometimes forceful end, DioGuardi says she's not similar to anybody. "I have my own style ... I'm honest," she says, "And pretty feisty." Just hours after the announcement that "American Idol" will be adding a fourth judge, Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi, for the show's eighth season, Paula Abdul said she has concerns about the newcomer. Paula said on Phoenix's KISS-FM that she's excited about DioGuardi coming aboard, according to UsMagazine.com, but added: "I am concerned about the audience and acceptance. Time will tell. We'll see." She said that DioGuardi was added because the show's producers ...

Gina Carbone It wasn't exactly the Berlin Wall or The Sanjaya Occupation, but the vote-off of Kristy Lee Cook almost brought me to tears. America, I take back all the things I've said about you. You're beautiful people and you got there eventually. I'm expecting thank you cards from everyone I've ever predicted to be ditched from "American Idol" because I have not been right once. This time I thought Carly was out. Brooke, maybe, or Syesha whom I've guessed the past few weeks. Instead, you finally voted KLC extra tasty crispy GONE. Several weeks belated, but at least Kristy Lee Cook had the chance to prove herself worthy of being on the show at all. She took it like a pro and tried to sing her final song. Then she was cut off. Here endeth the lesson of Kristy. (Should we feel sorry for her that she sold her horse to go to the "Idol" auditions? She lives in Oregon and auditioned in Philly. Why? So she could be at the first auditions? Another r...

Kristy Lee Cook's American Idol run was marked by a number of stays in the bottom three and, as it turns out, a secret engagement. Cook's boyfriend popped the question in the sauna of her Idol apartment on March 15, days after she survived her first elimination round as a finalist. The country-inclined singer was able to share this detail with reporters Thursday because she did not survive Idol's latest elimination round Wednesday night. After an especially Byzantine results show, Cook, 24, was revealed to be the odd singer out, exiting in Mariah Carey week with the inaptly titled "Forever." "I was kind of upset that I went home because I thought I was getting stronger and stronger," Cook said. "I thought ["Forever"] was my best performance so far. I thought I had at least another week in me." Cook said her goal was to make the top five. In the end, she finished seventh. No stranger to the bottom three—she was there four out of the la...