Kara Dioguardi
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This might be great news for some and bad news for others, but it's been confirmed:

Kara DioGuardi will be back for season nine of American Idol. A source told E! News:

"Her deal is done. There are no ifs, ands or buts. Done. She will be back."

No word yet on the dollar amount associated with the contract, but DioGuardi is set to start shooting a new round of American Idol auditions in the next week or so.

Are you glad she's back?

Is it fair for Joanna Pacitti to be a contestant on American Idol?

Many critics point to this singer's brief Broadway career, along with her previously-released album through A&M records, as proof that she's overqualified for the show.

Kara DioGuardi is not included in this camp, however.

"I do think [her inclusion on the show] is fair because she's facing, actually, the same challenges and in some ways more challenges than some of the other contestants," DioGuardi told Access Hollywood. "She's been dropped from a record label, which psychologically puts you in a weird place, right?

"That's why I think she's so emotional on the show... She knows what it's like to actually get a deal and then be dropped, which is actually a terrible thing."

Without a doubt, Lil Rounds had the best voice of any opening week contestant on American Idol.

But Karina Darrell, and her bikini, made the biggest impression on viewers.

Aside from her wardrobe decision, Darrell mixed it up with new judge Kara Dioguardi. On Ryan Seacrest's radio show yesterday, the latter defended the tiff she got into with Katrina over the contestant's rendition of "Vision of Love."

Are you on Team Kara or Team Katrina?

"I love pretty girls," Dioguardi said. "The thing with bikini girl — to be honest, I thought she had a better body than she had a better face.... To her credit, she's gotten so much attention. It was probably a good call to wear the bikini at the end of the day. But we wouldn't be talking about the bikini if she killed the song."

Kara added:

"Of course, I want a pretty girl [on the show], but I'm not just looking for a pretty girl; I'm looking for an incredible voice, great stage presence. I'm a big champion of women. I’m not the kind of woman who’s going to drag a woman down."

We'll have plenty more on the eighth season premiere of American Idol as the day goes on.

Before we get to the initial round of contestants, though, we wanna know your thoughts on the show's new judge:

What grade would you give the debut of Kara DioGuardi?

Kara DioGuardi admits it wasn't easy joining American Idol as the show's fourth judge.

"It was a little unnerving," the songwriter told reporters during a press call Thursday. "I didn't know where I was going to sit and when I was going to speak."

However, DioGuardi said she's slowly finding where she fits among Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.

"I would say that Paula has a lot of heart. I would say that Simon pretty much tells it like it is. Sometimes he can be pretty harsh, but he's usually right," she said. "And Randy? He's the diplomat."

As for Kara?

"I don't mince words, but I do have a heart."

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kara Dioguardi speaks on the challenges facing her for season eight of American Idol.

A few excerpts:

On her personality: "Oh, I'm not gonna be this nice on the show"

On advice for contestants: "Don't cheese me out. It's not a wedding band. And emote. Make me feel like you mean it. Don't just sing the way the song was written. That was Mariah's interpretation. Now what are you gonna do?"

On fellow judges: "They're like brothers and sisters at this point. And I'm like the long-lost cousin who they're not sure they wanted to see, but now they're like, Okay, you can stay for dinner."

On viewer reaction: "They may think my intensity and my boldness are bitchy. I hope not. I don't think I'm bitchy."

Are you excited to see Kara Dioguardi on American Idol?

It's nothing against Kara DioGuardi.

But former executive producer of American Idol Nigel Lythgoe says he never would have added another judge to the show's panel.

"I think she's a lovely lady, and I think she's relevant and up to date, but, personally, I would never have done it, Lythgoe told The New York Post this week.

And why is that?

"I don't like fourth judges," Lythgoe said. "I think once you've been told 'You suck,' you don't need to be told another three times."

Do you think American Idol should have added Kara DioGuardi as a judge?

Paula Abdul and Kara Dioguardi are former roommates.

We wonder how the new judge and popular songwriter would react, though, if she heard Abdul essentially taking credit for her career.

Here's what Paula said to OK! about the new addition to American Idol:

"Kara and I are good friends.... I started the whole evolution of what her career's become, because I found her on the streets of New York.  She was an aspiring song writer, and I said, 'are you good?', and she said, 'yeah' and I heard her demos and I convinced her to quit her job and move to LA in my house."

Having sat through American Idol auditions in New York, Jacksonville, Louisville and San Francisco, new judge Kara Dioguardi told The New York Post she's found her footing

"I just know I'm getting my groove, loosening up and forgetting about the big elephant in the room," Kara said about the enormity of American Idol and of keeping pace with Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell.

It did take the songwriter a bit to get used to all the attention.

"The first few [audition] cities I was like, 'Oh my God, the camera is on me' - it was a little strange," she said. "But I'm starting to let my true self come out. You forget about the camera and start being you. And that's been fun for me."

Here's your first look at the new quartet of American Idol judges together.

Kara Dioguardi joined Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson at auditions in Manhattan yesterday for season eight. It begins in January.