GONE BABY GONE

Kara DioGuardi's Officially Out At American Idol

By Nicki R.

Nicki R. AND ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST: Kara DioGuardi's officially out.

After two years as a judge on Fox's hit American Idol, songwriter Kara DioGuardi has announced her departure from the show.

“I felt like I won the lottery when I joined American Idol two years ago, but I feel like now is the best time to leave," DioGuardi said in a statement.

Kara served as the sassy counterpart to Simon Cowell's cutting wit. The two had a lot of heated arguments and heated chemistry while judging the show. It's no wonder DioGuardi chose to leave now that Simon is gone.

With Ellen DeGeneres off the panel as well, that leaves Randy Jackson as the last remaining original judge. Rumors still percolate that J.Lo is near signing a deal to be a judge along with Elton John and Steven Tyler but nothing has been made official for Season 10. The show's trying to reinvent itself after only 24.2 million viewers during last season's final show, the smallest audience for a final since the show's 2002 inception.

Nicki R. is a Southern girl living in the big city of Chicago. She loves quiet evenings at home watching horror films with her dogs Jezebelle and Zombie. Check out her blog, Hey, Look Behind You!.