Kara DioGuardi

Because one Kara DioGuardi reality show isn't nearly enough...

The former American Idol judge will appear alongside Jewel on the singing competition Platinum Hit later this month, premiering May 30. But for those who are dying to go further inside the life of this songwriter, Bravo will soon have the show for you!

The network has given the greenlight to Kara. It will likely air in late 2011.

"Kara is the perfect addition to our latest development slate," said Eli Lehrer, vice president of development at Bravo. "People have one perception of DioGuardi, but this series will peek behind the curtain and reveal much more interesting and multi-faceted aspects of this incredibly successful, talented artist and business woman.

"We believe her dynamic personality and fascinating career will resonate with our audience and reflect our pop culture brand."

Will you tune in for Kara?

In her upcoming memoir, "A Helluva High Note," former American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi writes about her successful career in the music business.

But it's DioGuardi's personal past that is getting attention right now, as excerpts of the book have been released and they focus on a pair of traumatic experiences: molestation and date rape.

Of the former, Kara details the repeated actions taken by a family friend's son when she was 11 years old. He was in his late teens and: "On one particular day, he took me into the back shed of his house and put his hands all over my breasts and vagina. I remember freezing and not knowing what to do."

Forget trees falling in the forest. Consider this question: if someone pens a memoir, but no one ever reads it, does the book actually exist?

We ask this question in light of the news that Kara DioGuardi will release "A Helluva High Note: Surviving Life, Love, And American Idol," in April 2011. The songwriter, who was never very popular during her two years on the show, was fired/quit Idol in early September.

DioGuardi says the autobiography "is meant to inspire others to take chances to succeed." Her next career move will be serving as a judge on a new Bravo singer/songwriter competition titled Going Platinum.

Will you purchase her memoir?

Following weeks of speculation, Kara DioGuardi has officially left American Idol.

Friends say the singer/songwriter expressed frustration with her status last month, as all signs pointed to Fox pushing her aside in favor of Stephen Tyler and/or Jennifer Lopez, but no announcement had been made. Until now.

In a statement, DioGuardi showed gratitude for the two years she spent as a judge.

"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 'Idol,'" she said. "I am very proud to have been associated with 'American Idol' - it has truly been an amazing experience. I am grateful to FOX, FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment, as well as the cast, crew and contestants, for all they have given to me. I look forward to my next challenge, and want to thank everyone who has supported me. All the best to everyone on Season 10!"

One way or the other, it seems highly unlikely that Kara DioGuardi will return to American Idol next season.

While the show refuses to comment on speculation regarding its panel in 2011, Steven Tyler is all but confirmed as a new judge - and a new report states DioGuardi wants to exit of her own volition even if producers want her back. In fact:

"She went to Fox two months ago and told them she didn't want to do another season," a source told E! News. "She's ready to move on. She did two years and thinks that's enough."

Many Idol viewers seem to agree. Kara isn't exactly a viewer favorite.

Will Kara DioGuardi tell American Idol fans to talk to the hand? Her status is still unknown.

However, the songwriter's contract extends for another year. So even if she wants out, the show could keep Kara around if it can't reach an agreement with Jennifer Lopez or other rumored replacements.

"It's frustrating because she can't even take any meetings," the insider said. "Everyone wants to know what her schedule will be like, but she doesn't know. What happens if Fox tells her they still want her for next season?"

The network hasn't said a word about DioGuardi's status yet. Do you want her back on the show?

American Idol is apparently cleaning house.

Talk of who will fill Simon Cowell's vacant seat on the hit show's panel now shifts to who will replace the other two departing judges: Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi will not be returning next season either, according to reports.

DeGeneres, who joined the show in its ninth season earlier this year, confirmed in a statement that she told Fox it "didn’t feel like the right fit for me.”

“I told them I wouldn’t leave them in a bind and would hold off until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next," she said. "It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for.”

The class act added: “I loved the experience working on Idol, am very grateful for the year I had, am a huge fan of the show and will continue to be.”

In the same statement, American Idol creator and executive producer Simon Fuller says, “I loved Ellen’s passion for the artists and her nurturing skills. She brought honesty and optimism to our judging panel and I will miss her greatly."

Next year's American Idol roster will look a lot different.

But here's where it gets interesting: TMZ reports that Kara DioGuardi has been fired from the program, which will return to a three-judge format.

Fox has not acknowledged Kara's departure in a statement, but it appears it's all but official. That leaves Randy Jackson as the last man standing.

The show will reportedly be going back to a three-judge panel of Randy and a couple of high-profile newcomers: Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.

This so-called "nuclear option" of blowing up nearly the entire panel has been kicked around for months, but nevertheless comes as a surprise.

Stars ranging from Harry Connick, Jr., to Bret Michaels, Chris Isaak and even Jessica Simpson have been rumored to be negotiating for the job.

Looks like J. Lo and the Aerosmith frontman won out.

The only way Kara could be asked back would be if the Lopez deal fell apart, but TMZ's sources claim it is already a done deal. Crazy stuff!

What do you think of the new panel? With Simon gone, will a Randy-Steven-J.Lo tandem usher in stronger ratings in Season 10?

She came close to showing it all off on the American Idol stage last May, donning a bikini on the season eight finale.

But Kara DioGuardi takes things one step further in the latest issue of Allure. Actually, two steps: the bottom and the top. She appears totally naked in the magazine.

"This shoot was less about beauty than about taking a risk and showing people a side of me they never have seen," the American Idol judge said, looking back on her days of battling an eating disorder:

"Back then I was a size 6 or 8; now I'm more like a size 2. Food is not what I use to anesthetize myself anymore."

DioGuardi isn't the only celebrity to bare it all for Allure. Wanna see an Entourage hottie and a Grey's Anatomy beauty in the buff? Read on.

A year after strutting around in a black two-piece on stage on the American Idol finale, Kara DioGuardi tells Women's Health that the move "probably saved my job."

"I kept saying no," the songwriter said, recalling the plan to face off against Katrina Darrell, a.k.a. Bikini Girl. "I mean, what crazy nut is gonna go out there in a bikini at almost 40 years of age against a girl who's 20 and likely cosmetically enhanced?"

Still, she calls it "a defining moment" that helped cement her place on the American Idol panel along with judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul.

"Like, 'She’s serious and industry, but also as kooky as everyone else on this panel,'" DioGuardi says. "I looked a little pasty. But hey, at least I didn’t wet myself!"

Small victories, right.

Kara would hold her own against any so-called bikini girl.

As for how she maintains her body, the American Idol staple says she hits the gym four times a week. There, she runs two miles or does 25 minutes of cardio.

"Boxing, treadmill, step-ups, lunges, sprints, I mix it up ... Weight training is important as you get older. You build muscle, which burns fat when you rest."

And in addition to drinking at least "two huge bottles" of water a day, she eats plenty of veggie stir-fry: "The more roughage you eat, the more it fills you up."

And if she ever loses motivation to maintain her fitness, she counts on her loved ones. No we don't mean Simon Cowell, although we can see him saying this:

"Someone [close to me] said, ‘You may want to work on your arms - they’re a little jiggly,'" she says. "The people in my life have no qualms about telling me!"

American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi predicted a male winner and discussed other elements of the show, such as Simon's close talking, with Jay Leno last night.

Asked about the current season, she admitted a soft spot for Michael Lynche, a.k.a. Big Mike, who moved her to tears with last week's performance: “I love him,” she said.

Kara blamed her Italian heritage for getting so emotional, but couldn't hide her affinity for Lynche, as well as her theory (or so it appeared) that a male will win this season.

She also suggested that Simon Cowell might be suffering from separation anxiety from Mezghan Hussainy lately, as he's been leaning in close to her a lot on the show.

When Leno brought up her “bikini moment” (complete with picture), the phrasing of Kara’s response seemed to betray the influence of sitting near Simon every week: “It showed I could kinda take the piss out of myself,” she said.

Alright then.

Kara on Leno

Who do you think will win American Idol this season? In other Kara news, her father, Joe, is running as a Republican for U.S. Senate in New York State!

There's little question that Kara DioGuardi is annoying on American Idol.

She comes across as cocky and condescending, taking extreme offense any time Simon makes a dig in her direction and somehow managing to be neither reassuring to the contestants nor especially criticial. She doesn't even have a Randy Jackson, dawg-like catchphrase.

But there is one debate regarding this singer/songwriter: Is she attractive?

We wondered about this issue when DioGuardi strutted her stuff in a bikini on last May's Idol finale. We're now forced to ponder the question again because Kara is featured on Maxim.com:

During an interview with the men's magazine, DioGuardi touches on her fellow judges. A few excerpts:

On missing Paula Abdul: During the auditions, I missed her. She was so nurturing, and I try to have some of that in my critiques. I wouldn't say I have the maternal instinct that she had, though. I'm a little bit more New York, a little more hard-edge.

On Simon leaving the show: All I can say is the guy can do things not many folks can get away with, and people like when someone is true to himself.

On the addition of Ellen DeGeneres: I was like, "Rock on!" Are you kidding? The thing with Ellen I don't think everybody understands is that she's a huge music lover. That's what you need to be on Idol.

DioGuardi stood up for Ellen yesterday, following the latter's first night as a judge. But we still come back to the pertinent topic at hand.

These photos are Kara are...