American Idol's Kara DioGuardi on Howard Stern: 'Right now that's a rumor'

Talk of radio star Howard Stern replacing Simon Cowell on "American Idol" is still a rumor, "Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi said in a conference call with reporters today.

"Right now that's a rumor and I don't really know if I can even speak on it," DioGuardi said.

She did, however, seem to question Stern's suitability for the Fox reality series. "I don't think he has musical background or any kind of music...anything," she said.

DioGuardi suggested Cowell's replacement should be somebody familiar with the process of signing musical artists. "If you're going to replace Simon, you have to have that background."

DioGuardi also addressed the recent addition of comedienne Ellen DeGeneres on the "Idol" judging panel. Viewers got their first glimpse of DeGeneres as an "Idol" judge Tuesday night.

"I think that she knows more about music than you think she does," DioGuardi said of DeGeneres.

DeGeneres has a good handle on a contestant's potential and star quality, DioGuardi said. "I thought she delivered the message with kindness but also had criticism in there," she said.

Don't try to compare DeGeneres to former "Idol" judge Paula Abdul, DioGuardi emphasized.

"I really don't want to speak about Paula's absence because you can't really compare Paula and Ellen," she said.

When a reporter asked DioGuardi to grade Ellen's judging performance, she refused.

"I'm not going to give Ellen a grade on her performance. I think she did great," she said.

"American Idol" continues its Hollywood phase with a show at 9 p.m. tonight, when contestants will sing in groups. Follow our "Idol" blog for gossip and recaps of the series.

This story was originally published February 10, 2010 at 12:06 PM with the headline "American Idol's Kara DioGuardi on Howard Stern: 'Right now that's a rumor'."