The addition of another judge means it's two men and two women. And, given Cowell's often odd relationship with Abdul, what is his relationship with DioGuardi like?

"It's quite interesting to see how she gangs up against Simon with Paula," said Warwick, adding that it sometimes made Cowell "miserable" but "it was good for the show. It was a good dynamic."

"One (woman) is hard enough; two is unbearable," Cowell deadpanned. "They've both got personalities, they're both very forceful. . . . At least I've got Randy by my side, so it's not that bad."

And, with four judges, there can be a tie when they're deciding which contestants get through to the next round. And Warwick has given Cowell the tie-breaking power.

"I love it," Cowell said. "They hate it."

The addition of DioGuardi does not mean that Abdul is being phased out, Warwick insisted.

"There's never been any discussion that we would want to get rid of Paula. . . . . America loves Paula. She's an integral part of this program," he said. "And as far as I'm concerned, I hope she's there until the day it comes off the air. End of story."

If you watch …

What: Season 8 of "American Idol"

When: The two-night, four-hour season premiere is Tuesday, Jan. 13, and Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m.

Where: Tuesday features the Phoenix auditions; Wednesday features the Kansas City auditions; the Salt Lake City auditions have not yet been scheduled.

Channel: Fox/Ch. 13

E-mail: pierce@desnews.com