Judging The “Idol” Judges: Katy Perry And Avril Lavigne

Memo to Fox: Hire Perry now!

It can’t be a good sign for “American Idol” that, for the second consecutive week, they’ve played host to a guest judge that clearly outshone everyone at the table not named Simon Cowell. Last night, Katy Perry showed up for the Los Angeles auditions. And, like Shania Twain before her, Perry proved far smarter and more entertaining than the two empty vessels sitting to the guest judge’s right.

Perry was one of two guest judges last night. The other was Avril Lavigne, who showed up in a devil horn hoodie and spent most of her time making the “Oh no he didn’t!” face every time Simon said something pertinent. Lavigne was useless, which meant she fit right in with Kara and Randy.

Perry, on the other hand, displayed much of spunk that made her a pop star to begin with. And, as a bonus: No Russell Brand in tow! Perry wasn’t afraid to disagree with other judges, and she displayed the right mix of sympathy and contempt for the freakshow contestants.

The rest of the media world also took kindly to Perry’s showing.

People: Avril Lavigne and Katy Perry joined the American Idol judges Tuesday in Los Angeles, and the starlets showed sass, saying no to hopeful singers when the judges — even Simon Cowell — said yes. Katy even clashed with Kara DioGuardi, mocking her at times and threatening to throw a Coke in her face when she shot back.

The LA Times: [Perry] took her professional responsibilities very seriously, but also kept contestants and viewers alike entertained with her adorably exaggerated gestures and the occasional good-natured spat with Kara DioGuardi.

MTV: "Idol" did good Tuesday by adding Katy Perry to the panel. (Seriously, Simon Fuller: Forget Tommy Mottola. Hire Katy to replace Simon. Now.)

E!: Katy Perry looked as if she never wanted to be touched again after Jason Greene got through singing "I Touch Myself." "I feel dirty," Perry declared, adding, "and it takes a lot to make me feel dirty."


Perry, 25, told MTV News. “The American Idol experience was awesome. If I was offered that job as a permanent host, I would ditch my career and take on that career.

And that’s something Idol producers should keep in mind. Because Simon is out the door next year, and two of the judges they have left are a waste of space. All Randy does is shout at people that they’re going to Hollywood. You could do that. In fact, you could do it better. And I’d give a big Y to booting Kara. Big, big Y. If “Idol” is going to lose its best judge next year, they may as well renovate the entire judging table. Perry wouldn’t be a bad place to start.

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