Kara DioGuardi is not on board with Howard Stern as a potential replacement for Simon Cowell on future seasons of American Idol. “I don’t really know if I can even speak on it,” Kara said of the Stern rumor during a press conference call Wednesday. But then she did: “I don’t know that [Stern] has a musical background,” she mused. “I think that if you’re gonna replace Simon, you have to have that background.”

Kara, had nicer things to say about the musical bonafides of Idol newcomer Ellen DeGeneres. “Ellen brings a sense of humor, of course, but also I think she knows more about music than we think she does,” she explained. “She had a really good handle on whether a contestant had potential,” … “She knew that something was off in the vocals or in their performance…I thought she delivered the message with kindness but also had criticism in there…she did an incredible job for her first time there.” DioGuardi added

‘I felt she had a really good handle on whether a contestant had a potential,’ she says of DeGeneres’ debut. “When I was sitting next to her, I felt she had a really good handle on whether a contestant had a potential, whether they had star quality,” she said of Ellen during a conference call with reporters. “She knew if something was off in the vocals or in the performance. I thought she delivered the message with kindness, but also had criticism in there.”

Kara was also quick to dismiss rumors of any on-set tension between Ellen and fellow judge Simon Cowell. “I think you have to take any rumor you hear about ‘American Idol’ with a grain of salt — they’re usually not true,” she said. “Last year it was Kara and Paula [Abdul] fighting, hating each other, Kara sits in the corner. These things are just ridiculous. We’re all there to do one thing and that’s to find the greatest contestant, the greatest ‘American Idol’ winner we can find.”

The Ellen/Simon contretemps wasn’t the only rumor DioGuardi responded to during the call. She also took a whack at reports that Howard Stern might be replacing Cowell at the judges’ table when he leaves the show at the end of the current season. “I don’t think he has musical background or any kind of music anything,” she said of Stern, clearly unhappy with the possibility. “If you’re going to replace Simon, you have to have that background, you have to be somebody who knows about signing great artists and being a part of their career from the very beginning to the very end.

And then there’s perhaps the most talked about element of Tuesday night’s show: the new VitaminWater cups that replaced the long-established Coke cups on the judges’ table. What’s going on? Before being sure to point out that Coca-Cola owns VitaminWater, Kara gave the new cups a sort of Hollywood Week golden ticket.

“They were kind of colorful, different,” she laughed. “Everything’s always changing on the show. I kind of just drink from the cup and assume there isn’t poison in it.”

Kara DioGuardi says Ellen DeGeneres brings a sense of humor to American Idol this season. “I think she also knows more about music than you think she does,” the second-year judge said to a conference call of reporters Wednesday. “I felt she had a really good handle on whether a contestant had potential, had star quality. She knew if something was off in the vocals or in their performance. And I thought she delivered the message with kindness but also had criticism in there .”

Kara declined to compare Ellen with her predecessor, Paula Abdul. “They’re completely different,” she said, “and they both bring something really valuable to the table.” She did, however, think that Andrew Garcia’s re-interpretation of Paula’s hit Straight Up was “genius.”

As a rule, Kara opted not to comment on specific contestants that weren’t shown during last night’s first Hollywood show. She did say, however, that she was disappointed by one male contestant, who showed more of a country orientation during his audition then decided to go a completely different direction in Hollywood. (She didn’t name the singer or say how far he progressed in Hollywood.)

She was also pleased to hear two of her songs sung last night — Didi Benami’s Terrified and Mary Powers’ Sober. “I was absolutely shocked,” she said of Didi’s rendition. “She showed that she had a great range and a sensitivity when she sings. I was pretty impressed by her.”

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According to judge Kara DioGuardi, female Idol winners are “easier to break” into the music industry once their records are made. Given the “unique” women who have advanced so far this season, DioGuardi thinks there’s a good chance a girl might win Idol.

She figures it’s perfect timing since music is currently being dominated by fierce females like Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and Katy Perry. Not only do women rule the mic on Idol, they rule the judges’ panel.

DioGuardi says she’s much “more relaxed and comfortable” this year as a judge and Ellen DeGeneres is also holding her own. She finds Ellen to be good mix of “kind and critical” and adds, “She knows a lot more about music than people think.”

American Idol airs every Tuesdays and Wednesdays on FOX.

Katy Perry clashed with Kara , mocking her at times and threatening to throw a Coke in her face when she shot back.

Kara DioGuardi and Elliott Yamin will travel to Angola in February for Idol Gives Back, reports the Los Angeles Times. This year’s Idol Gives Back special is schedule to air April 21.

“AI” judge Kara DioGuardi used to read comments made online and elsewhere about her work on the show. Then she stopped. “It was so destructive,” she says. “You have to believe in your heart you did the best you could do.” She was added to the judging panel last year, and the negative comments started immediately. At the same time, because “Idol” had added a fourth judge, there was a challenge at times fitting everything on the show.

Kara also got tagged as the person producers brought on to push Paula Abdul out. “The fact that they brought me back means somebody saw something good,” she says the show can go on without Simon Cowell, who is leaving after this season. “It would never be the same without him,” says DioGuardi, who will also be judging a Folgers coffee-jingle contest (www.bestpartofwakinup.com.). “It’s a powerful show. It’s about helping people realize their dreams.”