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