Before new judge Kara DioGuardi debuted on "American Idol," last night, she was introduced as a Grammy Award=nominated songwriter. Though technically true, she is in fact a Latin Grammy nominee for co-writing a 2007 song of the year contender - "Bella Traicion." She shared the nomination with the track's singer, Belinda, as well as Mitch Allan, Ben Moody and Nacho Peregrin. They lost the race to Juan Luis Guerra's "La Llave de Mi Corazon," which also won record of the year. "Bella Traicion" wasn't nominated for that top honor.

But Kara DioGuardi has won other kudos. In 2003, she took home a BMI Cable Award for co-writing and performing 'Somethin' to Say,' the theme to the now-canceled Lifetime Television series 'For the People,' which starred Lea Thompson, Debbi Morgan, A. Martinez and Cecilia Suarez. And in 2007 she was named BMI's pop songwriter of the year for 2006, as she had accumulated 10 BMI awards in the previous four years for having written the 'most performed songs on the radio.'"

Paula Abdul has the most showbiz hardware among all of the "American Idol" judges. She won a Grammy Award way back in 1990 for best short form music video for the track "Opposites Attract." And she also has a pair of Emmy Awards that she picked up for choreography. Abdul won a Emmy on her own in 1989 for "The Tracy Ullman Show" and was one of three choreographers on the 1990 "American Music Awards (along with Dean Barlow and Michael Darrin) to tie with Walter Painter who choreographed the opening of the Disney-MGM studios. She had been a solo nominee in 1988 for "The Tracy Ullman Show" but lost to Alan Johnson who handled the dance numbers in the song-filled "Irving Berlin's 100th Birthday Celebration."

Abdul, along with fellow "American Idol" judges Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell, was part of the losing team on five consecutive Emmy bids for outstanding reality show program from 2003 to 2007. Interestingly, the trio was not listed on the 2008 nomination. "The Amazing Race" has won this Emmy Award every year since it was introduced in 2003.

Simon Cowell took the Teen Choice Award for TV personality back in 2003 but has lost that kudo every year since, most recently to Tyra Banks of "America's Next Top Model." In his native England, the National Television Awards gave him a special kudo in 2007, two years after he lost the race for most popular TV expert to his fellow "X Factor" judge Sharon Osbourne.

And, finally, Randy Jackson is listed on various sites as a Grammy Award winning producer.

Photo: Fox