“I’m only here for one season,” American Idol’s new judge, Kara DioGuardi, spoke with reporters recently. “So, we’ll see what happens.”

But the odds of Idol renewing Kara DioGuardi’s contract seem to be getting slimmer and slimmer, if gossip is to be believed. Ever since DioGuardi’s appearance, the media has been a storm of speculation about which judge is leaving, who’s not getting along with whom and how long it’s going to take before Kara leaves the show.

Paula Abdul and Kara DioGuardi has a bit of a clash of the comments through news venues earlier in the year, but it’s been all smiles at the judges’ table. Throughout all the seasons of Idol, the media has always raised the question that the panel may change. Usually, Abdul is at the center of this firestorm.

Only one thing is certain: Simon Cowell, when and if he leaves Idol, will do so on his own terms. And it’s Simon Cowell who flexes that little bit of extra muscle at the judging station. “The only say I have is about Ryan, Randy and Paula,” Cowell recently told reporters, while speaking on the issue of Kara DioGuardi. “I’ve always made it clear that I wouldn’t like to do the show without them. So that’s all I’m really concerned about.”

And that message seems to carry a pretty clear meaning - do what you want with Kara DioGuardi, but Cowell isn’t going to let you FOX bigwigs touch his crew.