Season eight of American Idol premieres on January 13.

But you needn't wait that long to get a preview of the four judges - including newbie Kara DioGuardi - grade contestants during the initial rounds of auditions.

To wit:

[video url="/videos/american-idol-season-eight-preview/" title="American Idol, Season Eight Preview"] [/video]

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.