American Idol Television Program

The first talent auditions for the ninth season of the Fox juggernaut "American Idol" are still two weeks away, but there is already a beauty contest going on behind the scenes. Negotiations on a new contract for Simon Cowell, the show's linchpin, chief prosecutor and animating force, are progressing quickly and could be concluded as early as this week.

And then there was one. Next season, barring any last-minute twists and turns, Randy Jackson will be the only original "American Idol" judge left sitting. Paula Abdul is now gone and in a blockbuster development earlier this month, Simon Cowell announced he was leaving the nation's most popular, if aging, television series to start his own show, "The X Factor." "Idol" made Jackson a household name and the former session bassist turned pop producer leveraged his fame to expand his brand beyond the hit show.

Maybe it's not as shocking as, say, Aussie heartthrob Michael Johns getting voted off the show. But the news still surprises: "American Idol's" ratings are down. Way down, among some viewers. Could it be that the singing smash, which has entirely reshaped television over the past seven seasons, is finally proving mortal? And if so, what will that mean for Fox, the rest of the TV industry and Ryan Seacrest's career? Some of the above are worth contemplating.

It's been a week of breakups for "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller. First, Simon Cowell announced he was leaving his job as judge on the hit Fox show. Now Fuller is parting ways with CKX Inc., which owns 19 Entertainment, producer of "American Idol" and Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance." Fuller's exit to start his own entertainment production company comes just days after CKX Chief Executive Robert F.X. Sillerman told The Times that he did not think Fuller's skills were suited to the executive suite.

To add Ellen or not to add Ellen, that was the question -- but only for a quick minute. The sudden departure of Paula Abdul from her "American Idol" judging job on Aug. 4, three days before auditions were beginning, left Fox, FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment scrambling for a replacement. As they frenetically booked guest judges for auditions in different cities, executives simultaneously focused on the long-term problem of finding someone to permanently fill Abdul's shoes.

When a reporter suggested Monday that 60% of "American Idol" viewers show up just to see Simon Cowell, the man himself set the record straight. "I think you'll find it was slightly higher than that," Cowell joked to reporters at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Pasadena. The sharp-tongued British impresario made a surprise appearance at Fox's executive session Monday to confirm that this will be his last season on the smash singing competition before bringing his similarly themed "The X Factor" to the network in fall 2011.

Now that Paula Abdul has voted herself off of Fox's "American Idol" after eight years as a judge on the hit talent show, the question is whether there will be a recount or if she will seek office somewhere else. With auditions for the ninth season of "American Idol" starting Friday in Denver, the odds of Abdul getting one of the show's judges' patented saves from the network seem long but not impossible.

The addition of a fourth judge didn't help "American Idol's" ratings. The show's two-hour Season 8 premiere on Fox on Tuesday gathered 30.1 million total viewers -- still a very impressive figure, but a decline of 10% compared with last year's premiere and the lowest "Idol" season launch since January 2004. With new judge Kara DioGuardi added to the familiar judging trio of Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, "Idol" averaged an 11.

"American Idol" ended its eighth season last week. So what will fans do with all this newfound free time? Why, delve into another "Idol" voting controversy, of course. Published reports have raised questions on whether AT&T, a program sponsor, may have violated "Idol" voting rules at two pre-finale parties thrown for Kris Allen, the Arkansas crooner crowned winner last Wednesday.

When the producers of "American Idol" announced the addition of a fourth judge as well as various other tweaks this season, the Fox network cautioned that it didn't expect the moves to reverse the ratings declines for TV's No. 1 show. And they haven't. Through five weeks, Season 8 of "Idol" has slipped 8% compared with last season to 26.8 million total viewers and is down 14% in the advertiser-friendly demographic adults ages 18 to 49, according to data from Nielsen Media Research.

And then there was one. Next season, barring any last-minute twists and turns, Randy Jackson will be the only original "American Idol" judge left sitting. Paula Abdul is now gone and in a blockbuster development earlier this month, Simon Cowell announced he was leaving the nation's most popular, if aging, television series to start his own show, "The X Factor." "Idol" made Jackson a household name and the former session bassist turned pop producer leveraged his fame to expand his brand beyond the hit show.

It's been a week of breakups for "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller. First, Simon Cowell announced he was leaving his job as judge on the hit Fox show. Now Fuller is parting ways with CKX Inc., which owns 19 Entertainment, producer of "American Idol" and Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance." Fuller's exit to start his own entertainment production company comes just days after CKX Chief Executive Robert F.X. Sillerman told The Times that he did not think Fuller's skills were suited to the executive suite.

When a reporter suggested Monday that 60% of "American Idol" viewers show up just to see Simon Cowell, the man himself set the record straight. "I think you'll find it was slightly higher than that," Cowell joked to reporters at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Pasadena. The sharp-tongued British impresario made a surprise appearance at Fox's executive session Monday to confirm that this will be his last season on the smash singing competition before bringing his similarly themed "The X Factor" to the network in fall 2011.

To add Ellen or not to add Ellen, that was the question -- but only for a quick minute. The sudden departure of Paula Abdul from her "American Idol" judging job on Aug. 4, three days before auditions were beginning, left Fox, FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment scrambling for a replacement. As they frenetically booked guest judges for auditions in different cities, executives simultaneously focused on the long-term problem of finding someone to permanently fill Abdul's shoes.

The news that Paula Abdul has apparently chosen to leave "American Idol" rather than accept a salary below her asking price forces the question reality television has been dancing around for years now: What is a reliable train wreck actually worth? Abdul may have been chosen as one of "American Idol's" original judges because of her singing career -- "I've been where you are" is her default position with contestants -- but what she actually brought to the show was, well, insanity.

Now that Paula Abdul has voted herself off of Fox's "American Idol" after eight years as a judge on the hit talent show, the question is whether there will be a recount or if she will seek office somewhere else. With auditions for the ninth season of "American Idol" starting Friday in Denver, the odds of Abdul getting one of the show's judges' patented saves from the network seem long but not impossible.

Paula Abdul, who has been in tense negotiations with Fox for a new deal to remain a judge on "American Idol," wrote on Twitter on Tuesday night that she is leaving the show. "I'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 become an international phenomenon." Abdul's contract expired after the last season, its eighth, ended in May.

Kara DioGuardi, a.k.a. "the fourth judge," will be back on "American Idol" next season. A person familiar with the situation confirmed that DioGuardi, a songwriter and producer who was added to the judging panel for its eighth season, has had her contract option picked up for the show's ninth season. "She's coming back for a second season. She really enjoyed the first," said the person, who asked not to be identified. Filmed auditions will begin next Thursday in Denver.

The first talent auditions for the ninth season of the Fox juggernaut "American Idol" are still two weeks away, but there is already a beauty contest going on behind the scenes. Negotiations on a new contract for Simon Cowell, the show's linchpin, chief prosecutor and animating force, are progressing quickly and could be concluded as early as this week.

For non-devotees, "American Idol's" summer tour, which launched Sunday at this city's Rose Garden Arena, may seem an afterthought. But to fans of television's most popular program, this year's 52-city tour showcasing its 10 finalists is like seeing the ducklings burst forth and become swans at last. The young talents, who will make a stop July 16 at Staples Center, can finally fly free of the pressure of competition, scowling judges and an often unforgiving media corps.