Will Simon Jump Ship??

The ninth season of "American Idol" is set to premiere on January 12, but lately the show's buzz has had nothing to do with the singing competition - not when there's so much movement behind the judges' table. Speculation has reached fever pitch regarding music mogul Simon Cowell'srumored departure from "Idol" following the expiration of his contract in 2011, but a recent comment from Cowell's brother has added fuel to the fire that has everyone's favorite grumpy judge might abandon the show at the end of this season, to "concentrate on bring the American version of " X_Factor," to U.S. TV in 2011, Tont Cowell reportly revealed on his weekly podcast.
But what is this "X-factor," you may ask, and would crotchety Cowell really consider leaving the show that made him a house-hold name on this side of the Atlantic? The answer to that question is...maybe. The cringeworthy audition process still remains, the viewing public votes, and the weekly themes are often rolled out for novelty appeal ( incliding the obligatory Michael Jackson playbook that always rears its head on "AI", and songs from movie soundtracks).While we admit it's a little mercenary to throw one show under the bus in favor of a bigger paycheck, we've got to admire Cowell's nerve, and lets face it - "AL" is going to be pretty snore-worthy without Cowell's condescending put-downs and the look on him about 10 minutes into every audition show. Why shouldn't we jump ship when "American Idol" no longer has Cowell to steer us snarkily through each performance?
Here's a list of the reasons - aside from Cowell's presence - that we're ready to leave "Idol" for the "The X-Factor':
X-Factor has better celeb guests: Smon Cowell has considerable pull in the music biz. As produer and exec of Syco Records, he's been responsible for launching the carrers of a number of chart-popping bands and performers, most notably Leona Lewis( a previous winner of X-Factor) and Susan Boyle (whose Cinderella story chronicled through another of Cowell's properties, Britain's Got Talent).
Simon perfers Paula to Ellen. and so do we : Don't get us wrong , Ellen DeGeneres is a hilarious host, but as far as her qualifications to judge a "singing competition" go, she sounds a little off-key. Cowell has remained uncharacteristically tight-lipped on his opinion of DeGeneres joining the "Idol" team, which isn't a ringing endorsement; and rumors have been circulating since Paula Abdul's unexpeced "Idol" exit that our favorite nutty judge is a firm favorite to join Cowell on on the "X-Factor roster. We can't wait to see what kinds of costunmes and arrangements she might subject her contestants to, or what Simon's reactions would be.
We just love those British accents: An awful lot of ladies (and probably a fair share of gentlemen) are happy to listen to Simon spewing insults and derision at a bevy of quivering wannabes as long as he continues to do it in a classy English lilt. It's worth noting that, whie rumors of Cowell leaving "Idol" have been rampant for a couple of years, no official announcements have been made and no deals have been signed---"yet." To be continued: the saga continues.
My spin on this: Does the " X-Factor" format sound like a breath of fresh air after a decade of "Idol" mania , or will you stay loyal to "AL" to the end? Either way, Simon Cowell will be laughing all the way to the bank.