Does Simon Cowell Care About American Idol?

As an avid viewer of American Idol since the second season, the news that Simon Cowell may not return after his contract expires come as a bit of a shock. With the plethora of shows that Simon has his fingers and toes in, it shouldn't be too surprising he might be considering giving up at least one of them. he was quoted by Great Britain's Mirror as saying; "Most people do one show a year and I do three and they involve a lot of traveling. One may have to go." He goes on to say, "I like all of them. I can't imagine not doing Britain's Got Talent and I can't imagine not doing X Factor. But I guess America is more likely to go because I have got one year under contract. Maybe that will be the end."

Anyone who has watched this season and paid any attention to Simon at all would have noticed what I did. He's been seemingly disinterested in the contestants and often times, you see him chatting with the other judges, especially Paula Abdul, during the performances. He gives biting, cutting criticism that seems to not even reflect the actual performance. More often than not, he critiques the performer based on their clothing choices and song choices, not how they performed their choice.

Will Simon actually leave American Idol? I certainly hope that isn't the case. I would hope that, if anything, the entire show would leave the air. As much as I love American Idol, the show would not be the same without him. He is the only one, more often than not, who will tell the contestants the truth and not just what they want to hear. Kara, as unpopular as she has been, tries to be honest, but it seems that she often bites her tongue on what her real reactions are.

Can American Idol survive without Simon Cowell? I'm sure that it could, but that would mean that the other judges would have to step up to the plate and be honest about the contestants. It also wouldn't be the same without Ryan and Simon barbing each other or Simon giving Paula a hard time nearly all the time, but I'm sure that it could survive. Would it still have the same impact? Definitely not. Many people only watch it because of Cowell's cutting honesty.

Cowell was also said to have another new show in the works. Perhaps it'll be something to replace American Idol, but only time will tell, since he didn't reveal anything about the show. After the sensation of the most recent audition rounds of Britain's Got Talent, it's not hard to understand why he has such affection for the show, but he also had the same affection for Idol during it's infancy as well. Perhaps it's time for Fox to hang up it's Idol cap and find something new to fill their line-up.

So what say you, Idol fans? Can American Idol make a go without Simon Cowell? Will Simon really leave or was it just a publicity stunt?

Sources:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/04/11/sir-simon-cowell-my-chances-of-getting-knighted-are-zero-after-royal-row-115875-21269924/