Is Simon leaving ‘Idol’ after this season?

Posted Dec 23, 2009 by Walt Belcher

Updated Dec 23, 2009 at 03:17 PM

There are reports buzzing around the Internet that Simon Cowell will leave “American Idol” after the 2010 season wraps.

He will concentrate on bringing a version of his hit British talent show “X Factor” to the United States in 2011, his brother, Tony Cowell, said in his podcast, “The Cowell Factor.”

“A press statement is being prepared which will confirm what everybody expected: Simon will leave ‘Idol’ at the end of 2010,” Tony Cowell said.

Simon Cowell, whose contract with the hit Fox TV singing competition runs out at the end of 2010, was on vacation and unavailable for comment.

Meanwhile, Fox has released the “American Idol” schedule for 2010, and there will be 12 weeks of audition rounds before the 24 semifinalists are revealed.

That’s a lot of bad singing, folks.

Auditions held in Orlando this past summer will be featured on the Jan. 20 episode.

In the audition cities, Ryan Seacrest hosts, and Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi will be joined by rotating guest judges Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Kristin Chenoweth, Neil Patrick Harris, Joe Jonas, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry and Shania Twain.

New judge Ellen DeGeneres didn’t come aboard until after most of the auditions were held.

“Idol” returns Jan. 12 with a two-hour special. Producers have decided to drop last season’s early round elimination format, in which contestants were voted into the final round. Instead, they’ll return to a top 24 format in which wanna-be Idols are eliminated until there is a top tier of contestants.

It will take until March 16 to narrow the field to 12 finalists. After that, the competition continues through May. Here’s the early schedule:

• Tuesday, Jan. 12 (8-10 p.m.) - Season premiere, Part 1, Boston auditions
• Wednesday, Jan. 13 (8-9:15 p.m.) - Season premiere, Part 2, Atlanta auditions
• Tuesday, Jan. 19 (8-9 p.m.) - Chicago auditions
• Wednesday, Jan. 20 (8-9 p.m.) - Orlando auditions
• Tuesday, Jan. 26 (8-9 p.m.) - Dallas auditions
• Wednesday, Jan. 27 (9-10 p.m.) - Los Angeles auditions
• Tuesday, Feb. 2 (8-9 p.m.) - Denver auditions
• Wednesday, Feb. 3 (9-10 p.m.) - “The Road to Hollywood” auditions
• Tuesday, Feb. 9 (8-9 p.m.) - Hollywood Round, Part 1 (DeGeneres debuts)
• Wednesday, Feb. 10 (9-10 p.m.) - Hollywood Round, Part 2
• Tuesday, Feb. 16 (8-9 p.m.) - Hollywood Round, Part 3
• Wednesday, Feb. 17 (9-10 p.m.) - Hollywood Round, Part 4; top 24 semifinalists announced
• Tuesday, Feb. 23 (8-10 p.m.) - Top 12 female semifinalists perform
• Wednesday, Feb. 24 (8-10 .m.) - Top 12 male semifinalists perform
• Thursday, Feb. 25 (8-9 p.m.) - First results show, two male and two female contestants eliminated
• Tuesday, March 2 (8-10 p.m.) - Top 10 female semifinalists perform
• Wednesday, March 3 (8-10 p.m.) - Top 10 male semifinalists perform
• Thursday, March 4 (8 -9 p.m.) - Results show, two male and two female contestants eliminated
• Tuesday, March 9 (8 -9 p.m.) - Top eight female semifinalists perform
• Wednesday, March 10 (9-10 p.m.) - Top eight male semifinalists perform
• Thursday, March 11 (8-9 p.m.) - Results show, two male and two female contestants eliminated; finalists revealed
• Tuesday, March 16 (8-10 p.m.) - Finalists perform
• Wednesday, March 17 (9-10 p.m.) - Results show, one contestant eliminated