Howard Stern Named as Rumored Replacement for Cowell on "Idol"

When Simon Cowell revealed last month that this would in fact be his last season as an American Idol judge, speculation immediately began regarding who would replace the scowling Brit at the judges' table. Early rumor mongering had Ryan Seacrest doing double duty as both host and judge on AI, but today the New York Post's Page Six mentions a new, much more interesting candidate to replace Cowell next season: Howard Stern.

According to Page Six, producers are eager to hire Stern to fill Cowell's vacancy. Stern's exclusive, industry-changing contract with Sirius Radio ends January 2011, and the shock jock has been using satellite airwaves to talk openly about his future. "I was approached by a major TV network to take over a TV show and leave here and do that next year — and I did turn it down… I'm not even sure if I want to be working. I'm waiting to see what happens," Stern recently said on his morning show, the Post reports.

Money issues aside — Page Six suspects Stern is using Idol as leverage to get a new contract from Sirius — another factor that could prevent Stern from becoming an Idol judge is his reluctance to uproot his life in New York and move to Los Angeles for a long period of time (see O'Brien, Conan). Still, a source says producers feel Stern would be as, if not more, combative with contestants and his fellow judges, including Ellen DeGeneres.

So have it at, Rolling Stone readers: Should Stern become the next Idol judge? If we were in charge, we wouldn't stop at Howard; we'd invite Robin and Fred to tag along too. Don't like Stern in the role, then who would you recommend to producers? Let us know in the comments below.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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