The once-stratospheric ratings for "American Idol" hit an all-time low this week — down 27 percent from last season's average — the latest indication that America's erstwhile favorite show may be dying. A year after the effortlessly provocative Adam Lambert had conservative viewers in a knot, this year's contestants are inducing snores. Has "Idol" reached its nadir? (Watch this season's finalists perform a Frank Sinatra tribute)
The show's 15 minutes are up: It was the beginning of the end when Abdul left, says Dawn Olsen at Technorati. Obviously, show executives misjudged the special chemistry between the judges, and Simon Cowell's imminent departure is "the final nail in the coffin." "It's like trying to replace Hugh Hefner at Playboy — it's just not going to work." With Cowell's "X-Factor" hitting airwaves soon, the producers should end the "journey" now, while they can "go out like a lion, rather than a lamb."
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