Still, Reid and Paula Abdul voted to oust Stacy, while Nicole Scherzinger wanted Astro gone. The judges were at a 2-1 vote, with Simon Cowell casting either the deciding vote, or bringing it to a tie (a point at which, if we understand the rules correctly, a broken pool cue would be thrown between the two and they’d have to fight to the death). The audience had lustily booed decisions to go with Astro, and Cowell was cheered on as he lit into Astro, telling him he was disrespectful.

“No disrespect to you or this show,” Astro told Cowell, “But I just feel like if you’re going to put me in the bottom two, I don’t want to perform for you or the people who put me here.”

More boos rained down. And then the tears started flowing. Astro eventually apologized as he wiped tears away. Awwwwww.

If you want to see what Simon decided to do (Mediaite is not in the business of spoilers), or if you’d like to see Astro’s mini-tantrum as it unfolded on live television, enjoy the video below, courtesy of Fox:

There’s no single factor. I miss Paula Abdul more than I thought I would, but her departure didn’t leave too big of a hole. And it’s not that this season’s contestants are lacking in the talent department. It’s just that it all seems so … boring. Ratings for the show reflect the boredom. Last week’s numbers were the lowest since 2002. It bounced back a little last night with “movie night” performances from the final four, but an audience of 18.7 million viewers is still cause for concern at the Fox franchise.

For me, the key to the final month of “American Idol” is the transformation. It’s compelling to see the contestants turn awkward into amazing. That’s how I remember Jordin Sparks in Season Six. Clearly, she brought talent from the beginning. But it wasn’t until the middle of April that it started to become clear that her star quality was outshining her inexperience. It was fun to watch in the final stretch as she hit one home run after another.

I thought the contestant who showed the most growth this season was young Katie Stevens. She didn’t have what she needed to win, but I was eager to see her perform each week because she kept getting better. In contrast, this season’s early favorite, Crystal Bowersox, has been a contender all along. She was so strong coming in that instead of bringing excitement, she seems to bring exactly the same thing from one week to the next.

Last year, producers had Adam Lambert to keep things interesting every week. Scott MacIntyre and Danny Gokey gave the producers sad back stories to work with. Somehow, this time round it’s been hard for me to even remember all of the contestants’ names. It would be easy to say that the format is old. But I think the bigger problem is that the contestants this year haven’t given us much to get excited about. “Capable” is the unenthusiastic word that comes to mind.

I did see a few sparks last night. Most notably, the standout duet that paired Lee DeWyze with Bowersox. I smiled through the whole thing because it was clear in the first 20 seconds that they’d nailed it with their rendition of “Falling Slowly,” that song from “Once.” But those ‘that’s what this is all about’ moments have been rare this year.

It’s not as though all of “Idol” has jumped off the track. Ryan Seacrest has been solid, as usual. The show’s production has met its own high standards. And there’s been little to complain about with the selection of guests – Harry Connick Jr. was exceptional in his roles as mentor and performer. But these are just the trimmings on “Idol.” The main course is the music delivered by the contestants. As viewers, we’d like to feel that the meal was at least as satisfying as last year’s.

There are some other factors worth mentioning. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” has had a strong season. And it seems apparent that “Idol” is hurt directly when the shows are scheduled on the same night. There’s also an indirect impact when time-challenged viewers pick one competition over the other. The DWTS casting is great this season and ABC benefited from the show’s early media buzz: Kate Gosselin was at the top of the gossip cycle when the season started, Erin Andrews had just been in the news after the hidden camera bust and Evan Lysacek went straight to the dance studio from his Olympic gold in Vancouver.

I haven’t decided whether the new faces at the “Idol” judges’ table have hurt ratings. I’ll admit the show does miss the unpredictability of Paula’s comments. Ellen DeGeneres has moments of brilliance, like last night in response to the duet from Big Mike Lynche and Casey James. (They sang “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” and she dryly replied, “Yes, I have.”) She’s exceeded my expectations but I’m still not sure that she needs to be there. Kara DioGuardi has stepped it up in Paula’s absence. Her insights have been good and the chemistry with Simon seems legitimate, but she’s too reliant on her ‘feel the words’ theme. It’s hard to insist that a contestant be ‘believable’ when the themes and song catalogs are dictated by the producers.

That brings us to Simon. I’ve made the case before that Simon Cowell’s ability to get the critique right every time is the driving force behind the show’s success. He’s been too nice this season. Not always, but I think there’s been a definite pullback from his nastiest work. The warm Simon played well last year when Susan Boyle put him in his place on “Britain’s Got Talent” (video below). I suspect he’s softening his “Idol” critiques to help Americans adjust to the mentor role he’ll play when the US version of X-Factor makes its debut.

I don’t want to say the answer for “Idol” is to encourage Simon’s inner grouch to reappear, but that’s what it might take to keep viewers from remembering Season Nine as “American Idle.”

TV newsman Pat Kiernan picks his favorite stories from the morning papers each weekday on NY1 News and PatsPapers.com. He’s known to VH1 fans as the host of World Series of Pop Culture. Twitter: @patkiernan

Probably not.

Some outlets are trying to spin this as a jaw-dropping, left-field choice, which it isn’t. MSNBC.com’s Craig Berman writes, “The first reaction to the news that Ellen DeGeneres is replacing Paula Abdul as the fourth judge on “American Idol” is easy. Has everyone at FOX and 19 Entertainment lost their collective minds?”

Aside from most people probably not knowing what 19 Entertainment is or thinking about it immediately, this is a wild overstatement. Noted arbiter of tastes Perez Hilton may be closer to the mark when he writes, ”Whosever idea this was deserves a HUGE pay raise! Inspired choice.” Perez Hilton: 1. MSNBC guy: 0.

According to the AP, Idol fans are divided about the DeGeneres pick, but only because she doesn’t have the same music industry experience as the other judges. Her sexuality is a total nonissue; the Ellen DeGeneres Show draws strong ratings in syndication. America’s gotten used to her.

And to return to the ‘experience’ point: how much do people watching Idol really care about that in the moment? People like Simon because he says mean/funny putdowns, not because of his industry experience. And Kara DioGuardi has tons of musical experience, but no one seems to like her all that much. Just 28% of respondents to a People online poll said they were happy she was coming back for Season 9. American Idol is, after all, a popularity contest, and Ellen’s wit and likability will be a welcome boost for the show.

DeGeneres might not have been an ‘obvious’ choice, but she was a creative, entirely defensible one. To use a terrible analogy from 2008 presidential politics that may get me flamewarred for a variety of reasons, Fox’s picking DeGeneres is a lot more like John McCain picking Kay Bailey Hutchison to be his VP than John McCain picking Sarah Palin.

Here’s a video of Ellen announcing that she was taking over Paula’s slot on her show yesterday:

And here is a video of Ellen dancing to Soulja Boy, because why not:

The New York Daily News ran a list of possible replacements yesterday. Some were serious (Judge Judy – a natural match for Simon Cowell), some were not (Lou Dobbs – doesn’t believe Aiken v Studdard is settled law), but the most intriguing name on the list, for me, was Meghan McCain.

She would be a natural for the show, combining Paula’s beauty and unpredictability with Simon Cowell’s take-no-prisoners honesty.

I emailed Meghan to get her thoughts, and here’s what she had to say about it:

Tommy Christopher: Is being an Idol judge something that would appeal to you? How do you think you’d stack up next to Paula Abdul?

Meghan McCain: I think that article is a joke!

TC: Maybe, but I would love to see you on Idol. I bet you would own Simon Cowell.

Meghan: Of course being an Idol judge would appeal to me, I think it would appeal to any person on the planet. I love Paula and really want her to come back, I don’t think anyone could replace her!

TC: How would you deal with Simon?

Meghan: Everyone knows I’m feisty and I don’t take smack talk, I would give it right back to him!

TC: Who was your favorite Idol contestant this year, and why?

Meghan: Adam Lambert was my favorite, I liked his voice and his attitude. His rendition of “Feeling Good” is my favorite. But I also liked Kris’s country version of “heartless”…

TC: OK, last question. You’ve been critical of the Republicans for some of their messaging. Would you say their messaging has been “horrible,” or “just a little pitchy, dawg?”

Meghan: Lol, a little pitchy dawg.

There’s no question in my mind that Meg would make a great judge, and a great reason for me to watch American Idol again. Consider this her nomination. She should sail through the confirmation process.

Image by AFP PHOTO/Robyn BECK via Like A Whisper

Abdul has spent eight seasons on the highly-rated show, and rumors she was thinking about leaving have floated for the last couple years. But few thought it would happen. In fact, some didn’t buy it when the news first came out.

Bonnie Fuller wrote on Twitter that it was all a big PR push, although she has since recanted a bit today. “Well Paula – I for one think you’re makg a big mistake! Even if you’re not happy with your pay V Ryan – you have a great golden goose!!” she writes.

So why did she leave? TheWrap.com’s Josef Adalian reports steps were taken to get Abdul to stay. “Sources say the network and producers were willing to up Abdul’s salary by a huge 30 percent,” he writes.

Although Abdul’s current salary is not known, that raise could have brought her up to more than $4 million a year If it were a multi-year deal, TheWrap.com reports she’d take in “$11 million to $17.5 million.”

Will she be able to find a new job where she’ll make even more? Gawker thinks so. But even if she can make more money, she’s leaving a proven winner that gives her a ton of exposure. Despite American Idol‘s success, there are no illusions Abdul is the driving force behind it. Besides the “talent” (the competitors), Simon Cowell is the FOX show. Ryan Seacrest is also a big part – and each of the duo get paid handsomely for it.

Without Abdul, Idol will be fine. But without Idol, it’s not clear Abdul will be able to find another big platform. She’ll likely see offers from other networks looking to take a shot at an AI competitor. But with the money reportedly being left on the table for her to stay, it’s a bold, and puzzling, move.

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American Idol is one of the only shows I seem to be able to make time for regularly.  I’ve long said it’s a near-perfect reality television creation, and the masses seem to agree.  The ratings have turned Idol into a billion-dollar franchise for Fox Television.  So the negotiations with the stars for contract extensions are less about what their services are worth and more about protecting the franchise at almost any cost.

With auditions getting underway, there’s pressure to wrap up contract details for all of the principals.  From the perspective of a devoted viewer, these are the pieces of the puzzle that Fox must re-assemble to keep the audience coming back:

Simon Cowell: Indispensible and he knows it. There’s a reason he’s talking about a contract extension worth several times as much as what Seacrest settled for.  The show changes dramatically without him.  It’s not just the cutting remarks.  It’s the fact that the cutting remarks are always right.

Ryan Seacrest: Like any host, Seacrest is worth a lot to Fox simply because he’s established.  But he brings two other key assets that increase his value.  One:  the full package of his radio, cable and online buzz.  And two:  he’s just a damn good host.  It’s an old-fashioned live show and he’s remarkably adept at saying the right thing at the right time.

Randy Jackson: I don’t see Idol taking a big ratings hit if Randy was ousted in a battle for a bigger contract.  But I do think he consistently adds an informed viewpoint.  And we’d all miss the “dog” routine.

Paula Abdul: She gets wackier every year, but I still think the show would suffer if she left.  This year she seemed particularly uncomfortable delivering what appeared to be rehearsed comments to contestants.  But I’d still like to see her back next year.

Kara DioGuardi: Did the show need a fourth judge?  Of course not.  The introduction of Kara was an insurance policy to keep the contract renewals for the other three in check.  For obvious reasons, Kara is easiest to swap in for Paula.  But I think she could also keep her head above the water stepping in for Randy.  The “Bikini Girl” gag in the May finale scored her some personality points.

With these principles in place, the real key to ongoing success for Idol is to keep delivering the big stars the audience has come to expect.  Unlike many of its talent show competitors, Idol really does find stars who go on to make hit records. One recent misstep has been in casting contestants like Carly Smithson and Joanna Pacitti, who weren’t truly new to the record business. Viewers don’t like this and neither do I.  Discovering the “diamond in the rough” is the strategy that made Idol a gem in its own right.

So, congratulations to Ryan Seacrest for his big deal to keep the Idol profit machine humming.  I suspect the other contract talks will wrap up soon.  And then we can move on from signing to singing.

TV newsman Pat Kiernan picks his favorite stories from the morning papers each weekday on NY1 News and PatsPapers.com. He’s known to VH1 fans as the host of World Series of Pop Culture. Twitter: @patkiernan