American Idol shifted its schedule last week, but not to accommodate one its high profile judges, instead it was to help out one of their contestants. Idol switched the order for the guys and girls, and let the guys go first after doctors kept Crystal Bowersox out of the competition on Tuesday. If they hadn’t made the change for Crystal, she would have been disqualified for not performing, even though she was hospitalized at the time.

It was an unprecedented move  for one of TV’s biggest shows and one that paid off for Bowersox, who swept the incident aside and landed in the Top 12. But, will her health keep her from winning it all?

Bowersox, a 24-year-old Ohio native and mother, suffers from diabetes. Currently, she is the unanimous favorite among online betting sites to win season nine but some speculate her illness may prevent her from winning.

Former American Idol contestants Christina Christian, Megan Joy and David Cook also experienced health scares during the competition. Cook, whose condition was perhaps the most serious in ‘Idol’s’ history, was hospitalized for heart palpitations and high blood pressure but went on to win it all. Maybe she can follow in Cook’s footsteps and overcome her illness to win it all.

Fox’s NFC Championship Game featuring Minnesota vs. New Orleans claimed 57.9 million viewers Sunday, the biggest conference title since 1982, and the two American Idol episodes finished second and third, giving Fox an average of 24.4 million viewers for its prime-time programming between Jan. 18 and Sunday, according to figures released Tuesday by the Nielsen Co.

Viewership for the New Orleans Saints’ 31-28 overtime victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday was the second largest for an NFL conference championship game, trailing only the 1982 match-up between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers, which averaged 68.7 million viewers. This was thanks in part to the Saints storied run along with Brett Favre’s comeback with the Vikings.

Sunday’s game was also the most-watched prime-time program, other than Super Bowls, since the 1998 finale of the NBC comedy Seinfeld, which averaged 76.3 million viewers.

Here are the full prime-time numbers compiled by the Nielsen Co. for Jan. 18-24.

Listings include the week’s ranking and viewership.

1. NFC Championship: Minnesota vs. New Orleans, Fox, 57.93 million.

2. “American Idol” (Wednesday), Fox, 26.85 million.

3. “American Idol” (Tuesday), Fox, 26.38 million.

4. “NFC Championship Post-Game Show,” Fox, 23.83 million.

5. “Two and a Half Men,” CBS, 16.31 million.

6. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 15.05 million.

7. “Criminal Minds,” CBS, 14.91 million.

8. “The Mentalist,” CBS, 14.56 million.

9. “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” CBS, 14.29 million.

10. “NCIS,” CBS, 14.19 million.

11. “CSI: NY,” CBS, 13.54 million.

12. “CSI: Miami,” CBS, 13.22 million.

13. “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC, 12.7 million.

14. “NCIS: Los Angeles,” CBS, 12.34 million.

15. “Bones,” Fox, 11.97 million.

16. “24,” Fox, 11.11 million.

17. “The Bachelor,” ABC, 10.67 million.

18. “Human Target,” Fox, 10.46 million.

19. “How I Met Your Mother,” CBS, 10.41 million.

20. “Biggest Loser 9,” NBC, 9.95 million.

According to Nielsen’s estimates, 29.8 million viewers tuned in to the two-hour debut of American Idol’s ninth season, its first without Paula Abdul as a judge. Although the premiere audience was down compared to the 30.4 million who watched the first episode last season. Though American Idol is still the biggest show on television, ratings have thinned the last few years. Combined with judge Simon Cowell leaving after this season, there is concern at Fox that Idol will lose even more of its viewership and <gasp> potentially come in second in the ratings.

Cowell is unlikely to say anything on the air about his move until the live episodes of Idol begin in February with new host Ellen DeGeneres.

Yet, besides landing 29.9 million viewers, American Idol ruled the night among adults ages 18-49, attracting 15.5 million in the demographic, which matches a year ago.

NBC and ABC appeared to take the biggest hit from American Idol. CBS’ NCIS, which averaged 20.1 million viewers in the 8 p.m. hour, and NCIS: Los Angeles averaged 15.5 million viewers at 9 p.m.

American Idol wasn’t the only show doing big numbers Tuesday night. NBC’s The Tonight Show spiked with viewers t tuning in to see what host Conan O’Brien would say on the air regarding his situation. Earlier this week, O’Brien issued a statement saying he was not interested in doing The Tonight Show if the network moved it to 12:05 a.m. from 11:35 p.m. to make room for Jay Leno’s return from prime time to late night.

CBS also won the 10 p.m. hour following Idol with The Good Wife (13.8 million), which outperformed The Jay Leno Show on NBC (6.2 million) and The Forgotten on ABC (4.4 million). NBC ranked third on the night, averaging 8.1 million for The Biggest Loser from 8 to 10, while ABC finished a distant fourth.

This upcoming ninth season of FOX’s mega hit and cultural touchstone, American Idol, will be the last that viewers will see the smirking face of its top judge, Simon Cowell.  The snarky Brit is citing irreconcilable differences with FOX; Idol’s production company FreemantleMedia, and 19 Entertainment for the split.  Even better, he’s got his own talent show in the works on a rival network in an attempt to kill the beast he helped birth. Cowell will attempt to repeat his formula of bringing a British import and Americanizing it with The X-Factor.  In Britain, The X-Factor bills itself as the UK’s biggest talent search.  If Simon is successful, he could very well make the United States’ version of the show as big a hit as Idol.

Cowell isn’t the first judge to walk away from Idol.  This season, Paula Abdul has been replaced by another likeable female judge, Ellen DeGeneres. It seems that Idol has been reinforcing itself for some time, bracing itself for Paula’s departure, which had been rumored for several years, by bringing in another female judge last season with Kara DioGuardi, upping the number of judges from three to four.

Now that the question of “why” Simon is preparing to depart from American Idol has been answered, the real question remains: Will Idol be worth watching without him? Will the show crumble under the weight of a thousand “dawgs” and heaps of undeserved praise on contestants who could use a dose of criticism? Will any of the judges step up and avoid playing nicey-nicey with the aspiring singers? Who’s going to give brutal, yet usually constructive criticism?

Fans can get their last, solid-season’s worth dose of Simon in all his vitriolic glory beginning Tuesday January 12 when the ninth season premiere of American Idol airs on FOX.

American Idol judge and music producer Randy Jackson is getting a little sick of hearing about rumors of Simon Cowell departing from the hit reality show. Calling it a “distraction,” Jackson said he’d rather focus on the actual show and finding the next superstar talent rather than focusing on “wild” rumors.

Asked if the British curmudgeon would depart from the show at the end of his contract, Jackson shrugged. “I really don’t know until I hear it from him…The rumors get so wild and crazy, you just don’t know what to believe,” says Jackson. “It is pretty much a distraction. I think people get a little side-tracked with that…Let’s also focus on what we are judging and what the actual heartbeat of the show really is, and it is about finding that next superstar talent.”

Rumors have been spreading like a wildfire over the possibility that Cowell will leave American Idol at the end of 2010, per Simon’s brother Tony via his podcast . This, along with a proposed U.S. entry of the U.K.’s  X-Factor, may cause problems for ratings of the longtime television program.

During this ninth season of the America’s most-watched show, gone will be long-time judge and pop star Paula Abdul who quit the post amid contract negotiations. Jackson went on to say that Abdul will be missed. “She is one of our best friends,” said the music producer. “I miss that. We look down the table sometimes and think, ‘Where’s Paula?’. It’s going to take a little getting used to. We’re really sad about that.”

Outstanding comedian and daytime talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres, will replace Abdul during the Hollywood round of the show, which begins taping next week. Those episodes are expected to air sometime in February.

Jackson added: “Ellen is funny, very charismatic and really cool…I think she will bring expertise from being a fellow entertainer who has been hugely successful. I think she will give the home viewer a real voice on the panel.”

To Fox, it doesn’t matter if Simon Cowell is back for another season of American Idol.  The network will order more episodes of America’s most watched show. Fox’s contract with Idol producers 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia will expire at the end of 2011 and the network is hoping to seal another deal soon for another three seasons after that.

A thinning talent pool is the last thing on Fox executive’s minds since the show may be facing its biggest problem yet: no Simon Cowell. “The idea that for the next five years, I’d be doing exactly what I’ve been doing for the past five years, . . . . the thought is just too depressing,” Cowell told The Hollywood Reporter in late April. Rumors have been spreading like a wildfire over the possibility that Cowell will leave American Idol at the end of 2010, per Simon’s brother Tony via his podcast . This, along with a proposed U.S. entry of the U.K.’s  X-Factor, may cause problems for ratings of the longtime television program.

Talk of a stateside X-Factor may be premature, as Cowell still needs to sign his new contract with X-Factor’s owner Sony. Post-contract, Sony is believed to allow Cowell the opportunity to bring the show to the States even though American Idol is seen as the U.S. version of the U.K. hit.

Fox would like to have a “bundle” agreement with Cowell that will lock up the judge for not only American Idol but X-Factor as well. Yet, leaving Idol may create a bigger event for Cowell’s X-Factor though one compromise may still exist: Cowell taking a smaller role on Idol. He may only judge during the Hollywood rounds, not the lame and increasingly annoying auditions.

Thanks to delays on the Sony deal, Fox’s plan to debut  X-Factor next fall have been squashed. Fox’s new plan has the show making its premiere in 2011.

Don’t think that all Idol fans actually want the English curmudgeon to stay on the show. Many fans have said that Cowell “has been phoning it in for years.”

During one of Allison Iraheta’s performances last season, Cowell was drawing a mustache on fellow judge Paula Abdul with crayons, rather than listening to the husky-voiced singer. A lot of Idol fans were annoyed that Cowell could barely provide a critique between giggles, which is not the case on X-Factor or Britain’s Got Talent.

On X-Factor, Cowell is spiffed up in a suit, sitting straight up in his chair. He’s alert, attentive and more interested in the contestants and the same goes for Britain’s Got Talent. On Idol, Cowell can be seen dressed in his black T-shirt while slouching, is often surely surly and can’t even be bothered to create new putdowns.

Maybe it’s time for Cowell to move on.

Simon Cowell, American Idol and The X-Factor co-creator and judge, has his targets set on politics. Not for public office, but with a new reality show.

In a recent interview, the English music executive and television producer said he was pondering the production of a “political X Factor” in the U.K. The participants would debate issues and the public would phone in their votes before an upcoming parliamentary election. Cowell suggested that the initial series could focus on “five or six issues, which I think are really, really important in people’s lives.” He hinted that a show like this might allow him to refocus his own career. “It would be a good way for me to get involved in politics,” he said.

David Cameron, a conservative in U.K. politics, was asked today about whether he could use the talents of people like Simon Cowell in any future Conservative government.

The Tory leader told the Daily Mail that he thought Cowell was ‘incredibly talented’. “There probably is something we can learn in politics.  Frankly, people are not just apathetic and switched-off, a lot of the time they are pretty angry at what’s been going on in politics,” Cameron went on to say.

Cowell says that a live political debate as seen in the US would have little impact in the UK. “I think there could be some kind of referendum-type TV show where you can speak on both sides and then open it up to the public to get an instant poll as to how they feel on the hot topics,” says the 50-year-old Cowell. “That kind of show would interest me, because I’m more interested in hearing what the public say than politicians.”

Topics Cowell would like to see covered ranged from hunting to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He asked to himself, “Should we or should we not be in Iraq and Afghanistan? I don’t know why we’re there. I knew why we were in the Falklands, I don’t know why we’re over there.

‘So when I see all these people coming back dead, I think we have a right to have a say in something like that.”

The show is that more people vote on than the Presidential elections is back.  American Idol returns for a ninth season and once again it will be full of some great voices and also some absolutely brutal ones.  The biggest change to Season 9 is the departure of Paula Abdul.  She is gone as one of the judges but fear not, they have another one in the waiting.  Ellen DeGeneres is set to fill in for Abdul’s departure and should bring a unique and funny perspective to the show.  Of course, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell will be back as well.

Created by Simon Fuller, the show’s goal is still to find the best singer in the country, although some would say that it’s more of a popularity contest than an actual talent show.  Former winners include Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Jordin Sparks.  These winners have all gone on to successful careers.  It should be said that only the women winners have had success after the show.  Taylor Hicks might be stocking shelves at the local grocery show.

The format and all is the same.  At the start of the season, we’ll see more of the bad than the good.  But towards the end, the true talent always rises to the top.  American Idol airs on Fox on both Tuesday and Wednesdays, depending on voting schemes.  To be sure you should check your local listings.  If you miss any of the broadcasts, you can get caught up at the following sites:

• AmericanIdol.com
  The official site to catch all the latest episodes of American Idol (in HD). Along with episodes are various bonus clips and features.
• Hulu.com
  Popular online site is like an online DVR. Subscribe to a wide array of shows and their player is also in HD. Hulu redirects you to the American Idol website.
• Fancast.com
  This site is like Hulu except a little younger. We’re pretty sure that Fancast will also redirect you to the American Idol website as well for bonus features as well as full episodes.

The Nielsen Company, a privately held global information and media company, released its annual list of top-rated TV series on Friday (the company also gauges television audiences).

Fox’s American Idol once again took the top-two positions while two new shows also made the list: CBS’s NCIS: Los Angeles at No. 6, and CBS’s The Good Wife at No. 10.

A cable-TV series also made the list — ESPN’s Monday Night Football, which tied for eighth place. Among single telecasts, all four Super Bowl programs topped the list. In fact, the only non-football telecast among the top ten was the Academy Awards telecast, which came in at No. 8. Somewhat surprisingly, the low-rated Jay Leno Show managed to top another one of the Nielsen year-end lists: “Top 10 programs with Product Placement Activity.” Nielsen counted 1,015 occurrences of product-placement ads on the NBC talk show.

No. 2 on the list was USA Network’s WWE Monday Night Raw with 787, followed by NBC’s The Biggest Loser with 704.

The top ten TV programs of 2009:

1. American Idol (Wednesday), Fox; 2. American Idol (Tuesday), Fox; 3. Dancing with the Stars (Monday), ABC; 4. Sunday Night Football, NBC; 5. Dancing with the Stars (Tuesday); 6. NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS; 7. NCIS, CBS; 8. Monday Night Football, ESPN; 8. Sunday Night Football Pre-kickoff, NBC; 10. The Good Wife, CBS.

Late last week, Nielsen said it is selling Billboard music magazine and seven sister titles and discontinuing two others, including the journalism review Editor & Publisher.

Billboard, along with daily entertainment trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter and five smaller publications, will be acquired by a newly formed media investment group, e5 Global Media LLC.

The company is a joint venture of Pluribus Capital Management, a new private equity partner, and Guggenheim Partners, a financial services firm with more than $100 billion in assets under supervision, says Nielsen.

A California judge has granted a civil restraining order against a man accused of stalking American Idol host and DJ Ryan Seacrest in Orange County and Los Angeles.

The order issued Tuesday morning requires Chidi Benjamin Uzomah Jr. to keep 100 yards away from the popular television and radio personality, his home and his workplace.

The 25-year-old remains in a Los Angeles jail, charged with felony stalking. He was arrested outside Seacrest’s workplace on Oct. 30, just weeks after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges stemming from an incident with Seacrest’s bodyguard after an event. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail and three years of probation.

Uzomah was detained by security guards and then handed over to Los Angeles police officers.

The previous month, Uzomah tried to get into a car with Seacrest after a fundraising event at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. He pleaded guilty in Orange County Superior Court to three misdemeanors: assault, battery and possession of a switchblade knife 2 or more inches long. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail and three years’ probation, and ordered to stay away from CHOC and Seacrest.

In September, Uzomah was arrested after he attacked a member of Seacrest’s security team. He pled guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery, and possession of a switchblade.

Seacrest was not present during the court hearing in Los Angeles.

Uzomah pleaded not guilty to stalking earlier this month. It was discovered that Uzomah is a former member of the California National Guard and has served in a Special Forces battalion attached to the legendary Green Berets. He was honorably discharged in April 2009 and has since served in the Army Reserves.

Army spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Barks says, “We apologize to Ryan Seacrest. Pending the outcome of the local investigation, the Army will decide what further action to take. We take all matters of our personnel seriously.”

Ryan Seacrest inked a three-year deal with CKX for $45 million in July, making him the highest paid reality television host to date. CKX owns 19 Entertainment, which produces American Idol.