I GUESS THIS IS NEWS

Simon Cowell announced his decision to leave “American Idol” following this season in order to serve as judge and executive producer on “The X Factor.” Cowell made the same move in his native Britain, leaving “Pop Idol” (which died without him) to start “The X Factor” there, which is the exact same show as “Idol” except Cowell makes more money off it and the other judges are hot chicks.

When “The X Factor” launches in the fall of next year, Fox will be home to two singing competitions, albeit airing at different times of year. Mr. Cowell said “The X Factor,” unlike “American Idol,” won’t have age limits and will make judges more active in developing the contestants’ talent through choreography and in choosing musical scores.

Oh, my bad. That’s totally different. So basically the end result is this: “American Idol” is going to be renamed “The X Factor,” and Simon Cowell will get richer. Golly I love that scrappy underdog.