While American Idol is returning to a more familiar format, there will still be several substantial changes when the curtains go up on the show's ninth season -- including the absence of Paula Abdul, the addition of Ellen DeGeneres, and Simon Cowell serving on the judging panel for the final time. American Idol's ninth season will premiere over the course of two consecutive nights with a two-hour broadcast on Tuesday, January 12 and a 75-minute broadcast on Wednesday, January 13 -- with both beginning at 8PM ET/PT.
It will represent the beginning of the end for Cowell, as Fox confirmed yesterday that he will be leaving American Idol after its 2010 season to focus on launching a U.S. version of his British The X Factor reality competition series for the network in Fall 2011.
