Article by; Rumer Certeza
Photos: Fame

'American Idol' deals with a mammoth void left by the exit of larger-than-life Simon Cowell, after nine seasons.

The controversial, sharp tongued and brutally honest yet adorable, Brit judge pioneered the show along with co-judges, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul in its official 2002 debut. The talent show which was designed to fill some summer hours, caught audiences offguard with Simon's unbelievably rude critiques that

were only meant for talk radio.

But instead of being pushed away, we viewers are magnetized by the Brit's constant harsh approach which is actually beneficial to the contestants. Entertaining in its sense, he has become somewhat a household name. When you speak, 'American Idol,' you think of Simon.

Ratings would eventually soar as well as Simon's paycheck. His trademark line, 'karaoke' became a code for crimes against humanity. There have been copycats all across television, but the Brit's unique style was never equalled.

Simon's currently working on bringing his popular British reality show, 'The X-factor,' to Fox sometime in 2011. The network is already considering a possible replacement for 'Idol.' But it's a whole different scenario trying to replace the nasty Brit, who's been an essential ingredient to the show.

The 'Idol' judge, as mentioned in his autobiography, fired his first insult when he was only 4, telling his own mother that she looked like a poodle. The following are only some of Simon's most 'poetic' quotes during his nine colorful seasons:

'You have just invented a new form of torture.'

'As a singer, you are a brilliant car salesman.'

'I'm tempted to ask if you sang that the night before your wife left you.'

'Who's your singing teacher? Get a lawyer and sue her.'

Besides targetting contestants with his usual verbal assaults, Simon at times exchanged unpleasantries with Ryan Seacrest, in which the Brit was mostly annoyed.

"It's rather like having a silly little dog who wants to jump up on your lap and you just swat the dog off," Simon commented during an interview. "Occasionally in a very stern voice you have to say 'no.' And that's how I deal with Ryan."

Of course, it wasn't always Simon who got the upper hand of the stick. There were actual instances that his 'brutal honesty' backfired on him.

Kira Scott, who was told by the Brit judge that she wouldn't be noticed by him if she walked in the room snapped back, saying, "So the rumors must be true. You must be gay."

But Simon never knew what was in store for him when he picked on Jonathan Rey during an audition.

The contestant replied in kind, by dousing the judge with a cup of water. Obviously shocked, Simon simply said, "I thought he was coming to shake my hand."

You may wonder, does Mr. Cowell have a soft spot? Katharine McPhee from season 5 can testify to that, among others. After being on the judge's receiving end with her rendition of Whitney Houston's song, Simon apologized, saying, "I was unfair.." The Brit was also in a hug fest with Andrew Garcia's mother after tagging her son as 'boring.'

Potential replacements:

You can go through hours of brainstorming, but the bottomline is that Simon is irreplacable. Yet someone out there has to step up and take the vacated driver's seat. The following are some considered to be favorite candidates:

Quentin Tarantino - popularly know for his innovative style of filmmaking, the 'Kill Bill' director has that quirky sense of humor and blunt honesty.

Elton John - Besides knowing the industry even with his eyes closed and the massive ego, the British singer could give some spice to the show.

Kayne West - The RnB sensation has shown signs of being nasty and a jerk at times.

The 'Idol' judge made it crystal clear at one point that his reason for leaving was due to boredom. It would be unfair for the audiences if he stuck around half-hearted.

Simon is 'American Idol,' so deal with that.

JANET JACKSON: 'NASTY' ON 'IDOL'

Janet Jackson still has it in her, wowing audiences on 'American Idol's' finale.

Jackson, who sported a new hairdo and a saucy attitude on the show's 2010 finale last night, blew audiences away, performing her popular hits.

She began with a sweet and sultry rendition of 1993 single, 'Again,' as well as her new song 'Nothing' from Why Did I get Married Too? before topping it off with an energizing 'Nasty' to the delight of fans.

Janet in her new hairdo reminded us of her late brother, king of pop's Michael Jackson. The look made her a lost more sexier except for the jumpsuit she wore which wasn't exactly eye catching.

Here's to the superstar siblings!