I am – Hercules!! The number-one series on television loses its star tonight as Simon Cowell casts his final insults on “American Idol.” Cowell will return in about 16 months to judge his own show, Fox’s “X Factor.” His absence reminds me of what happened when Howard Stern left New York’s WXRK-FM four and half years ago. Hundreds of ideas were tossed around regarding the replacement of the wildly popular morning man. Rather than look to all the radio personalities Stern had been pwning in the ratings for decades, CBS Radio found themselves looking way outside the box. Those approached help fill his seat included Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. They ended up recruiting a broadcasting novice, former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, whose disastrous turn at the mike ended after four months. Roth was replaced by Stern enemies who spent more than two years in the slot trying to muster even a fraction of Stern’s audience before CBS just threw up its hands and switched to a music format. I don’t think you can replace Cowell. “Idol” must now inevitably wither and take “Glee” down with it. We’ve seen dozens of “Idol” clones come and go over the years, but few have found purchase in broadcast landscape. Of course, Stern’s name comes up a lot as a potential Cowell replacement, but it’s rumored Ellen DeGeneres, whose tenure has seen “Idol’s” ratings plummet, has vetoed that notion. Now the name we hear a lot is Jamie Foxx, who would certainly be the most handsome judge “Idol” has ever featured and the one who does by far the best Ray Charles impression. But those who have seen Foxx promoting “The Soloist” or “Law Abiding Citizen” on the talk shows know the man is a certified bore who would sink “Idol” faster than Cowell can get “X-Factor” on the air. “Idol” needs “nice” judges like Paula and Randy, but it also needs a judge with really massive balls, and one with a more durable shtick than what DeGeneres offers. What it doesn’t need is a star like Foxx or Diddy or Barry Manilow or Lionel Richie. Elton John is one talented fellow, but just typing his name in this context makes my eyelids grow very heavy. Again, I don’t think the show can ever hope to recover from Cowell’s departure, but the only way Fox can hope to slow the franchise’s decline is by bringing in a Stern, or a Piers Morgan, or an Adam Carolla (whose mocking contributions to "Dancing With The Stars" have proven real highlights). Kathy Griffin would be a no-brainer. Maybe Russell Brand if “Get Him To The Greek” doesn’t do that well. Maybe a sharp-tongued comic like Earthquake or well-liquored Australian Jim Jeffries. Take up valuable bandwidth with your predictions, reactions and suggestions. 8 p.m. Wednesday. Fox. Follow Herc on Twitter!! Follow Evil Herc on Twitter!!

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