“I’ll make a decision about (staying or leaving) next year,” American Idol creator Simon Cowell said in an interview on Wednesday. “This show could continue for another 10 years.”

But that doesn’t mean it has to go on with a bored Simon sitting in the judge’s chair. With all the swirling speculation that Kara DioGuardi had been brought in to replace troubled judge, Paula Abdul, it now seems likely that Kara is there to fill Simon’s seat.

If you think the 4 Judge panel on “American Idol” looks a tad crowded for the new season, it’s because it is. It seems producers are deliberately pushing out the often out-of-it Paula Abdul by bringing in a new judge, Kara DioGuardi. But then, Abdul has reasons for wanting to jump anyway.

“Paula has a reality show on MTV and her jewelry line,” says a source close to her. “She’s got no reason to put herself through the stress of the show if she doesn’t want to. She’s all but done; and given her other successes, she has no reason to be afraid about speaking out now.”

Paula Abdul says she hasn’t slept at home since an obsessed fan killed herself on the street outside three weeks ago. “I’ve been staying in different homes and hotels, and I have security with me,” she tells People mag in this week’s issue.

“It was very tragic and very upsetting to hear,” Abdul says of the death of Paula Goodspeed, a fan who auditioned for American Idol’s fifth season and had been stalking Abdul for quite some time.

Paula Abdul is rightly freaked out by the suicide of a crazy fan and former Idol wannabe named Paula Goodspeed, 30, who was found dead in her car which was parked near Abdul’s home on Wednesday.

Now OK! magazine is reporting that Abdul, 45, who is said to be shocked and saddened by the tragedy, is wanting to leave her judge’s chair on “American Idol” anyway and move on with new projects - even more so now that Idol has added a 4th judge, Kara DioGuardi.

The body of a woman was found in a car a few houses down from Paula Abdul’s home, and there are reports the possible suicide victim was a stalker and a big fan of the Idol judge. Cops are telling TMZ they knew the woman, and that she had shown up at Abdul’s house “numerous times” and they had dealt with her before.

There’s still speculation as to the cause of death, but early reports indicate the 30-something woman did herself in with a drug overdose.

Citing a lack of drama in the show, American idol judge Simon Cowell admits the show was a bore last year and he wants to shake things up. “It’s going to be a different show this year and we’ll have to see if that’s a negative or an advantage,” Cowell says.

“I think that it could be more interesting and controversial than it was last year - you’re definitely going to see a change and I think it will be an improvement.”

Pop crooner Clay Aiken is going to be a daddy. Multiple sources tell TMZ that the mother is a 50-year-old friend of Clay’s, record producer Jaymes Foster, who is the sister of music mogul David Foster. The Idol, 29, lives at her home when he’s in L.A. Reports are that Foster was artificially inseminated.

Bartender turned rocker David Cook has been voted the 2008 American Idol by a monumental margin of 12 million votes over his 17 year old competitor David Archuleta. This came as a surprise to many, especially after the slam judge Simon Cowell put on Cook earlier this week.

Last night’s elimination felled another “American Idol” wannabe - or didn’t wannabe - Jason Castro who mumbled the words to Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” on purpose Tuesday’s show and got the boot. Castro’s rendition of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” was earlier deemed “utterly atrocious” by Simon Cowell, who told the dreadlocked singer, “Pack your bags.”

American Idol’s loopy judge Paula Abdul had a few too many before last night’s show. In other news, dogs bark, the sun came up today, and Charlie Sheen hires hookers. What’s this? Paula was so shit-faced she passionately criticized Jason Castro for a song he hadn’t yet sung. When Randy Jackson corrected Paula and she said, “Oh my God, I thought you sang twice … You know what? This is hard!”