I live on the west coast, so am pretty much unaware about the reliability of the NY Post’s gossip page, but if this rumor is true, it could revolutionize reality TV as we now know it.

Howard Stern might replace Simon Cowell as American Idol’s bad-ass judge. There is no word on whether or not he will have a side-kick with him on the show or if women will be forced to undress- this should be no problem as during the last season of American Idol, I saw one contestant strip down to a matching bra and panty set and another to a bikini.

After the rumor started circulating, Howard Stern got a little excited about the possiblity of making $100 million for four months of arduous work listening to people sing songs other people wrote and made famous. When asked about by Rolling Stone magazine about the the possibility, Howard Stern said, “There’s not a better job on the planet than judging a Karaoke contest.”

If Howard Stern is cast as a judge, that means a tough time for any guys on the show and an equally tough time for any natural-breasted women, women with less-than-perfect hips, or non-blondes. It also means more bleeps during the critiques of the performances and the necessity of signing a sexual harassment clause beforehand for any female performers who go on the show.

I am envisioning a combination of a Karaoke wet t-shirt contest with a special gong for Howard Stern when he wants somebody to either disrobe or stop singing.  

According to the NY Post, Simon was paid 50 million a year and the producers on the show figure that Howard Stern will be “more manageable” than Simon Cowell, but  I have absolutely no idea what that means. From what little I understand of Howard Stern, he may not be as easy to manage as the producers suspect.

Of course, I haven’t really seen where the rumor originated, so it could be Howard Stern himself trying for a little more attention, or more of an audience. You never know. If it Howard Stern does become a judge on the show, I can guarantee you that he will not be anything like any of the judges the show currently has.