It's official. This is Simon Cowell's last year on "American Idol."
He won't be going far, however. Monday morning — in front of a room full of TV critics — Cowell signed a contract to produce and judge "The X Factor" on Fox beginning in 2011.
" 'X Factor' starts right here," Cowell said.
"X Factor" isn't altogether different from "Idol." The Brit hit features a wider range of contestants, both individuals and groups. Cowell said the youngest will be 13, 14 or possibly younger — and there's no upper age limit.
"You can literally be 100 years old," he said.
The biggest difference is that the judges will each mentor a group of contestants. The judges will be responsible for song choice, styling and choreography.
"So, essentially, the judge is judged as well as the singers," Cowell said.
The rest of the judging panel has not yet been chosen. And Cowell didn't rule out the possibility that one of them could be a familiar face.
"I've gone on record — I adore Paula (Abdul). Whatever happens, I will be working with her in some capacity because I adore her," Cowell said.
Cowell and Fox executives discussed him appearing on both shows — "X Factor" will air in the fall; "Idol" will remain a winter/spring show.
"But when we looked at the practicalities of that, it just wasn't possible," Cowell said. "I can barely get away with doing one season a year of 'American Idol.' "
He remains the executive producer/judge of the British "X Factor" as well as the new American version.
Fox executives said they haven't even begun to consider who will replace Cowell on "American Idol."
And Cowell insisted his departure won't mean an end for "Idol." He compared it to a good player retiring from a good football team — when the player retires, the team goes on.
"I'm confident that it will continue to be the No. 1 show, and everyone is committed to keeping it that way," he said. "I want to leave 'Idol' this year bigger and better than it's been before."
There have, however, been some polls indicating that 60 percent of "Idol" viewers say they'll be less likely to watch if Cowell isn't on board.
"I think you'll find it was slightly higher than that," Cowell joked.
Stay tuned. …
e-mail: pierce@desnews.com