It's an international sensation that picked up on a British show and then spawned its' own family of knock offs. It consisted of a Black Rocker, a Brit with an attitude, and a Cheerleader turned pop icon that America loved in spite of her faults. It had it's share of Hollywood gossip. It had scandal. And, it had us, middle america voting in numbers that President Obama can only dream of. But, it's the end of an era. Paula Abdul announced that she was leaving American Idol.