So who could fill Simon Cowell’s shoes next year when he leaves American Idol? AI producers think that Howard Stern would be the perfect pick.

An insider said that producers of the hit Fox show say Stern, America’s highest-paid radio personality, is their top choice to take over from Cowell, who leaves at the end of this season. They approached the King of All Media after he repeatedly mentioned on-air that his exclusive Sirius XM Radio deal expires next January and he was open to other offers. Cowell was paid $50 million a year.

A source connected to “Idol” said, “It’s one of the few shows that could compete with Stern’s $100 million-a-year Sirius contract, and ‘Idol’ bosses think he’d be even nastier than Simon.

“They know he would be great TV and would clash with the other judges such as Ellen DeGeneres and the contestants. ‘Idol’ will do what it takes to sign him.”

We’re huge fans of the Howard Stern show on Sirius XM. Although we know he’d be great on American Idol, we can’t image Howard retiring from radio to tour the U.S. looking for the next idol. Stern fans know that Howard wouldn’t like that type of travel. And everyone knows that Howard doesn’t need the money.

Adding to our doubts about him taking over as a permanent replacement for Simon on AI, Howard recently said, somewhat cryptically, “I was approached by a major TV network to take over a TV show and leave here and do that next year — and I did turn it down . . . I’m not even sure if I want to be working. I’m waiting to see what happens.”

Howard Stern’s sidekick Artie Lange, 42, has been hospitalized, a rep for the star confirmed. Lange has been absent from Stern’s hit satellite radio show for the past few weeks having left on an indefinite hiatus earlier in December.

“We can confirm that Artie is in the hospital,” Lange’s representative says. “Artie has chosen to keep all information on this matter between him and his doctor. There will be no further comment.”

The troubled comedian has long fought his demons and has a history of drug use, including cocaine and heroin.

Comic and “Howard Stern Show” radio personality Artie Lange, 41, has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of a habit-producing drug in a minor traffic accident in New Jersey.

Lange was charged following the July 10 accident in Toms River, about 40 miles southeast of Trenton. He entered his plea Wednesday in municipal court.

He was fined $664 and ordered to serve 12 hours in an intoxicated driver resource program. Judge James Ligouri also revoked Lange’s driving privileges for seven months.

His lawyer explained that Lange pled guilty because the media circus that the trial would have brought would outweigh his best interests.

Lange said he was under the influence of prescribed sleeping pills, which he had last taken the night before the crash. His attorney, Michael Grasso, said Lange had taken Restoril at 11:30 p.m. the night before the 1:30 p.m. accident the following day.

Quentin Tarantino was on Howard Stern’s Sirius radio show this morning promoting his new movie, Inglourious Basterds.

Stern asked about the meeting that Tarantino had with Brad Pitt, the star of the film, before they started shooting. Tarantino said he flew to the Pitt-Jolie compound in France and that he and Brad drank five bottles of Rosé wine. When asked if Angelina Jolie joined them, Tarantino explained that the meeting was during the time when Jolie was in the hospital because she had just given birth to the twins. So Brad was taking a very drunken business meeting while Jolie was in the hospital with twins. Stern seemed to think this was strange, but joked that being the new father to twins was a reason to drink heavily.

Oh, but the story gets better!

Tarantino said the “coolest” thing that Pitt did was pull out a big brick of hash and cut him off a sliver to take with him. Pitt even advised Tarantino not to put it in his suitcase! Tarantino said he asked Pitt if he had a pipe to give him and Pitt just went to the frige and pulled out a can of coke. Tarantino laughed, saying, “Yeah, I know what to do with this,” (meaning he knew how to fashion a hash pipe out of a coke can). What hash expertise those two have!

Artie Lange went on to say, “I wonder what kind of hash Brad Pitt would have.” They all started laughing and Tarantino said, “Brad Pitt doesn’t have shit hash.” They joked that Pitt probably gets the best has in the world. Stern asked Tarantino where the Jolie-Pitt kids were while they were smoking. Tarantino said the kids were in bed.

5 bottles of Rosé and some hash between just the two of them! They know how to party!

For those that don’t know, hashish (more commonly called hash) is a potent form of cannabis produced by collecting and processing the most potent material that female marijuana plants naturally generate as part of their growth cycle. Marijuana, a cheaper and less potent cannabis product, is the dried flower tops from female cannabis plants. Hashish is obtained by eliminating plant material and collecting the trichomes from the flower tops of female cannabis plants.

Interestingly, just as recently as Friday night, Brad Pitt was a guest on Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO. Maher who openly talks about smoking pot and often professes that it should be legalized asked Pitt his stance on the political issue. Pitt said he is for the legalization and taxation of marijuana. Maher then recounted a New Year’s Eve party at which he says he witnessed Pitt rolling “the most perfect” joints he had ever seen. Pitt’s cheeky response? “I’m an artist.”

Pitt told Maher that he doesn’t smoke pot anymore because he’s a dad. “I’m a dad now. You want to be alert and my eyes used to glaze over when I did that,” he told Maher.

Pitt was a father when he was breaking up a brick of hash and giving some to Tarantino; in fact, he was the father of newborn twins who were still in the hospital! Maybe that was the very last time Pitt smoked. …Yeah, we don’t think so either!!!

Did Kim Cattrall break it off with her boyfriend, chef Alan Wyse, because of Howard Stern???

That’s the story according to Wyse’s father!

The 30-year-old former boytoy of the 52-year-old Sex and the City star recently became Stern’s personal on-call chef and the highly paid position eats up all of Wyse’s time!

Says Alan’s father: “He has to work weekends a lot, which is when Kim gets most of her free time, and she wanted him to accompany her on promotional tours abroad.”

Opposite schedules can kill a relationship!

Regardless, reps for the thrice-married Cattrall claim the two “were going in different directions,” and Wyse’s long hours had nothing to do with the split.

The Sex & The City star and the Canadian were together for five years.

If you’ve missed Rosie O’Donnell then you’ll be happy to know that she is getting her own show on Sirius XM Radio this fall.

The show, called Rosie Radio, will be a two-hour daily show.

O’Donnell says that the deal came through after she was a guest on Howard Stern’s Sirius XM show earlier this year.

“He’s been very encouraging,” O’Donnell, 47, said about the shock jock, the Associated Press reports. “After I did his show, they called and asked if I was interested. I don’t really listen to radio, so I started thinking about it and listening. I asked if they could possibly do it at my house because that would really make it convenient for me with four kids, and they said yes, so I was like, ‘Wow. Let’s try that.’

“I think it’ll be good for me,” O’Donnell says of the new venture. “I’ve been lucky. I’ve had seven years of early retirement. All my kids are in school now, so all day long I have nothing to do. This was the first year that they were all in school all day, and I found myself very bored. I was saying to Kelli, we either need to get another kid or I’ll have to go back to work.”

Once it starts up in the fall, Rosie Radio will air Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET (7 a.m. to 9:00 a.m, PT) on SIRIUS XM Stars, SIRIUS channel 102 and XM channel 155.

Sirius is already home to Oprah Radio, Martha Stewart Living Radio and O’Donnell’s former View mentor and tormentor, Barbara Walters. And, yes, Rosie will take phonecalls.

Howard Stern and wife Beth Ostrosky cheered on the New York Knicks as they faced off against the Utah Jazz at NYC’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

If a marriage is officiated by Mark Consuelos, does that make it legal? You bet! Consuelos is an ordained minister.

On Friday, Kelly Ripa’s husband pronounced Howard Stern and Beth Ostrosky, husband and wife.

Ostrosky wore a white chiffon gown with cutaway back and sides.

There were 180 guests at Le Cirque restaurant in New York City, including Sarah Silverman, Jimmy Kimmel, Joan Rivers, Barbara Walters, Billy Joel, Steve Schirripa, Chevy Chase, Tommy Mottola, and Donald and Melania Trump.

They dined on seared tuna tataki, scrambled eggs with white truffles and striped bass with caviar.

And, they washed it down with wine and champagne.

Phoebe Snow serenaded the newlyweds with “You Send Me,” and Billy Joel sang “The Stranger.”

Stern and Ostrosky got engaged in February of last year.

Stern’s first marriage lasted 21 years. He and his first wife have 3 daughters.

Here is the video of Kelly Ripa showing pictures from Howard and Beth’s wedding on Live! With Regis and Kelly this morning.

Shock jock Howard Stern is going to auction off a girl’s virginity!

The young woman in question is 22-year-old Natalie Dylan (a pseudonym, not her real name) who will use the money to pay for her college tuition.  “Natalie” already has a Bachelor’s degree, but now wants to get a master’s in marriage and family therapy.

Natalie was introduced to Howard through the owner of a brothel in Nevada, one of two US States where prostitution is legal. The winner of the auction will get to have sex with Natalie at the brothel, where her sister already works.

Says Natalie:
“I don’t have a moral dilemma with it. We live in a capitalist society. Why shouldn’t I be allowed to capitalize on my virginity?”

If you are like me, then you might be doubting that this 22-year-old is a virgin. Natalie is willing to submit to a polygraph test and a gynaecological exam to prove her virginity.

The auction will be launched on Stern’s Sirius radio in San Diego today and conducted on the brothel’s website.

Natalie says her mother – a “conservative” fourth-grade teacher – doesn’t approve of the auction “but supports me” and she is prepared for the adverse publicity that the stunt will attract.

“I understand some people may condemn me,” she admits. “But I think this is empowering. I’m using what I have to better myself.”

Wow. I’m not sure why Natalie can’t use her Bachelor’s degree to get a job and then pay for her Master’s degree. Geez.

It’s finally a done deal! XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio say they have completed their merger.

What will they call it? The new company plans to change its name to Sirius XM Radio Inc.

Will Oprah and Howard Stern take any business meetings together?  Ha!  The Oprah and Friends Network was on XM and Howard Stern on Sirius.  I wonder what will happen to people with the old satellite radios in their cars.