La Toya Jackson is next in line to fill Simon Cowell's shoes on "American Idol" -- that's if La Toya Jackson has anything to do with it.

We're told MJ's sister and former "Idol" producer Nigel Lythgoe cozied up at a housewarming party for Kathy Hilton in Bel Air recently -- before Simon broke his big news -- and the topic came up of La Toya possibly guest-judging on the show.

But now that Simon's out of the picture, La Toya wants more.

We spoke to her and she tells TMZ: "I would LOVE to be a judge on 'American Idol.' I would love to have a chance for the public get to know the real me. I would be thrilled."

In other news: there's a "real" La Toya Jackson.

Andrew Fenlon -- the "smartass" Kara DioGuardi ripped into and threatened to spank on "American Idol" -- now says his d-bag demeanor was just for kicks.

The bespectacled brat called into The Morning MIX with Scott McKenzie at MIX 105.1 in Orlando yesterday where he said he acted like an ass so he would stand out more ... and get some prime TV time.

Fenlon also claims he would have made it to Hollywood if he would have played it straight for the judges -- so check out his audition, which is replayed during the interview, and tell us ...

The guy who created "American Idol" wrote a letter to his AI staff announcing Simon Cowell's departure from the show -- but in between compliments, Simon Fuller slipped in an ego shot at his number one judge.

In the letter, distributed on the same day Cowell made his big announcement, Fuller congratulated Simon for moving on to his new show "The X Factor" -- but reminded everyone that it will be "in the same vein as 'Idol.'"

Translation -- he's knockin' us off.

In the end, it really doesn't matter -- they're all making wayyyyyyyyyyyy too much money to care.

Michael Jackson spent more than $700,000 on all sorts of flamboyantly bizarre furniture before he died -- but now, it could be yours ... if the price is right.

TMZ has learned MJ ordered the incredibly unique items for a London mansion he was supposed to live in during the run of his "This Is It" tour ... but he died before the Italian furniture maker -- Colombostile -- could deliver the goods.

Colombostile tells us they gave the $700,000 back to Katherine Jackson and plans to auction the items off in the near future.

Among the items -- lavish sofas, a crystal-encrusted chair, a desk with a secret compartment and much more -- check out the gallery for more details. We're told Jacko bought one of the chairs specifically for his friend Elizabeth Taylor to sit in when she came to visit.

There's also a seashell-studded chair that was intended for MJ's "Little Mermaid" room -- we're guessing it was for his daughter Paris, but then again, ya never know...

Hunt down the differences in these celebrity snapshots -- then impress your friends mom with how good you are!

Tis the season for crazy vacationing -- see which stars got some serious R&R!

It's that time of the month ... Megan Fox recently bought a brand new house for just under $3 million.

The gorgeous wannabe actress' new Los Feliz 4 bdrm/5 bath estate is over 4000 square feet and features a gourmet kitchen, media/pool table room, several terraces with city views and a swimming pool.

Brian Austin Green is going to be really busy keeping this place in order.

Can you guess whose celebrity face is all smudged up?

We're told Elton's schedule is way too packed to bash amateur singers -- so a golden ticket to Hollywood is out of the question.

Wonder what Robbie Williams is up to next year?

TMZ has obtained Antonio "Skiiboski" Wheeler's five mug shots from his arrests in Florida -- which according to Skiiboski's

from the Orange County Corrections Department, occurred between March of 2005 and December of 2009.

March 2005: Possession of cannabis with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine, escape, and two counts resisting an officer without violence.

November 2005: Ten counts of contempt of court, providing false ID to law enforcement officer, escape during transport, resisting officer without violence, possession of cocaine and battery by detainee in detention facility.

February 2007: Possession of controlled substance of less than 10 grams, providing false ID to law enforcement officer, resisting officer without violence, escape.

August 2008: Violation of probation, driving while license suspended, no registration.

On TMZ TV -- the day Simon announced he was leaving -- we floated Elton John as the guy who should take Simon's seat. After all, he knows music, he's certainly got the bitchy attitude, and he's British.

Now an "American Idol" spy tells us the talk on the set is ... Elton John!

Elton was a guest judge in season three of 'Idol.'

We spoke to Nigel in Beverly Hills today, where the mega-producer called "Idol" a "phenomenon" ... adding he's "not sure that anything will ever be as successful as American Idol."

We've learned Cowell and Fox had been negotiating the terms of the move for weeks. We're told the deal was basically done and the plan was for Cowell to make the announcement at the Television Critics Association.

But there was an unexpected snag yesterday morning. As Simon drove to the TCA in Pasadena, final negotiations hit a wall. Lawyers for both sides had a serious disagreement over one of the terms. As Simon was pulling up, he was on the phone and on the verge of aborting the announcement and driving away -- the ultimate game of brinkmanship.

Someone blinked ... because lawyers came to terms and Simon rolled out of his Rolls and into TV history.

UPDATE: Simon was just on Ryan Seacrest's morning show and confirmed they "were driving down to do the press conference and we didn't have an agreement."

Ellen just taped her show today, and cleverly explained a possible link between Simon, Conan and Jay.

As we previously reported, Simon's voting himself off the show so he can work on "The X Factor."

Paula Abdul has had discussions with Simon Cowell about being a judge on the U.S. version of "The X Factor"... sources tell TMZ.

The irony is stunning -- Simon, the lynchpin of "American Idol," abandoning ship and teaming up with the woman who was unceremoniously dumped from "A.I."

Our sources would not say how far along the discussions have gone between Simon and Paula ... but there were talks as recently as late last week.

Simon Cowell will no longer be crushing terrible singers' dreams on the most popular show on television.

Cowell just announced this will be his last season on "American Idol" -- and that he's leaving the show to be a judge and executive producer on FOX's upcoming American version of "The X Factor" ... the British talent show that launched Leona Lewis' career.

Cowell just made the announcement during the semiannual Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena.

Simon said he was "offered a lot of money" to stay on "American Idol" ... but he "wanted to do something different." BTW, Simon reportedly makes around $36 million a year on "A.I."

For his part, Ryan Seacrest tweeted: "this is simon's last season on idol. He's working on US version of x-factor! He is one of the most brilliant people in our biz! Congrats."

Ironically, Simon and new host Ellen DeGeneres were featured on the cover of Entertainment Weekly last week and Ellen addressed the rumor of Simon leaving by saying, "If Simon goes, I go!"

Don't judge.