Technically, this telephone press conference with Simon Cowell is a preview of the ninth season of “American Idol,” whose first live performances Tuesday start the season in earnest. But instead of focusing on beginnings, the acerbic Brit finds himself fielding questions about endings – specifically the end of Cowell’s tenure as the show’s go-to, no-nonsense judge of record.

“I want to go out on a high,” Cowell says. “This is my last season, and I want to be successful. We will do everything we can to make it happen.”

When “American Idol” began in 2002, singer Paula Abdul was the most well-known person on the judge’s panel, which also included Cowell and producer/musician Randy Jackson. A successful record producer in Great Britain who was virtually unknown in the United States,  Cowell became the judge whose opinion seemed to matter most to the contestants and to the audience.

Usually the last one to offer his opinion — “It’s always easy to be the last one rather than the first one” — he got the reputation early on of being the mean one, but eventually proved that most of the time, his stern demeanor was about telling the truth, because somebody needed to. And although subsequent reality shows have tried to copy Cowell, down to his Britishness, he’s proved hard to duplicate as he leaves to produce an American version of “The X Factor,” the world-wide phenomenon that launched singer Leona Lewis.

“You see this on a lot of shows, (where) people are put in to play a certain role,” he explains. “And it becomes quite tiresome. You have to find someone who can actually make confident (criticism) to the contestants, be honest and occassionally blunt, and not be gratuitously rude.”

Whether or not Cowell’s bluntness is just occassional is a matter of opinion, but he’s certainly not holding back on his thoughts about what producers should look for in his replacement. He dismisses the notion that a big star like Madonna would work, because she simply couldn’t be available as much as she would need to be, although he approved the suggestion of gossip blogger Perez Hilton, because “he has good taste in music.”

He acknowledges that shock jock Howard Stern “obviously wants the job,” but says that as far as he knows “there hasn’t been an approach for Howard to do the show,” no matter what the rumors say. And even if Stern had gotten an offer, Cowell explains, he doesn’t meet the requirements.

“(Musical experience) is really important. When we first started, (the judges) were a producer, an artist and an A&R man. That covered everything you need to do,” he says. “In simplistic terms, if you’re judging ice skating in the Olympics, if you’re gonna give a score, you need to know what you’re talking about … Howard doesn’t seem to fit any of those criteria — he’s played records, so maybe that’s a qualification. Good luck to him.”

Of course, it takes a reporter about two seconds to point out that Ellen DeGeneres, the newest judge, doesn’t exactly match those requirements either, which Cowell good-naturedly acknowledges: “I’ll tell you why she was a good choice. She is very responsible for (choosing) the people who perform on her show – and I’ve experienced that as a producer. She’s been an artist. I was talking about (the requirements) for my replacement. My role on the panel was as someone who has run a successful record label. (They’ve) got to know what they’re talking about rather than guessing. You can’t just criticize. You have to offer constructive criticism as well.”

Cowell also denies that he and DeGeneres have some feud brewing, which allegedly began when he was an hour late for Ellen’s first taping. Not only isn’t that true — he says he was running about 15 minutes behind due to an earlier interview – but “there was no fallout. I was trying to guide her through her first week … I wouldn’t say we didn’t get on well. I don’t know Ellen well, and it’s a difficult position for her. She started at Hollywood Week (after the other three judges).”

So that explains why he and DeGeneres have not, as of yet, developed the rapport he had with Abdul, who became not just a colleague but “my friend. We used to argue, but she was someone I got very close to. I always thought she was funny. But it’s like not having a friend on the show anymore. I do miss her.”

Just because Cowell is leaving doesn’t mean he’s phoning in this season. He says he’d like the show to be relevant, naming Lady Gaga as the mentor he’d most like to see this year, and says he wants the contestants to reflect that relevance — “I would love to find a Taylor Swift” — and to be memorable rather than just attractive.

“One season, every blond girl we had looked identical – you couldn’t tell them apart!,” he says. “It’s good we’ve got a mixed bag this year…It’s about remembering people. The problem is, most of the people you can’t remember. If you can, that’s a good place to start.”

One of the season’s most memorable performers was “General” Larry Platt, otherwise known as the “Pants On The Ground” guy from the Atlanta auditions. Cowell says that Platt, who is decades over the show’s age cap, demonstrates why he’s so excited about “The X Factor,” which has no such cap.

“There are a lot of older contestants that are really funny and interesting, somebody like him or Susan Boyle,” he says. “I’m thrilled for him. He needed a break, and it’s worked out well.”

How Season 9 of “American idol” works out remains to be seen, but Cowell promises that he’s still dedicated to making it as memorable and relevant as possible. And even after the end of the season, no one should miss him too much.

“I’ll still be around,” he says.