Is This Really the End of “American Idol”? (Plus: More “Nashville Star”?)

It’s hard to believe that three weeks from tonight we’ll be watching “American Idol” for the last time. It’s even more difficult to understand why the end of this once-formidable, game-changing powerhouse of a show, which even in its so-called dotage still brings in ratings coveted by executives at most networks, is feeling so rushed and anti-climactic. “Idol” ending in early April? What’s the about? Why hurry it off the schedule weeks before the all-important May sweeps period, which “Idol” handily dominated for more than a decade? (I have a theory -- see below.) Why cut two finalists a week during these last few shows -- shows that long-time, die-hard fans (and there are millions) are attempting to savor? It’s as if Fox can’t wait to get rid of it.