American Idol plans to get rid of judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul next season, according to celebrity tattle Mike Walker.

The show is still doing well, but since ratings are down producers want to make some changes. Mike is even snitching that embattled pop diva Britney Spears is being tapped for a permanent judge position!

Here’s Mike’s column on the going-ons at “Idol:”

Here’s hush-hush from the Top Dawgs at “American Idol” – a major house-cleaning triggered by sinking ratings means Randy Jackson’s out as a judge next season, Dawg… and so is ding-dong wack-a-doodle Paula Abdul! “Ratings this year were the lowest in two years – one week, even ‘House’ beat it,” said a show insider. “The belief is that things have gotten stale, and ‘American Idol’ is now ‘American Idle.’ They really want to mix things up, create a whole new set, institute format changes – and get rid of Paula and Randy, replacing them with younger faces.”

Both Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson have three year contracts that they signed in 2006, meaning they both have two more years left. If this is true Idol will probably have to give them both substantial payouts if they want to replace them.