With Simon Cowell departing American Idol after Season 9 wraps up, the guessing game as to whom should take the cranky Brit’s seat on the judges’ panel has been heating up. One name eliciting a nearly universal chorus of boos is Sirius XM’s Howard Stern, who addressed the rumors on his radio show yesterday morning, saying he’d consider judging FOX’s “karaoke contest” if the gig came with a $100 million payday.

Well, don’t count on Cowell to join Team Stern. “You’ve just got to know what you’re talking about,” he told the NY Daily News after the shock jock’s name surfaced in last week’s conjecture about contenders. “We have to have people on these shows who actually know what they’re talking about, rather than just guessing. They’ve really got to have experience, so that they can not just criticize, but offer constructive advice as well.”

One guy with some not-so-shabby experience is producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, Dave Matthews Band), who’s thrown his hat into the Idol ring via a YouTube video cum curriculum vitae. Watch Lillywhite tick off his many qualifications for Cowell’s position, like having the proper accent:

Entertainment Weekly reports other possible Cowell replacements being bandied about include former Sony chairman Tommy Mottola and Madonna’s manager, self-described maverick, Guy Oseary. Not sure if either is interested, and I can’t say I know how either’s POV would play on TV.

But watching a clip of the Pet Shop Boys‘ Neil Tennant, appearing with bandmate Chris Lowe on CNN International’s Connect The World last Wednesday, it hit me: Neil Tennant would make an excellent Idol judge! Smart, droll, and possessing a great pop sensibility that has helped sustain the duo’s career for over 25 years, I think Tennant would be a fantastic fit (though he’d likely laugh off the slightest suggestion, regardless of the money). Watch and see if you agree:

What has Tennant done to deserve this? Well, he’s certainly got more music cred than Howard Stern, and arguably more than Randy, Kara, Paula, Ellen, and Simon combined. Besides the Pet Shop Boys’ obvious personal success (live proof here), he and Chris Lowe have orchestrated top-notch comebacks for Dusty Springfield, Liza Minnelli, and Boy George; collaborated with David Bowie, Elton John, Tina Turner, Robbie Williams, Brandon Flowers, and Madonna; and ventured beyond the boundaries of pop for projects in the worlds of classical music, musical theater, and (soon) ballet. Plus, Lady Gaga loves Neil too, and she’s basically the de facto arbiter of all things cool these days.

With Tennant sitting pretty in Simon Cowell’s vacated seat next season, I’m confident he’d offer Idol hopefuls nothing less than the unvarnished truth. With FOX surely looking to avoid a massive drop in ratings upon Cowell’s departure, Tennant could be the one to fill the British bent necessary to keep things lively. Because as fans of Pet Shop Boys know, he would absolutely never be boring.