It was business as usual for American Idol with the departure of a teary Brooke White.  But in the wake of Abdul-Gate the question remains: is Idol fixed?

With bloggers and TV reviewers speculating if Idol is scripted and the outcome determined in advance, Miss Instability  Paula Abdul was in the national hot seat.

During a radio interview, Abdul admitted that judges do takes notes during rehearsals and accidentally mixed up her notes, slamming Jason Castro's second song before he even sang it during the actual broadcast.

The credibility of the highest rated show on broadcast TV with 24 million viewers is now in doubt.
 
Cecile Frot-Coutaz, an Idol exec producer, said judges are never given scripted comments and does not believe the believability of the show has been compromised.  THAT remains to be seen.

Regardless, the final four are now David Archuleta, Jason Castro, David Cook and Syesha Mercado.

With ratings slipping overall this season for Fox's flagship reality show, Idol may be limping to a shaky finish.

Say, what's on cable?