Ken Barnes ends "Idol Chatter"

Veteran Idol blogger Ken Barnes of USAToday.com's world-renowned "Idol Chatter" blog yesterday announced that he will no longer be keeping up with all things Idol. In his final blog post, entitled "A farewell address," Ken wrote the following:

Over the last few years, it has been rewarding beyond words to watch this community of Idol fans and commentators grow from what started as a snarky experiment in real-time Idol performance critiquing. You have allowed me all the liberty I could ask for to write critically or satirically or appreciatively about the phenomenon of American Idol, in all its wondrous and bizarre aspects. And in turn you've educated me in many areas, not least of which is a much greater appreciation of the valuable qualities involved in being a fan. A smarter, more insightful, more civilized Blog Pound could not be imagined

On a personal note I must say that Ken's blog was one of my favorites and he was someone I looked to as a role model for starting IDOL LIVE. It is sad to see him go but he wants to go on to other things, so I wish him the best. And I'm willing to bet the Idol bug will bite him sooner or later, wo maybe we'll see him again in the future.

Ken also said in his final post that his colleague Brian Mansfield will be taking over the live blogging for USA Today when it comes to Idol, so we welcome him to his new role.