Show 'American Idol' cut short (5)
I believe the answer is:
usher
'show' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'american idol cut short' is the wordplay.
'american' becomes 'us' (abbreviation for United States).
'idol' becomes 'hero' (I've seen this before).
'cut short' means to remove the last letter.
'hero' with its final letter removed is 'her'.
'us'+'her'='USHER'
(Other definitions for usher that I've seen before include "falling house" , "Helper at wedding" , "One escorts people to seats" , "Cinema or wedding official" , "Cinema or theatre worker" .)