I proceded to remove the paper filtering medium and when I got to the last half inch of material I pinched it with a pair of longnose pliers, pulled, and the bottom part of the filter came out with it.
I'm trying to figure just what was holding it in there, maybe the paper filtering medium was fused to the the wall of the filter housing??

Next question, should I install another Mahle filter or should I wait until tomorrow and call ECS Tuning?