From idolforums.com
American Idol premieres on Jan. 16 with two successive nights of two-hour episodes.
According to Fox, 100,000 persons auditioned in all.
Those, plus four more hour-long audition shows, in Idol’s regular slots, Tuesday, Jan. 23 and 30, 8 ET/PT; and Wednesday, Jan. 24 and 31, 9 ET/PT.
The Hollywood round, winnowing the field to the final 24, runs Feb. 6,7, 13, and 14. will feature singers who tried out in:
Birmingham
New York
Memphis
Minneapolis
Los Angeles
San Antonio
Seattle (supposed to be the worst talent)
The best welcome came in Alabama. Memphis, one of the smaller audition cities, was a tryout powerhouse, with 16,000 hopefuls.
During the auditions, Simon Cowell, fellow judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, and host Ryan Seacrest were joined by guest judges:
Jewel in Minneapolis
Olivia Newton-John in Los Angeles
Carole Bayer Sager in New York.
From USA Today
The Hollywood round, where singers who survive the regional auditions compete to make the final 24, will run over two weeks starting Feb. 6. This year, about 110 women and 60 men made it to Hollywood,This year, about 110 women and 60 men made it to Hollywood, Lythgoe says. “It’s going to be tough on the girls” because so many more are competing for the female half of the 24 spots.
In the early measures of talent, Cowell gives the nod to the ladies and to the younger singers. He remembers a couple of strong male singers and a woman in Los Angeles who reminded him of “a young Whitney Houston.”
“I felt this year from the contestants a lot more passion in terms of excitement and how disappointed they were” when they were rejected, Cowell says.
