posted by AINews on Jun 25
Just a month after “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks was showered with confetti on the Kodak Theatre stage in Los Angeles, the top-rated Fox series is gearing up for Season 7 auditions, USA Today informs.
San Diego, a first-time audition site, will kick off the seven-city tour July 30. New audition cities Omaha, Charleston, S.C., and Philadelphia join Dallas, Atlanta and Miami on the tour, which last year attracted 100,000 hopefuls, according to Fox estimates.
“We do like to see America,” executive producer Nigel Lythgoe says of the annual search for vocal talent. Smaller cities, such as Charleston or an earlier site, Greensboro, N.C., “produce some wonderful stuff.”
The tryouts will start a week earlier than last season because producers also will be conducting auditions for a new Fox reality series, “The Search for the Next Great American Band.”
“Idol” will hold most auditions indoors, save for Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego and Dallas’ Texas Stadium, which has a partly covered roof.
“Idol” producers will narrow each city’s field to 300 to 400 of the best and worst singers. Lythgoe and co-executive producer Ken Warwick will then cull to about 120 per city to sing to judges Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.
Producers want to find a way to make sure more good singers make it through the initial auditions and the Hollywood round and into the final 24, according to USA Today. Auditions are open to 16- to 28-year-olds as of July 28.
SAN DIEGO AUDITIONS
WHO: Men and women 16 to 28 years old on July 28, 2007 and eligible to work in the United States. Restrictions apply – please go to Americanidol.com for specifics.
WHEN: Monday, July 30
WHERE: Qualcomm Stadium
9449 Friars Road
San Diego, CA 92108
LINEUP: Wristbands will be given out from Saturday, June 28 (starting time TBA), until 8:00 AM on Monday, July 30. Auditioners will not be permitted to camp out; therefore, once they obtain their wristbands, they will be asked to return to Qualcomm Stadium on Monday, July 30. Additional information will be available on Americanidol.com.
Auditions will continue in the following cities:
Dallas, TX: Monday, Aug. 6 at Texas Stadium
Omaha, NE: Friday, Aug. 10 at Qwest Center
Atlanta, GA : Tuesday, Aug. 14 at TBA
Charleston, SC: Saturday, Aug. 18 at North Charleston Coliseum
Miami, FL: Wednesday, Aug. 22 at AmericanAirlines Arena
Philadelphia, PA : Monday, Aug. 27 at Wachovia Center
Season Seven of AMERICAN IDOL premieres in January 2008 on FOX.
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