American Idol 6 News (Page 10)

With less than one month to go before the new season of American Idol kicks off, Ryan Seacrest tells People magazine that there will be some eye-openers early on.

"I was just on the phone with Simon, and we were talking about the auditions," Seacrest. "We taped the auditions a couple of weeks ago."

And?

"We didn't think we would go out and see the extremes that we saw. There is the extremely naive and the extremely good and not a lot in between, which is good," he said.

As readers should know by now: American Idol will resurface on FOX with two-hour editions on Jan. 16 and 17.

When it comes to his show's graduates, Seacrest – who'll also be hosting Dick Clark's New Year's Eve bash on ABC in Times Square – told People that he thinks they're top-notch."Look at Jennifer Hudson," he says of the Dreamgirls breakaway star, who was dismissed early in her Idol attempt. "I think this is an unexpected path of success for her. She's a great singer, but who would have thought she would get the Oscar buzz so quickly after being on Idol?"

The latest season of American Idol hasn't even started yet (just a few more weeks, though! January 16!) - but a clue about the winner has already been revealed.

Curly hair.

According to Randy Jackson, that's a feature of the eventual victor of the FOX series' sixth season. He dropped the spoiler as he previewed the upcoming show on his Westwood One radio show.

With just 35 days left until the season premiere, the ether is filling up with American Idol information and rumor. The OC Register's Watcher has rounded up some of the best bits for your enjoyment:

• The judges sent 117 women and 56 men to Hollywood.

• The final 40 will reassemble in Hollywood next month, while the rest of us are watching the audition episodes.

• Names that keep cropping up as reported members of the final 40: Brandon Rogers, Blake Lewis, Chris Sligh (curly-haired person alert!) and Sundance Head, son of singer Roy Head ("Treat Her Right").

• Singers we saw in earlier seasons who return for another shot include: Gina Glocksen and Matthew Buckstein, who was one of the "Brokenote" cowboys.

• The woman who sings "Stormy Weather" in the preview commercial is named Cydney Kirk - and reports are she didn't make the top 40.

It's almost that time again.

Our favorite show is getting close to returning, and USA Today has the scheduling scoop for American Idol Season 6. Air dates for the audition rounds start with a pair of two-hour episodes January 16-17, with the ensuing "Hollywood" rounds (or wherever in the L.A. megalopolis the judges actually narrow down the auditiion winners) will be broadcast February 6, 7, 13 and 14.

The newspaper caught up with executive producer Nigel Lythgoe (right), who promises some of the worst singers ever this season, but swears the producers can tell the difference between sincerely deluded bad singers and performers trying to contrive their way onto the show and gain 15 minutes of fame by being deliberately awful.

In other words, don't hold your breath for the second coming of William Hung... but you never can tell.

In any case, Simon Cowell, who hated the auditioners in Seattle and (not surprisingly) has said so in no uncertain terms, is sure to be annoyed beyond comprehension when the show gets underway.

Which is part of the reason we love watching, of course.

On the flip side, Simon Cowell insists he loves Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Ryan Seacrest -- although Lythgoe counters that the fearsome foursome "always get on each other's nerves... they never behave well."

That doesn't stop them from delivering on the business end, however. Lythgoe modestly calls the American Idol judge team "the best judging panel of (any) show in the world," and wryly observes about the auditions, "There was a lot of sucking up going on -- which we encourage."

Simon is clearly in mid-season form already.

As American Idol judges hoped to find the next Taylor Hicks in Seattle, they were faced with more impressions of William Hung than any winner of the FOX reality series.

However, The Seattle Times reported, the panel amused themselves with ample quips about the city.

"I think it must be something in the rainwater," said Randy Jackson, during a break in auditions, which continue today at a downtown hotel.

"They are astoundingly awful," said Paula Abdul, actually not offering praise for once.

After two hours of auditions, the judges had let through three of the first 12 hopeful stars. But at least the bevy of awful ones should make for entertaining TV when Idol returns in January.

"Wild. Insane. Maybe depressed," suggested Jackson, to explain the lack of talent seen so far.

At least the group of singers countered the Seattle stereotype that the city is too nice. they did blow apart one Seattle stereotype: its politeness. One wasn't exactly inviting to Simon Cowell.

"They told me not to come back to your country," said the Brit. "I really feel unwelcome."

An estimated 9,000 singers came to audition Sept. 19 at KeyArena. About 150 advanced to the next day's second round before the show's producers.

The American Idol staff wouldn't say how many singers moved on to perform for the judges over two days, but 30 to 40 sang Monday and more are planned for today.

Olivia Newton-John sat in as a guest judge during American Idol tryouts in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and had nothing but kind words for the hopefuls.

"Some of them are very young and they're green, but you can see their potential," she told People Magazine. "They have a different voice or a different way of presenting themselves."

The Grease star, who turned 58 on Tuesday, says she understood how the contestants must be feeling, having jump-started her own career on the Australian TV talent show Sing, Sing, Sing in the '60s.

Her advice for American Idol aspirants? Roll with what comes your way. The sting of rejection can be "terrible," she says, but sometimes it's for the best.

"I always remember what it was like for me and what it would have felt like to be told no. So I do feel for them. It's hard. But sometimes it's probably kinder for them, because they won't pursue something they don't really have the talent for," she said.

Newton-John joined the show's regular judging trio and host -- Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Ryan Seacrest -- at the third-round auditions, where she was presented with a cake for her birthday.

The FOX talent show returns for its sixth season in January. Other celebrity guest judges for the current round of auditions include Jewel in Minneapolis and songwriter Carole Bayer Sager in New York City.

For the third year in a row, American Idol is the most expensive show on television for advertisers.

Those that want to have their voice or product heard will have to pay between $500,000 and $700,000 for a 30-second spot on the sixth season, beginning in January. Moreover, if these companies wish to advertise during the American Idol finale, it'll cost them even more.

Because over 30 million viewers watched last year's final broadcast, the price of $1.3 million for 30 seconds is bound to go up as more people tune in to see who will follow in nthe footsteps of Taylor Hicks.

If you think the Thursday TV lineup already has too many can’t-miss shows scheduled at the same tim, don’t finish programming your TiVo just yet.

According to the L.A. Times, Fox is openly dangling the possibility of moving American Idol to Thursdays when the show comes back in January.

Wasn’t this season already insanely competitive enough? Starting this week, ABC’s gutsy move of Grey’s Anatomy to 9 p.m. Thursday will set off a fierce ratings battle with CBS’ hit whodunit, CSI.

But Fox Entertainment President Peter Liguori said he believes that the top three networks could still profit with their respective No. 1 series airing on the same crucial night -- maybe even at the same time.

“When you have a number of great shows on the same night, the audience expands,” Liguori said last week, openly broaching the possibility of a regular Thursday slot for Idol when it returns in January.

Fox isn’t ready to commit, and in fact, it may not nail down plans until Christmas rolls around. Is it all just Idol speculation? Maybe.

After all, Fox made similar rumblings about moving its singing contest to Thursday last year and never did it, although the gossip helped knock NBC off stride: The network waited to move My Name Is Earl to Thursdays last season until it was sure Fox would not put American Idol on that night.

But Fox is, again, openly mulling the risky move for TV’s most popular show this year. It shows how crazily competitive the business is becoming, with no firmly entrenched leader among the adults aged 18-49 demographic group that advertisers covet (CBS has for years been No. 1 in total viewers, a distinction that means little on Madison Avenue).

By moving American Idol, Fox could conceivably control the most lucrative ad time in prime time -- and also foil rivals’ efforts to dominate that night with their own top shows. Suffice it to say, we'll be following Ryan Seacrest (pictured) and company wherever they go.

From California to Alabama, American Idol hopeful are lining up to audition for season six of the show. And now the same can be said about Memphis.

TV station, WMC, had the story.

Thousands of Taylor Hicks wanna-bes lined up outside and around FedExForum Friday morning to register for the auditions. Many, such as Tania Velazquez, had been in line since Thursday afternoon. She managed to make it to the front of the line.

Tiffany Wright drove from North Carolina, through Tropical Storm Ernesto, to teach her daughter a life lesson.

"You only have one chance to live," she said. "You should do whatever you can and not have any regrets at all."

American Idol was supposed to recruit in Memphis last year, but auditions were canceled in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Velazquez was ready to see the judges. "I'm ready for the criticism," she said. "I'm ready for them."

People wanting to meet Randy, Paula or Simon, though, will face additional waits. Prospective contestants have to return to FedExForum Sunday morning and sing in front of a producer for ten seconds. Then, they go in-front of an executive producer. From there, it's a few weeks before they go in front of the real judges.

The public just can't seem to get enough American Idol.

Just when you think folks might have had their fill, and the show might be heading for a downturn, it posts its biggest numbers ever.

"Right before the fifth season started in January, the producers and Fox executives believed American Idol was due for a cooling period. "They and most critics just couldn't believe it could continue its phenomenal climb in ratings," says Susan Young, a MediaNews TV critic. "When the premiere clocked more than 35 million viewers, it rocked even the true believers."

Over the years, the American Idol phenomenon has moved beyond the small screen to the Billboard record charts and the concert stage.

Most notably, Kelly Clarkson, the first-ever champion (right), is now one of the biggest-selling recording artists around and a formidable draw at major performing venues. She attracted huge crowds across the nation during her "Addicted" tour this summer.

Other idols, including Fantasia Barrino (the Season 3 winner) and Carrie Underwood (the Season 4 champ), also have jumped to the big leagues both musically and in Fantasia's case, a hit TV biographical movie.

While Season 6 is right around the corner, those who want to relive Season 5 may find the American Idols Live tour just what the doctor ordered -- it rolls into the Bay Area tonight after hitting Sacramento last night. Catch Taylor Hicks and company live before the tour ends!

It's a nationwide phenomenon, but if one city could lay claim to American Idol, it would have to be Birmingham, Alabama. Boasting two of the series' five winners in Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks, and nearly a third in runner-up Bo Bice, the city is clearly the cradle of Idols. But only this year did it get to host auditions for the coming season.

Thousands of people awoke in the pre-dawn hours and headed on down to the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center to audition for Season 6 of the hit Fox TV show.

The excitable crowd waited outside the BJCC for almost five hours before auditioning, but the wait wasn’t all bad: They were treated to an appearance by the host of American Idol, Ryan Seacrest (pictured).

Those lucky enough to impress the judges in the early rounds earned a shot at the big guns -- Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul -- and with the trio's approval, a chance to go to Los Angeles. Here's a glimpse of a quartet of contestants who made it through to Hollywood, courtesy of USA Today:

Devin Johnson, 17, of Columbus, Ga. -- A senior at Hardaway High, Devin has already been to the Idol heights... or at least the foothills. He made it to Hollywood last year in the group round, but couldn't advance to the finals. Devin, who sang the Luther Vandross version of "A House Is Not a Home" and the Donny Hathaway version of "For All We Know," said he was much less nervous this time around.

Craig Pullem, 26, from Broadview, Ill. -- This aspirant flew down for the audition to recapture past glory. He made it to Hollywood in Season 4, but lost last year in the Chicago auditions. This year he thinks he has a shot, having passed the first round by singing two showcases for '50s teen star Frankie Lymon, "The ABC's of Love" and "Goody Goody." His goal? To be the fat Justin Timberlake. Seriously.

Heather Reed, 20, of Gainesville, Ga. -- This student at Gainesville State College regularly sings at the Lakewood Baptist Church in Gainesville, Ga., before as many as 3,000 people. She found the audition a tougher challenge. "I thought I would relax, but it's a lot easier to sing in front of 3,000 people instead of two," she said, calling it nerve-wracking and exciting." Heather sang Sara Evans' "Born to Fly" and the gospel tune "It Is Well with My Soul."

Jason Qualls, 23, of Birmingham, Ala. -- A photographer/graphic designer, Jason displayed a varied musical palette. He sang Keith Urban's country ballad "Tonight I Want to Cry," The Temptations'" My Girl" and, fittingly, "Sweet Home Alabama." The judges would give hime something to shoot for, he said, asking him to vary the tempo and style.