DJariya

It's Back! It's the infamous audition phase. Tuesday night will be Phoenix and Kansas City.

Kara DioGuardi is the new 4th judge.

TomOpus

According to Entertainment Weekly, the audition in Puerto Rico was a bust. They only got 2 that moved on.

Also the Top 24 is going to be the Top 36.

When they tell them "You're going to Hollywood" they are actually going to go to Hollywood. Previously they went to Pasadena but this season they go straight to the Kodak Theater.

They are going to try to get younger mentors... like under 30 years old.

DJariya

I really hope that Kara DioGuardi actually adds something to the judges table. She does have the credentials being a singer, songwriter and producer.

I think the audition phase is getting stale. I used to laugh my ass off at the bad ones, but I started to find them really annoying especially last season.

sinned

well this year its supposed to be less auditions, more Hollywood rounds time. If I remember correctly last year the Hollywood round was just 2 episodes (1 week). Hopefully they are grooming the new judge to take over Paula when she finally resigns / gets fired / ODs

GuessWho

Among the changes:

3 weeks of auditions, instead of 4
2 weeks of Hollywood, instead of 1
Judges will add wildcard finalists
No 'Idol Gives Back'

brainee

This is one change I'm happy to see. The freak-show auditions are maybe funny the first show you see it. Then it gets boring. And with the story of the suicide of the Paula stalker, it seems a bit sad (for the contestents) and repulsive (for the show). for putting people with clear mental problems through just so they can be belittled and mocked on a national scale.

Younger mentors and longer Hollywood week are also changes for the better. I hope younger mentors means less restrictive themes (since they won't have the song catalog to support a theme based around just their music).

Patman

It's 3 weeks of auditions this season, instead of 4 weeks.

dadaluholla

This is the current schedule that I found recently:

Tuesday, Jan. 13th: Season premiere, audition episode (two hours)
Wednesday, Jan. 14th: Audition episode (two hours)
Tuesday, Jan. 20th: Audition episode
Wednesday, Jan. 21st: Audition episode
Tuesday, Jan. 27th: Audition episode
Wednesday, Jan. 28th: Audition episode
Thursday, Jan. 29th: Final audition episode

Tuesday, Feb. 3rd: Hollywood round, part 1
Wednesday, Feb. 4th: Hollywood round, part 2
Tuesday, Feb. 10th: Hollywood round, part 3
Wednesday, Feb. 11th: Hollywood round, part 4; semifinalists announced (two hours)

Tuesday, Feb. 17th: First 12 semifinalists perform (two hours)
Wednesday, Feb. 18th: Live results show, three advance to finals
Tuesday, Feb. 24th: Second 12 semifinalists perform (two hours)
Wednesday, Feb. 25th: Live results show, three advance to finals
Tuesday, March 3rd: Third 12 semifinalists perform (two hours)
Wednesday, March 4th: Live results show, three advance to finals
Thursday, March 5th: Wild-card round, finalists announced

Tuesday, March 10th: 12 finalists perform (two hours)

Charlie Goose

Fixed.

I like the trainwreck auditions, but I'm glad they cut back on them this year. Three weeks worth might still be too much. I'd rather get more in-depth in the Hollywood phase.

big whoppa

I will be watching though I'd rather watch something else. The auditions are pretty torturous. Not to mention the bad theme nights and karoake performances. Ahhh, it's January again.

brainee

Wait ... doesn't that pretty much cover the whole show?

At least the results show is back to 30 minutes. So we only have to FF through 25 minutes instead of 55. I wonder if that, combined with Nigel's leaving, means the cheesy song-and-dance numbers will get nixed? That'll make Amanda happy, knowing she got in on the last season of those. I'll miss her "kill me please" face while partipating in those.

FantasticVSDoom

Like all these and would even like 1 less week of auditions... But looks like Im in for another year.

stingermck

Cat fight!!!! Damn that girl had a bangin ass!

Bluelitespecial

Kansas City is tomorrow night

aktick

Oh, come on! A blind dude?! Get that boy in front of a piano and he could sail through pretty easily for quite a while.

Charlie Goose

The blind fellow is going to make it into the top 5, sez I. The grannies and other bleeding hearts will eat him up. In my case, I actually resent people that overcome obstacles.

Bikini Bitch won't get past the next round. She was okay, but not great. Even if she made it past Hollywood, thre's no way the audience would vote for her. And she has small tits.

The roughneck was good, as was the 16 year old guy with the heavy eyebrows. The one who said his family was going through a rough time.

I really do not like when they show auditions that obviously took place in front of the producers, not the judges, yet they show reaction shots of the judges. That's so false.

dadaluholla

I like American Idol quite a bit, but these two hours tonight felt like they went on for an eternity.

MANBREASTS

You got that right man, The second I saw that girl I said there's a "Hanan Rofa" ass If I ever seen one!

Gizmo

Ok...hot ass girl...looking forward to it....after 90210 and Scrubs of course.

brainee

Damn, I don't what's a bigger sign of being a loser: that you give yourself the nickname "Sexual Chocolate", that you have it tattooed on your back, or that you spell chocolate wrong in the tattoo

hippie68

Really liked Stevie.
What about Ryan going to give the Blind guy a high five

Daytripper

Damn hippie, you beat me to it. What a tool, that Seacrest. High fiving a blind person. When he said at the beginning of the show that he was one step from the ledge at the Grand Canyon I was like "Please PLEASE let a gust of wind come!".

A few musings. Yes, Stevie was very good. But no way in hell does she have the chops that Kelly Clarkson has. Like Paula said. That 16 year old Hispanic kid (J.B.?) was really good and it was very very touching that he wanted to help his family. And their reaction. I truly believed him, and that it wasn't for the camera. Or a ploy to get through. The rock chic girl was not only good, she's actually very pretty. Great eyes! The last blonde girl who sang "Sittin on the Dock of the Bay" was fantastic! Don't like the bikini girl only because of the way she got through. Clearly she didn't feel her voice was good enough. But she can sing. She's also very pretty. It was just cheesy and low class to show up dressed that way. And I loved the big cat fight build up that turned out to be nothing. Yeah, the blind guy hit a soft spot. And he is quite good. But what's up with his hair? Is it a comb over? I hope he gets a good stylist. He will most definitely get stome type of career out of this. And I hope he does. Last, really like the new judge.

Merkin Muffley

Must...have...animated GIF of Ryan high-fiving the blind guy...

Patman

I wasn't wowed by any of the ones that got a yellow ticket to Hollywood so far.

rocketsauce

Probably could have just stopped there