Fox has announced American Idol's ninth season will premiere over the course of two consecutive nights with a two-hour broadcast on Tuesday, January 12 at 8PM ET/PT and a one-hour broadcast on Wednesday, January 13 at 8PM ET/PT.
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Following its two-night debut, American Idol's ninth season -- which will feature both the on-screen addition of new fourth judge Ellen DeGeneres and the absence of former judge Paula Abdul -- will air the reminder of its open auditions and Hollywood Week broadcasts in the Tuesdays 8-9PM ET/PT time period beginning January 19 and the Wednesdays 8-9PM ET/PT time period beginning January 20.
Abdul -- who had served as an American Idol judge since the show premiered in 2002 -- announced she would not be returning for the show's ninth season in August after reportedly rejecting a $5 million a year offer to continue serving on the panel along side Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi.
American Idol's ninth season auditions took place over the summer and featured a series of guest judges in Abdul's former judging seat, including Victoria Beckham (Denver and Boston), Mary J. Blige (Atlanta), Joe Jonas and Neil Patrick Harris (Dallas), Kristin Chenoweth (Orlando), Shania Twain (Chicago), and Katy Perry and Avril Lavigne (Los Angeles).
Fox subsequently announced in September that it had tapped DeGeneres to replace Abdul as the judging panel's fourth member.
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Fox also announced that American Idol ninth-season broadcasts will serve as the lead-in for Our Little Genius -- a new Mark Burnett-produced game show that will quiz child geniuses with difficult questions for the chance to win money for their families.
Our Little Genius will premiere Wednesday, January 13 at 9PM ET/PT before moving to its regular timeslot of Tuesdays at 9PM ET/PT on January 19.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio