The long wait (for both viewers and ratings-starved Fox executives alike) is nearly over. Fox has announced that the sixth edition of its smash-hit American Idol reality series will premiere with a special two-night, four-premiere premiere on Tuesday, January 16 and Wednesday, January 17.
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After its special two-night 8-10PM ET/PT premiere that will cover the first two stops on this season's six-city open audition tour, American Idol 6 will settle into its Tuesdays at 8PM ET/PT and Wednesdays at 9PM ET/PT regular time periods for balance of the show's three weeks of open audition broadcasts.
This summer's American Idol tryouts took the show to Los Angeles, San Antonio, Birmingham, Memphis, Minneapolis, New York City and Seattle, with 100,000 people participating in the sixth season auditions. Several guest judges also participated in the tryouts, including Jewel (Minneapolis), songwriter Carole Bayer Sager (Los Angeles), and Olivia Newton-John (New York.)
Once the broadcasts of the regional tryouts are over, coverage of American Idol 6's Hollywood round will begin airing on Tuesday, February 6 at 8PM ET/PT. The Hollywood coverage will last two weeks and end with the announcement of the show's Top 24 semifinalists on Wednesday, February 14. According to Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, the women outnumbered the men by nearly two to one (about 110 to 60) during this year's Hollywood round. ""It's going to be tough on the girls [since there are so many more of them competing for their twelve semifinalist slots]," Lythgoe told USA Today.
American Idol host Ryan Seacrest and judges, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson will all be returning for the sixth season.