American Idol auditions July 9 at Amway Arena in Orlando

Don't get too excited: judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi and Paula Abdul will not be in the house July 9, when American Idol producers bring their first round of auditions to Amway Arena in Orlando.

Instead, the cattle-call auditions -- which produce the arena-size crowds they love to display during the audition shows -- start up in two weeks with a coterie of producers traveling the country, winnowing the hundreds of thousands seeking fame on TV's highest-rated show down to a manageable number the judges can handle later in the summer.

This also means the show won't have to act so soon on whether to keep Abdul, whose contract with the show reportedly ends this year. But they won't want to film the judges until some decision is reached, so expect to hear about Abdul's future sometime this summer.

A Fox publicist tells me those who make the cut at the upcoming auditions will face another round of producers and then the judges sometime later this summer. 

Rules are simple: Contestants must be between the ages of 16 and 28 as of June 12, 2009 and be eligible to work in the United States:

Here's the announced dates:

 * June 14, Boston, Gillette Stadium
 * June 18, Altanta, Georgia Dome
* June 30, Los Angeles, Rose Bowl (Pasadena, actually)
* July 9, Orlando, Fla., Amway Arena
* July 14, Denver, Invesco Field at Mile High
* TBD, Chicago, TBD
* TBD, Dallas, TBD

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Comments

[kevin]

Haha yea the amway arena that holds the best NBA team of all time but is soon to show there potential

[bulletinizer]

Are you talking about Amway Arena the home of the NBA's Orlando Magic owned by Amway Corporation, the incomparable cosmetics and home products innovator now celebrating 50 years of Amway Global. That, Amway?