Season 6 Audition News

While Season 5 completely did away with celebrity guest judges, Season 6 (as in Season 4) will feature a different celebrity guest judge in each audition city.  Songwriter Carol Bayer-Sager was featured in NYC, and Jewel in Minneapolis.

Third round auditions in front of judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell continue in  Los Angeles and Birmingham this week.

The LA round took place this past Tuesday and featured Olivia Newton John as guest judge.

According to Paula, Los Angeles has had some of the best talent. And Randy agrees, saying they have seen some potential Top 10s and that the girls were stronger than the boys this year.

Has the pimping begun already? 

More 3rd round auditions take place in Birmingham, Alabama this coming Friday and Saturday.

Big Business

Want to buy some advertising on next year's American Idol?  It will cost you cost you. 

A 30-second ad on “American Idol” will cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $600, 000 this season, making the show once again the most expensive series on television.

The FOX ratings juggernaut has held that title for three years running now, and it's far and away the priciest show for advertisers. No other show commands even $400, 000 for a 30-second spot, according to a survey of agencies who buy ad time conducted by Advertising Age magazine.

The Wednesday “Idol” results show is the more expensive of the singing competition's two weekly installments, commanding an average of $620, 000 per 30-second ad (some commercial spots closer the May finale are going for up to $700, 000). The Tuesday performance shows are only slightly cheaper at $594, 000 per ad.