On Aug. 5, the talent of America will put themselves out there for fame or humiliation–again.
That once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a shot at success will roll around for the third time as American Idol judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson preside over auditions for the show’s third season, set to air in January.
The tryouts will begin in Los Angeles on Aug. 5 and move on to Houston on Aug.13, Atlanta on Aug. 20, and New York on August 25. The exact locations will be announced within the next couple weeks and the dates are subject to change.
The stakes provided by the FOX series are high–a recording contract, the prestigious title of American Idol and instant recognition.
Participants are lured by the remarkable sales of the past American Idol winners. MTV.com reports that season one winner Kelly Clarkson‘s Thankful debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart, selling over 1.2 million copies. Last season’s winner Ruben Studdard is finishing recording his album and is heading on tour with second-place victor and crowd-pleaser Clay Aiken.
An impressive 38 million viewers watched the second season finale, when Studdard defeated Aiken for the Idol title.
