JOPLIN, Mo. —
Are you the next American Idol?
If you think you might be, you will want to head to Joplin’s Landreth Park on Wednesday, when the “American Idol” Small Town Bus Tour will conduct auditions for the upcoming 12th season of the popular reality singing competition.
The announcement was made Sunday by the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau and “American Idol.”
Contestants must be between the ages of 15 and 28; anyone younger than 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Children younger than 5 will not be allowed on site.
Auditions will be conducted between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Wednesday. Contestants will not be allowed to begin lining up until 8 a.m. that day, and no preregistration is available, according to production guidelines.
Auditions will take place in front of the show’s producers; none of the celebrity judges — singer Mariah Carey was confirmed last month as one of them — will be in Joplin.
Auditions will take place in three phases. The contestant’s age will first be verified, and then the contestant begins the audition itself. If the contestant is selected to move to the next round of competition, he or she must fill out some paperwork to participate in future shows, according to production guidelines. Playing a musical instrument will not be allowed during the auditions.
Overnight parking and camping in Landreth Park will not be allowed, nor will parking be allowed along Murphy Boulevard or any side streets, according to the city. Participants should park on the east side of the park by following Landreth Avenue to the grassy hill, where parking is typically available for other events such as Boomtown Days and July Fourth celebrations.
The bus tour — the first of this kind for the show — is holding auditions in 10 small cities across the country. Auditions already have been held in Idaho Falls, Idaho; Billings, Mont.; Casper, Wyo.; Rock Rapids and Iowa City, Iowa; Bowling Green, Ky.; and Clarksdale, Miss. The remaining two cities on the tour will be announced three days before auditions are scheduled to take place.
“American Idol,” which airs on Fox, is hosted by Ryan Seacrest and has featured a number of celebrity judges, including Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, Ellen DeGeneres, Kara DioGuardi, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez.
The show has produced several popular singers, including Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, who both won their seasons. Joplin native Asia’h Epperson was a semifinalist on the show’s seventh season in 2008.
Details
Complete details about auditioning for “American Idol” can be found under the “Small Town Bus Tour” tab at americanidol.com
Top Stories
‘American Idol’ will hold Joplin auditions Wednesday
- Top Stories
-
-
Memorial Day travelers bemoan high gas prices
Norm Hayward and his wife, Claudia, have a couple of things going for them as they continue their increasingly expensive motor home trip around parts of the United States. For starters, the Phoenix, Ariz., couple are saving on hotel costs.
-
Joplin team drove through storm to get to Moore
It was a long drive in the middle of a severe thunderstorm that had earlier produced a massive tornado in Moore, Okla. With the two-year anniversary of Joplin’s deadly twister approaching on Wednesday, a team of 14 Joplin emergency workers was ready to risk the trip in order to get help to a hurting Moore.
-
Cunningham Park vandalism estimated at $4,000
Vandals caused an estimated $4,000 worth of damage in Cunningham Park, draining the pool in the aquatic center of about 200,000 gallons of water and throwing some large landscaping rocks into the reflecting pond.
-
Joplin Board of Education to decide fate of East Middle School teacher
After hearing nearly 10 hours of testimony from more than a dozen witnesses and accepting more than 45 exhibits into evidence, members of the Joplin Board of Education voted to move behind closed doors Thursday night to decide whether Randy Turner, a communication arts teacher at East Middle School, will continue to teach.
-
Content of book, students' access to it at issue in hearing for suspended teacher
A standing-room only crowd is present at the hearing this morning to decide the fate of suspended Joplin Middle School teacher Randy Turner, who has asked for the hearing before the board of education.
-
Southeast Kansas foundation accepts donations for Moore
The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas is accepting donations to assist the victims of the Moore, Okla., tornado.
-
Demonstrators show support for suspended teacher
Most were carrying blue-and-white signs that said “Support Turner,” a reference to Randy Turner, a middle school teacher who was removed from his classroom and placed on administrative leave last month after an investigation by school district officials.
-
Awards mark Joplin observance of tornado anniversary
Joplin will serve as the beacon for resilient recovery from a disaster to communities across the United States, including recently hit Moore, Okla., said the nation’s secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano.
-
Federal, state leaders salute Joplin’s recovery
A deadly May twister may have punched a hole in Joplin and Duquesne two years ago, but the resolve to repair it will help other communities stand strong when they face similar disasters. That was the message of state and national diginitaries to a crowd of about 2,500 who observed the second anniversary of Joplin’s devastating May 22, 2011, storm during a ceremony Wednesday in Cunningham Park.
-
Banner from Joplin to be sent to Moore residents
A giant vinyl banner adorned with heartfelt messages from Joplin tornado survivors to the residents of Moore, Okla., became a centerpiece of Wednesday’s observance of the two-year anniversary of the May 22, 2011, tornado.
- More Top Stories Headlines
-
Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day'
Jersey Shore Open for Business
Raw: Memorial Day Flags Placed at Arlington
New Wheelchair Lift Promises More Access
First Person: Mom Discusses Famous Tornado Photo
Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse
Boy Scouts Approve Plan to Accept Gay Boys
Officials: Truck Hit Bridge Before Collapse
Sheriff: No Sign Killing of 2 Kids Was Planned
Obama Defends Drone Strikes, With Limits
Raw: Jurors Deadlock on Jodi Arias Penalty
Boy Scouts Decision "First Step" Say Activists
Raw: Utah Teen Arrested in Death of His Brothers
Closer Look at Okla. School Where Children Died
Two Suspects in Murder Known to London Police
"Be Ready": NOAA Warns of Busy Hurricane Season
SeaWorld: Penguins Are Coolest Thing in Florida
