The American Idol Experience

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Attraction=The American Idol Experience


Image Caption="The American Idol Experience" logo
Park 1= Disney's Hollywood Studios
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The American Idol Experience is a theme park attraction under construction within Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Inspired by the popular American television series "American Idol", the attraction will invite park guests to audition in front of live audiences who will vote for their favorite singers.

It is scheduled to open in January 2009.

History

The attraction was announced on February 7, 2008, although specifics were not made public at that time. "American Idol" season 6 winner Jordin Sparks unveiled its official name and projected opening date during the "American Idol" season 7 finale on May 21, 2008.

Disney is licensing the show's logos and set design from "American Idol"'s production companies, 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia. The attraction will be located in the former ABC TV Theater, which originally was home to Superstar Television, one of the first attractions to open at the park in 1989.

Operations

Auditions

Park guests age 14 and older will be able to audition before a Disney "producer" who will judge singers based on their ability to sing and perform in front of an audience. As with the auditions for the television show, initial auditions will be a cappella. Selected singers will advance to a second round, where they select from a song list provided by the producers and audition again, this time with pre-recorded music. Those who pass the second audition will be scheduled into one of the preliminary shows each operating day.

Preliminary shows

The attraction will host several shows each day, with one finals show in the evening. At each preliminary show, guests will perform before a live audience inside the attraction's main theater, designed to resemble the television show's stage. Using electronic keypads at their seats, the audience will then vote for their favorite singer, who will return for the final show of the day.

Finale show and "Dream Ticket"

The last show of each operating day will feature the winners of that day's preliminary shows and will allow the live audience to vote for the winning performer. Each day's final winner will receive a "Dream Ticket" that will allow him or her to bypass the queue at one of the regional "American Idol" auditions for the television show, provided he or she meets the show's age and residency requirements. If the winner is not eligible, he or she will be allowed to transfer the "Dream Ticket" to another person, or save the ticket until the age limit is met.

External links

* [http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/special/americanIdol/index?id=AmericanIdolExperiencePage&CMP=BAC-AmericanIdolNewsUpdtToDW&bhcp=1 The American Idol Experience home page]