After years of airing live from LA's Nokia Theatre, the 13th season finale of FOX's American Idol may be heading to New York City's recently renovated Madison Square Garden, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
While
FOX execs have not confirmed the report, a source confirmed to THR that the finale will take place at the historic New York sports and concert arena, which features a capacity seating of 18,000.
Season XIII is set to kick off on Wednesday, January 15th with a new judge's panel consisting of returning judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and new judge Harry Connick, Jr. The season-13 finale is set to air on May 20 and 21.
About AMERICAN IDOL:
Every year, tens of thousands of hopefuls from across the nation audition for a shot at stardom. The show's judges - Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban - travel across the country in search of the next AMERICAN IDOL. They narrow down the competitors to a select group of semifinalists who sing their hearts out each week in front of a studio audience and television viewers.
The judges have their say after every performance, but it's the viewing public that determines who will advance to the next round of competition and who will go home. Telephone, text message and online voting begin immediately after each performance show, and the results are announced during
The Following night's broadcast.
Eventually the competition is whittled down to two finalists who compete for a major recording contract and the
American Idol title. Past winners
Kelly Clarkson,
Ruben Studdard,
Fantasia Barrino,
Carrie Underwood,
Taylor Hicks,
Jordin Sparks,
David Cook,
Kris Allen,
Lee Dewyze,
Scotty McCreery, and
Phillip Phillips as well as fan-favorites
Jennifer Hudson,
Adam Lambert and
Chris Daughtry, have all become household names and made their mark on the recording industry.
AMERICAN IDOL has been the No. 1 entertainment program among Total Viewers for the past nine consecutive seasons. To date, IDOL alums have produced 356 No. 1 Billboard hits and garnered nearly 250 million iTunes downloads. Season 11 winner
Phillip Phillips' first single, "Home," which was released May 23, has been certified platinum. Last year, Season 10 winner
Scotty McCreery released his debut album "Clear As Day," which dominated the Billboard Country Albums chart and has gone platinum, selling more than one million copies. McCreery is the youngest male artist to ever enter the U.S. albums charts at the No. 1 spot.
