Ninth chance to be an ‘Idol’

“American Idol” crowned Kris Allen its eighth winner just three weeks ago, but America’s No. 1 television show is already holding auditions for the ninth season.

Singers with stars in their eyes can arrive at 7 a.m. today and Wednesday to pre-register for Thursday’s first-round auditions at the Georgia Dome.

Producers do not encourage people to camp out overnight like many did in the show’s early years. They ask people to arrive at 5 a.m. Thursday. Auditions will begin inside the Dome after 8 a.m.

The eligibility requirements are the same as in recent years. Hopefuls must be between ages 16 to 28 as of last Friday to qualify and cannot have any professional recording or acting contract.

This will be the fifth time Atlanta has been an audition site.

The show used the city for its first three seasons, attracting singers such as Season 1’s Tamyra Gray from Norcross, second-season runner-up Clay Aiken from North Carolina and third-season winner Fantasia, also from North Carolina.

Fantasia was one of the final people to audition that season and was almost locked out of the proceedings, but a sympathetic Georgia Dome guard let her in.

Unfortunately, the last time “Idol” came to Atlanta for auditions two years ago was far less fruitful.

Only one of the top 12 contestants auditioned in Atlanta and that singer, Indiana’s Amanda Overmyer, finished 11th.

“The first round is kind of tricky,” said Alexandrea Lushington, who tried out in Atlanta in 2007 and finished in the top 20 season seven. “You just need to go in and be yourself and focus on the task at hand. And be patient, don’t lose your energy.”

Lushington recently graduated from Douglas County High School and is attending Agnes Scott College this fall.

The “Idol” audition process is multi-fold. The thousands of people who try out Thursday will be pared down to about 150 or fewer after three or four more rounds.

Those lucky folks, a mix of good and (sometimes comically) bad, will go before the “Idol” judges at a still unspecified date.

And the show, which added fourth judge Kara DioGuardi last season, has not announced whether Paula Abdul or DioGuardi will be back for Season 9.