That’s right—American Idol is coming up to its 10^th season, and auditions start in less than a month.

Auditions begin on Saturday, July 17th in Nashville, TN. Then the auditions will move on to the following cities: Milwaukee, WI (July 21); New Orleans, LA (July 26); East Rutherford, NJ (August 3); Austin, TX (August 11); and San Francisco, CA (August 19).

But that’s not all the news. The real news is that for the first time ever, 15-year-olds will be eligible to audition. Fox’s press release states: “In celebration of the momentous 10^th anniversary and in an effort to continue to find the best undiscovered talent in the nation, American Idol is expanding the eligibility age range for the first time ever to include hopefuls from 15 to 28 years old.”

Executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz stated, “A lot of young, talented people are now seeking careers and representation before they turn 16. Lowering the age limit allows us to tap into this talent pool.”

Part of me thinks that the only reason they lowered the minimum age is because Simon Cowell will no longer be on board as a judge for the show. After all, who could handle watching Simon rip some poor 15-year-old a new one?