It's baaack! 'American Idol' kicks off Tuesday on Fox/Ch. 13

Didn't "American Idol" just end? Didn't we just ride a huge wave of David Archuleta-mania that crested when the Utah teen finished No. 2 on America's No. 1 TV show?

Well, it has been almost eight months. And we're getting set to do it all over again.

And, crazy as it sounds, the odds of having another Utahn make the finals are actually higher than they were a year ago because more Utahns auditioned. Which comes as no surprise given that "American Idol" brought its auditions to Salt Lake City last summer.

"For all we know, the next 'American Idol' could have been in the building today," said senior producer Patrick Lynn back in July as he was standing outside EnergySolutions Arena. "I think the chances are pretty good."

That's the sort of thing you'd expect him to say — and the sort of thing he says in all seven audition cities. But it is a fact that a lot of Utahns who might not have traveled hundreds (or thousands) of miles to audition elsewhere did show up to sing when they only had to go around the corner. Or maybe a few miles at most.

"I couldn't have done this if the auditions weren't right here," said 16-year-old Jasmine Welch of Salt Lake City, who camped out overnight and was at the front of the line back in July.

"A lot of local people are getting a chance because (the auditions are) here."

Of course, not everyone who auditioned locally was a local. Hopefuls came from hundreds (or thousands) of miles away for their shot at stardom.

After upward of 6,000 people auditioned for "Idol" staffers at the arena in July, somewhere in the neighborhood of 300-400 were called back for a second round of Utah auditions — this time in front of the judges — in September.

What happened next is shrouded in secrecy — unless you believe the spoilers on various Internet sites — but two or three dozen from the Salt Lake auditions advanced to Hollywood for the next round, which was taped in December.

A two-hour episode of "Idol" — which has yet to be scheduled — will be devoted to the Utah auditions. And, while it will be interesting to see how the judges react to Salt Lake City, Simon Cowell has already told the press that he "absolutely loves" the city and "absolutely loves" the people here.

As for the show itself, there will be a few changes this season. The most obvious is the addition of new judge Kara DioGuardi who joins Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.

Producers will also show us less of the open auditions — three weeks instead of four, which will mean less footage of vocally impaired hopefuls making fools of themselves.

That's part of a push to emphasize the show's dream-making, aspirational aspects. But that doesn't mean Cowell and Co. won't still have opportunities to be mean.

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