Milwaukee has a lot going on in the summertime, from the myriad festivals and cultural celebrations to the numerous fairs the city and its surrounding areas offer. This year, however, the Midwestern city will boast two more impressive happenings: the filming of a long-running hit television show and a major motion picture.

Ryan Seacrest, host of the infamous American Idol, announced last week via Twitter that Season Ten of the hit show will be holding auditions in Milwaukee this time around. The show has never held auditions in Milwaukee during its run, so it’s a pretty big deal for us Wisconsinites. Five other cities will also be the center of attention when Idol crews come to their neighborhoods: Austin, Texas; East Rutherford, New Jersey; Nashville, Tennessee; New Orleans, Louisiana; and San Francisco, California. The Milwaukee auditions will take place on July 21st at the Bradley Center for aspiring stars who want to test their vocal abilities and receive some brutally honest feedback.

Another reason why 2010 is the summer of Milwaukee is Transformers 3, the third and final installment of the blockbuster trilogy. On June 18th, it was announced that Milwaukee will be one of the filming locations for the Michael Bay-directed, Steven Spielberg-produced action flick. Filming will commence at the Milwaukee Art Museum and an old factory location of Tower Automotive after crews finish up in Chicago, which should be toward the middle of summer. Auditions for the feature film took place this past weekend. Much of the cast from the first two films will be back to reprise their roles in this final chapter, including Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, and Ramón Rodríguez. The missing link will be Megan Fox, who will not be returning for the last leg of the series, much to the dismay of male moviegoers. In her place will be Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, the new love interest to Shia LaBeouf’s leading man, Sam.

If Summerfest and the State Fair weren’t incentive enough to indulge in Milwaukee this summer, maybe these Hollywood happenings will be the ticket.