Auditioners wait to sing for "Idol" producers

Your 15 seconds of fame starts in 12 hours

By: Derek Campbell

Posted: 8/18/08

Since 2002, seven talented (and lucky) people have sung their way into the hearts of millions of American music enthusiasts young and old.

Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, and most recently Blue Springs, Mo., native David Cook have gone from virtually unknown voices to household names thanks to Fox's hit reality show, "American Idol."

On Aug. 8, Fox decided to pay a visit to David Cook's homeland to see what kind of talent Kansas City had hiding up its sleeves. More than 10,000 singing hopefuls and their supporters showed up to the "American Idol" open call to give it their best for a chance at a once in a life time and potentially life-changing opportunity.

Out of sheer curiosity, I had to see what the process was all about.

In order to secure an audition, contestants had to register between 6 a.m Aug. 6, and 6 a.m. Aug. 8, at Kemper Arena to get a wristband and ticket that would secure an audition. "Idol" staff worked 48 hours solid getting contestants registered for the event, sometimes hitting rushes of people that stood for more than 3 hours just to register. As an early bird, I arrived at 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 6, and I received my wristband and seat ticket at 9:45 a.m.

Another contestant who had traveled with her mother from Dallas, Texas said, "We didn't want to risk not getting a wristband, so we showed up at 2:00 a.m. when they opened parking lots and just waited until they started handing them out."

This sympathy was shared by the many hundreds of other people whose license plates spanned the continental United States.

When I got my ticket, the production staff instructed me to learn the words to two songs which would be performed as a group inside Kemper Arena: "Get Ready" by the Temptations, and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" by Stevie Wonder. Though a little puzzled, I did as I was told and learned the two songs.

My accomplice and I were instructed to return at 5 a.m., Aug. 8, to lend our presence for the sweeping fill shots for the clips they show you in the audition episodes. We, however, opted to gain a few more hours of sleep and show up at 8:30 a.m., which turned out to be the exact time the doors opened, letting people flood Kemper Arena.

We found our seats and almost immediately, the producers began constructing the shots they needed, with some haste and not much tact. On several occasions, the 10,000 "Idol" hopefuls filling the seats at Kemper were told to "shut up," some being singled out by the men with the microphones for interrupting their filming processes.

The audience participated in a long string of robotic singing and staged cheering at the cameras for two grueling hours before auditions finally began. Unfortunately, there was still no sign of Randy, Simon, Paula or even "Idol" poster boy, Ryan Seacrest. In the middle of Kemper Arena, 12 stations were lined up with each with two members of the production staff who served as preliminary round judges to weed out people who either weren't good singers or weren't good enough "television."

After one hour of auditions, the tables were cleared. While those of us who had not yet auditioned were thoroughly confused, the waiting was about to finally pay off. Though only a fraction of a percentage of the people in that arena would go on to see the "Idol" triumvirate, Kemper filled with camera flashes as "American Idol" host, Ryan Seacrest," came in to do his shots for the Kansas City audition episode.

At approximately 3:00 p.m., my section was finally called to audition. In rows of four, Hollywood hopefuls sang their hearts out for up to 30 seconds to either be sent home or to get the famous "golden ticket." While the producers thought my version of "Walking in Memphis" was "very nice and sounded good," they said, "it just isn't what we are looking for."

Those who were passed through to the next round included: a young man wearing a banana yellow blazer and bright orange pants; a guy wearing a feathered pimp hat and an outfit with dollar signs all over it; a girl who reminded me of a cross between a poodle, a mime, and a tap dancer and maybe one or two absolutely amazing singers. Be on the lookout in January to see if Kansas City can produce two "American Idol" winners in a row.

dcampbell@unews.com