HOLY CRAP LONGEST DAY EVER!!!!
I woke up this morning at 8:15am to get ready for class today, and at 8:20 decided that I NEEDED to go to the local auditions for a guaranteed American Idol audition through a radio station here- I had decided not to go originally after American Idol regional auditions were canceled for Alaska, but woke up obsessed about going to this one- the winner gets airfare paid to San Fransisco, the last auditions before the hollywood round, and a guaranteed audition with AI producers. I knew if I didnt go I would regret it sorely.
So I managed to get ready to go in 25 minutes- hair and makeup, which anyone who knows me will tell you that its a miracle, period, that I accomplished that!!
I drove over to the lot they were holding auditions at, which was thankfully a whole 2 minute drive from my house, since I had to run back home and get my gloves and inhaler
. I managed to get in line just at the 9am deadline for signup- WHEW! I am assigned a sticker that changes my name to "#100."
The line half snakes around outside the building, then straight shoots into the indoors(where its WARM), and contestants go up one at a time and hav 60 seconds to sing anything they want acapella. There are 5 judges, mostly local celebrities, one is a radio personality that just put out an album. They each have three peices of paper: one red, one green, and one yellow. After the contestant finishes singing, they each hold one up. If you have mostly red, thank you very much for stopping and good bye. If you have mostly yellow, you will battle it out later with all the other yellows for the 15th and FINAL spot in the finals. If you get mostly green cards, you are in the finals, congratulations.
After an hour or so of waiting in line, I FINALLY get inside and start thawing my hands. Everyone around me is super nice and very encouraging, and I quietly warm up my voice. I see what i think are capable singers getting red cards and yellow cards, and feel doomed for sure to one of them myself. As I near the head of the line for my turn my heart starts to pound. I think to myself "God I hope I didnt skip class just to get sent home after freezing my butt off for an hour!!"
My number is called. I inwardly scream and remind myself to breathe- this isnt Simon I tell myself, as I smile at the judges and ask them to give me a moment to picture them in their underwear. This breaks the ice a little, but my knees are still knocking. I start belting out "Open Arms" trying my best to make eye contact and "perform" it instead of just singing it to them. Time is called, and cards are held up: green, yellow, green, yellow, green. Oh my god I'm in. I feel I might faint. A girl at a table to the left hands me a green form saying congratulations and I stare at her in disbelief. I am stoked.
I am instructed to go to a booth set up outside and pick out sheet music to the song I want to perform, as there is a preset list we have to choose from. I ask for "Fame" thinking a nice upbeat song with power and good range would be wise and not get boring easily. The guy working the booth tells me that no one has chosen this song yet, I laugh and tell him to hide them for now then.
I go home to work on the song and get pop-beautified as much as I can for being 4 months pregnant. I settle on jeans and a striped poncho, and stick to comfy shoes. I add some hoop earrings and fluff up my multi-colored purple and dark brown hair. Then I start to panic.
I didnt realize until this point that I wanted to WIN. ALOT. Also at this point I thought they had given out some 20-30 green cards- I had no idea that only 14 had been given out. My heart beat so fast and hard I had to keep sitting outside and breathing slow and deliberately, I couldnt eat and forced a peanut butter and jelly sandwich unhappily for sustenance. I felt like i would jump out of my body at any time. My best friend finally arrives to go to the finals with me (my husband and son will meet me there at 4 when it starts)and when we get there I am swimming in fear.
I enter the building again and see that there are still quite a few people present. The yellow cards are competing for the last spot, and the winner is announced moments after I walk in the door. A short while later all of us in the finals are lined up and asked what song we chose so they can cue the music. I find out that not onyl did no one else pick my song, I am the only finalist singing something UPBEAT. Every other finalist chose a ballad. Every single one of them. I feel I have an edge and am suddenly very pleased with myself.
The finals begin, I am to go 13th. I settle in drinking chamomile tea and focus on calming my nerves. With each contestants performance, my anxiety lessens, and by the time its my turn I feel ready and much less nervous.
My number is called. I approach the mic, and get a few calls when the music starts for a quick mic check. Then my music starts for real, and I manage to get the audience clapping and dancing. I nail the song, nail the performance and feel confident that I did my best when I left the psuedo stage. People congratulated me on my way out, and asked me my name.
Then the girl after me sang. And dear god she was amazing. I knew when she opened her mouth that she was going to win.
And win she did. I was so relieved when they announced the winner that I didnt even have a chance to be disappointed. A few people approached me and told me to try and go to San Fransisco anyway, and that I was amazing, even a few judges said they loved me and one got my number to help hook me up with local bands while the other thanked me for waking them up. It was nice to hear. A little bird ( I am not to reveal his identity) told me that I had tied for 3rd. I felt like I was a good singer today- not something I have felt for a long time. I have been plagued by my greatest fear- That I cant sing and no one tells me! Today I think I may have left that nasty thought behind for at least a while
.
So a friend of mine is trying to pool money to get me to the San Fransisco Audition. It would be cool, and I would absolutely be grateful to have the opportunity, but for now I am content with todays experience and the new doors that were opened to me.
But if I go wish me luck!!!!
If you want to hear my performance its been posted in the showcase...
Smooches and hugs to all
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
[/scroll]
