Bye! Bye! American Idol

Well, if you haven't heard yet, I was not asked to come back in September to audition for the judges. BUT despite the days final verdict Melynda and I did have quite a good time....as to be expected there were high points and low points. Since we both experienced the day from two different perspectives, we will be writing back and forth. My writing and thoughts will be in blue and Melynda's will be in orange.

We arrived at Energy Solutions Arena (ESA) about 20 minutes to 5am luckily the line was short & we were near the front & much closer than we had been in the line on Sunday. Fox employee's were out & about giving away free stuff to pimp their Fall lineup. We got Terminator fans, Bones pens, a deck of cards featuring Family Guy, The Simpsons, and two others I can't remember at the moment. The temperature was fairly nice for what would turn out to be a hot summer day. In fact, I think there was a bit of a breeze. Now I can semi-relate to those who aren't morning people however my 2 Diet Cokes prevented me from being calm at such an exciting time. I decided this would be a great time to make friends with the ESA & Idol staff that were walking around & other contestants that were walking to the back of the line. I got a few hello's back but mostly some weird looks. After a while a group of people behind us started playing some music on a little portable device so I sang & danced along - I'm sure that helped build people's confidence…. as long as they didn't sound like me they were golden! Card playing & chatting it up with the other contestants ensued for another hour & a half while the sun rose. We moved around the corner only to be put on the far side for an opening crowd shot in front of the arena. The odds of us being in that shot are pretty slim…. being short doesn't help either. Jenni got interviewed by a guy from the Salt Lake Tribune so that was cool. By this time my energy was dipping slightly - of course there were a few contestants behind us that were sole bent on being in the spotlight so I figured I'd save my excitement & energy for later. But of course the fun was just about to begin as we entered ESA.

For me, the morning was surreal. There were so many people there for the same reason as I was. We met many wonderful people. For instance, we met a girl named Kathryn who was there by herself. She didn't know what she was going to sing yet for her auditions. (Once we got inside, she was on the other side of the auditorium and higher up. I hope she did well) We also met a girl named Sherie who kindof looked like Carrie Underwood...needless to say I got quite the hug when I told her about the resemblence.

Sherie (the Carrie look alike)

Steve and I

Taylor, Kathryn and I

The only reason I got interviewed by the Salt Lake Tribune was becuase I spoke up. The girl next to us was interviewed and before the guy left I said " Hey I came all the way from Seattle!" That was enough to get the interview since he used to go to UofW. However, it was not enough to make the website blog! Oh well, it was still fun.

Our seats were AMAZING…. first row!!! (actually I think it was technically row C but it was the first row of chairs off of the floor seating) if I ever get a chance to sit at a Jazz game that close I think I might be in the closest thing to Heaven on earth! After everyone had trickled into the arena a gentleman started rehearsing the crowd songs. There is something to be said about large crowds and the energy a room full of people singing the same song and what it brings. It kind of gave me the goosebumps! It took a while to get the song lyrics down & the little bit of harmony/melody thing he wanted us to sing. Not bad for a room full of strangers if I do say so myself. The auditions started next & I think I got lost in the moment of watching people audition because I think Jenni had to repeat herself a few times. Jenni went to the snack shop to get us something to eat because it had been almost 5 hours since we had anything. The audition process seem to be taking a while but I had bad judgment of time & Jenni came back without the goods because the line was so long and it felt like it was getting closer to her time. Earlier Jenni & I walked around a bit in the corridor - there were a ton of people practicing out in the hallways. They took a break from auditions shortly after she returned to do some more crowd shots with a 'special guest"…. of course we know the special guest would be Ryan Seacrest but the rest of the crowd seem to be in awe of his arrival! Ryan did his thing we did lots of cheering & yelling for Salt Lake. Right before they announced his arrival they had to fill in seats with people from other sections who had left to go practice or stand in the long food line. They needed to make sure all the seats were full so their crowd shots would include lots of people! It will be fun to watch this next season and see if we made any of the shots.

This experience was amazing for me too. I loved singing in the group shots. We sang "Ain't no Mountain High Enough" and "Get Ready" Both songs are two of my favorite R&B classics. I think I squealed when Ryan Seacreast came out...not because I am a huge fan of his, but because it was beggining to feel more real with each moment. There was an empty spot next to me so I kept screaming out "Ryan come over here, I have a spot for you"....he didn't seem to hear me. :( (Let me just interject by the effects of this entire event. Two days later I had a dream that Ryan showed up at my elementary school and we were flirting and went on a date. Nothing I would ever want...not to mention I have heard many people who think he is gay.)
We saw so many "interesting" people. Lets just say one of them had an almost full size old lady puppet with her as she auditioned. There was also a lady who wore a red sparkly dress with bright red "dorthy" high heels. She was also crating her new born baby around. I also walked right past a few, very tall, transvestites and others in some wierd costumes. Needless to say, I felt almost too normal to get noticed in a building with so many people.

Is she the next American Idol? Only you can decide!

Sections emptied out quickly once the contestants ushered to the floor. Once that was over I opted to go brave the food line for a pretzel and hot dog. About an hour later I was rushing back to my seat but it was almost Jenni's time to audition. I would have hated to miss watching her audition (it was kind of one of those weird proud parent moments even though I'm not a parent). After the disappointing news, Jenni & I walked over to the Salt Palace where my mom works to get the car to go home. When we went inside I saw my old boss & supervisor from when I worked there. It was good to see them & after telling them why I was in town they asked Jenni to sing for them. She was so cute standing in the office doing her thing rocking out the Security Office.

I have never been so hungry in my life! And still I didn't get to eat until after the audition. (there was only one consession stand for 6000 people) Mels literally got down to our seats right as I got in line to audition. She really was the proud mama supporter. She took tons of picutres and even a video, although all you can see in my head (from a distance) inbetween the sholders of two other people.

The Audition: Ok so I know this is the part you all want to hear about. As you see in the picture below, they set up 11 booths. Behind each booth are rows of 4 auditioners. They would line them up to 3 rows deep at each booth. Then behind all of that was the line to get to the booths.

When it was my turn to go up, I was obviously nervous. They had just switched producers and added another one at that table. I had to rude ladies. I was the first to sing from my group of four. I walked forward, introduced the song I was going to sing and still, no reaction from them. I think I was so thrown off that I don't feel it was my best. I walked back feeling defeated. Wishing for another chance. Each person only gets up to 45 seconds to sing. I was cut off before my song was even over, which makes me think, they really didn't like what they heard. Oh well, their loss right? No one in my group made it. In fact, out of the 1000 people that went before me, only 30 -40 people made it. So I really don't take it personally. Mels heard the main producer say that first it was an entertaining TV show and second it was a singing competition. I really don't think I want to be a part of something like that.

waiting in line for my audition

When Mels and I met back up I immediatly devoured my pretzel....now it had been 10 hours since I had eaten last. Mels kept looking at me funny and I think she was expecting me to cry....she was tearing up....so sweet. It took me quite a while to let it all sink in.

Another proud parent moment for me! We opted to sooth our disappointment in a 'mini' Iceberg milkshake. I quote 'mini' because really… it wasn't all that small. Needless to say, neither one of us finished it. I somehow remember them tasting better but maybe that's because I'm partial to Burgerville shakes. After a long day I needed a nap & found comfort in a two hour nap and mom's version of Chong's fried rice. Despite the outcome, it was a great trip. So many great memories with my Bean and as I told her on Tuesday and as corny as it sounds… "She'll always be my American Idol"

By the end of the very long day, I was an emotinal wreck. For a while, I just sat in the recliner chair in the living room, staring. I told Mels the next day I would be going to the physc ward if another bad thing happened to me this year ( yes a bit dramitic ) When I asked her if she would visit me, she responded by telling me she would come and brush my hair. I think we got some looks in the airport as I was laughing so incredibly loud. I did break down the night of the audition, but it was a good cry. I hadn't slept more than a few hours each night before and had been under more stress than I have ever been in. Needless to say, I just woke up after 12 hours of sleep last night.


Do I regret the experience? Not one bit! It was very dissappointing indeed, but I can now say that I tried and that is enough for me.

Music is not over for me either. I am going to continue with my new voice teacher and see where that leads. Stay tuned for more info on my musical career.

From the bottom of my heart, thanks for all of your support. I couldn't have done it without all of you!

~Jenni