Brandon's Blog

On with the show! American Idol has now cleared San Antonio, and is headed for Hollywood! Covering the final auditions Saturday, I was struck by several things.

1) We really have a lot of singing talent from the DFW area. I ran into contestants from Waxahatchie, South Dallas, Oak Cliff, Krum, Plano, and Weatherford.. and they were all good.
2) Ryan Seacrest and Simon aren't nearly as tall as I thought they'd be. Paula was short, but you can tell that on the show. And as for their personalities, they're just as nice in person as you would think they would be... even Simon!
3) Taping this show is no easy process. The camera crews are constantly taping someone, and Ryan Seacrest actually does a commentary with "every" single contestant. Taping started around 10:00am Saturday morning, and went on into the evening hours.
4) It won't be difficult for me to keep the secret of who made it to Hollywood, and whether any of them are from North Texas. I love surprises... don't you!!

Talking to the American Idol producer today, we got some insight into how to make it through the first round.
Watch what you do in line, as the producers walk around, they watch you.. and they're looking for personality, energy, and whether you have the "look" they're wanting. Oh, and talent is a huge plus!
Don't try to mimic what you saw last season, no bald rockers, no salt-n-pepper haired southern boys.
Don't complain about the wait, or the line, or anything. These auditions are a long drawn out process, and they're looking for people who have the endurance and patience to get through it.
The "Idol" producer we talked to also wasn't very sympathetic to those who think the show "didn't recognize their talent". In his words... "maybe that's because you have no talent".
So bloggers... do you know anyone who's auditioning? What would you do to get recognized in line? Is all of this hassle to get on the show really worth it??

As I said in my live shot - ther's a whole-lotta-singin goin on here in San Antonio. Contestants are singing as they go in to sign up, as they leave, and just hanging out in the parking lot. We've actually heard a lot of talented young singers. So what's your favorite part? Watching the good ones advance, or those first few shows with the.. well.. not so good ones? Mine? Well I'll have to admit, those shows with the wild and wacky contestants are pure comedy!