Whew. I cannot remember the last time that I was this exhausted. I made it through months of training, hours of standing in line, and several auditions songs... I'm not allowed to tell you much, at this point, but I can tell you that my ears are ringing to the tune of a Whitney Houston song. If you've not had a chance to do so, please do visit my moblog page, which includes over forty photos taken over the last few days. And, meanwhile, thanks for your continued support and words of wisdom. Stay tuned to find out how I did...
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Mo Goes Moblogging
The producers of American Idol make all would-be auditioners sign contracts that, among other things, limit how much info one is allowed to disseminate about the audition & competition processes. To this end, I have no idea what I'll be allowed to document, from this point out, but I want to continue bringing you info about my personal experience, so I am going to try to moblog from Cow Palace. Unfortunately, I've had a bit of trouble moblogging here, so I'll sadly have to redirect you to another site. Click here to see what, if any, updates I'm allowed to post from the audition line. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for me!
Bright Idea, Bright & Early...
Goodness gracious it's early. I had a great idea, between last night's cat naps. I had been regretting not taking dance lessons before the American Idol Auditions, but then I remembered that, on one of the audition reel episodes, last season, I saw this kid doing some cool dance moves, in line. So I thought to myself, "Hey, self... All of these thousands of other contestants have been in training for months, too, right? Maybe they can teach you how to dance!" This is really exciting. It will give me a good way to pass the time, and it will be constructive. I can't wait!
Sleepy Time = Nerve City
I’m trying to hit the hay a little early because I have to get up way early. People are allowed to line up at 6am, tomorrow, for Tuesday’s auditions, but something tells me that there will be a line to get in line, so I’m going to try to get there around 4am. And I am not a morning person… Meanwhile, my nerves are killing me. Remember when I told you that I was going to meet with two-time SF-Idol-Auditioner Mike Garcia? Well, I left a phone message for him on the day that he was supposed to come meet me at my gallery and he never called me back or showed up. Then, two days ago, he sent me this e-mail:
Hey marisa,
Did not get to meet,but regardless to that I wish the best for you on tuesday.If you heard to not stand out you heard wrong...You are being judged on how diferent you are to the other contestants,you personality, your look and style and song selection.If i were you i would re-think your plan and make a 180 turn.It was advised to me that those who have been picked in the past have been those who picked songs not outside of the mainstream. You have the brains...think marisa, think.I was not a fan of your song choices...You want to stand out,not blend in.
Best of luck!!!!
Mike
Now I’m not sure if he’s messing with my mind or if I’m doing everything wrong, in which case my 3 months of training would have been entirely in vain. Ugh! I think I’m going to pull some of that Benadryl out of my bag so that I can get to sleep…
Too Much Baggage
I’ve started packing my bag for the American Idol Audition line camp. It looks like it’s going to be heavy. Here’s what I’ve got so far: Voter registration cards, pens, note paper, photocopies of my NY Times clip (just in case it helps), makeup & hair items (including old-fashioned pink curlers!), a small mirror, emergency beauty supplies, clothes, pajamas, jewelry, a camera & voice recorder (which I hope are not confiscated), my cellphone & charger (a girl’s gotta moblog!), the American Idol Audition waiver form, snacks & water (which I hear might also get nicked, forcing me to buy concessions at the Cow Palace—I wonder what the vegan options are…), a sleeping bag & pillow, an umbrella (who knows), Benadryl (just in case I can’t sleep), and earplugs (just in case the whole thing turns into a loud, late-night slumber party!). Now I know why J-Lo needs an entourage! And surely I’m forgetting something! This is making me a little crazy...
Hot For Teacher
Ugh. I still feel like there is so much to do. I should be working with a coach all day, but instead I’m rushing to finish grading papers for the film class I’m teaching, at Berkeley, this semester. At least I have something to take my mind off of the audition. Nevertheless, I keep thinking about Tuesday and what it will be like. Part of me doubts that I will make it very far in the audition process and another part of me is worried about what will happen to my students if I’m asked to move to LA to be on the show… I guess I’ll cross that bridge if I come to it.
PS. Props: This pic is actually two stills from my friend Anthony Goicolea’s video "Classroom," which was once in a show I curated called "Schoolin." Somehow my nine lives always find ways to intertwine, even if my American Idol Audition Training has left little time to live the other eight…
Last Call
Ok, one more "election," people. I need your sage advice. What earrings should I wear? I plan to wear a red heart-shaped brooch, no matter what. I inherited a number of brooches from the family member who passed away during my training and I've decided that, should I actually make it on the show, I will wear a different brooch for each appearance... Anyway, you've given me such great advice, thus far. Keep up the good work and I promise to sing my best for you...
Finishing Touches
Without calling myself a "swan" (afterall, that would be a different Fox "reality" tv show...) I will say that my American Idol Auditioning Training has entailed shooting for full-body transformation. Part of this is because I've been insecure about my looks, part of it is because I am not normally a hair & makeup kinda girl, and part is also because I wanted to put myself through (and therefore examine closer) the process of trying to "become" a star... Today I'm doing some last-minute polishing. I got my hair cut & low-lighted (we decided I was too blonde since, afterall, there's only room for one Jessica Simpson in this world), which took forever (where does Paris Hilton find the time?!), fun as it was. Now I'm feeling 'almost famous,' after my hairdresser told me I looked like Nefertiti under all those foils! Speaking of polishing, I wanted to get a manicure, but I had to get to work, so I'll have to do it myself, at home... Talk about DIY adventures!
We Have A Winner!
Download mercedes.WAV
The polls have closed and the votes have been tallied... Though it was the song about which I am most insecure, Norah Jones's "Turn Me On" actually came in as the surprise winner. But a number of people wrote-in a great suggestion, which is to begin singing it in the second 1/2 of the clip below (at "my poor heart"), which is a great idea, especially since I will have a limited time to sing anyway and that's my favorite part. Thank you so much for voting! Now there is one caveat, which is that there is an electoral college in this process... The producers. They ask contestants to sing up to five songs, sometimes, and they may ask me to sing a different one, for any number of reasons--the song will not be recognized by many people, the judges (should someone deem me worthy of their audience) don't like it, I sing another one better, or I sing another one worse and they think that will make for good tv... In any case, I've decided that, if my voice totally fails me, I'll sing Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz," which sounds best as a twangy screech, anyway...
Text Your Vote @ American Idol
Good morning, internet users. Did everyone watch the debates last night? Is everyone fired up to vote? The more time I spend thinking about American Idol, the more I think about voting... It strikes me that my generation is the demographic for the show--the group that votes in throngs to elect their favorite--but it's also the generation that does not show up to governmental elections. We will stand in audition lines but not in (much shorter) polling place queues. Since people have until 10/18 to register in time for the Presidential Elections, I've decided to bring voter registration cards with me to the American Idol Auditions. This is a totally non-partisan thing. I just want my peers to know that even if Randy, Paula, and Simon don't hear their voice, someone else will...
