Download turnmeon.WAV
Ok, the time has arrived... I need to know what to sing. American Idol Auditions are less than a week away so I really want to hone in on my main choice(s), over the weekend. Please listen to the clips above and let me know which you think is the strongest. Just to feel better about the quality (?) of my voice, I'll say that these have been recorded under stress, as my body's been taxed by chicken pox... But still, what do you think? Let yourselves be heard! Vote! Vote!
Seeing Stars...
Whew. Sorry for the unexpected hiatus... I returned from New York with chicken pox!!! (And, yes, I did have them when I was a kid.) This is not good... It itches, it hurts, and it has put me in a sour mood. If the American Idol auditions were tomorrow, I'm afraid I'd blow it... In any case, I think I'm on the road to recovery. Thanks to all of you who posted comments & sent me e-mails, while I was in bed. For now it looks like I'll be wearing the puffy, polka-dotted shirt and the black pointy flats. Stay tuned for more wardrobe updates. And song-selection voting is on deck!
Read All About It...
If you're reading this, then you already know about this blog. What you may not know is that you are not alone... To my delight, a writer at the New York Times took an interest in my training, and wrote a short article about it. (Artist Chris Gash even made this cool illustration for the piece!) The article called this blog "anything but stupid"! Now I'm anything but disappointed, as so many interesting people have contacted me over the last few days with amazing American Idol Audition tips and words of encouragement. (I promise to write you all back, asap...) My thanks to Lisa Napoli, for her interest, and to fellow Times scribe Matt Mirapaul for spreading the word on my endeavors.
Talking Heads?
Download INTERVIE.WAV
Download 2MIN_CRI.WAV
Big celebrities are used to being interviewed, but I've noticed that many of the instant-celeb Idolitioners (that's blogese for American Idol Auditioners) look like deer in headlights when they are being interviewed--say, by producers, by the megastar Idol host, Ryan Seacrest, and even in post-show interviews, on Entertainment Tonight, or the red carpets of TV land. As an art critic, I'm more used to interviewing other people, so I pulled in a pro to help me. Tabitha Soren has recently stepped out of the TV spotlights (in which she hosted MTV news, worked at the Today Show, won a Peabody Award, and accomplished many great things) to focus on her work as a photographer. Nonetheless, she's interviewed everyone from Yassir Arafat to Mariah Carey, so she knows what she's doing. Tabitha gave me a practice media Q&A and then critiqued my interview skills. You can download the interview & crit, above.
P.S. Special thanks to Tabitha and to the fabulous Binh Danh for taking these photos.
Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows
Download sunshine.WAV
I'm in New York and I'm a bit worried about not practicing my singing while away from home. I've decided to head over to the sidewalk outside of Fox's offices (producers of American Idol, remember?) And campaign for an audition. The forecast calls for a little heat and clear skies, so I'm planning to sing my favorite song: You Are My Sunshine. I'm wearing a t-shirt that says "listen to my voice." If you hear it, please do say hello...
Workin It
I logged on to the Cow Palace website, in order to research the facilities, and I noticed that they rent out offices and dressing rooms! I called to see if I could get one or the other, if not to stay on top of my workload, then at least to have a door with my name on it (and a sparkly gold star, of course!)... but no one called me back.
Something to Talk About...
A young man named Mike Garcia (photo attached) wrote to me and said that he wanted to audition with me. (He's prepping for his third American Idol audition! And he's all about Bonnie Raitt, this year...) I told him that I'm still assembling my audition team but that I'd love to meet him and pick his brain. So this weekend we're going to meet up to look at his audition tapes (he's so good his were actually televised) and he's going to give me a few behind the scenes pointers. I can't wait!
Cattle Call
Well, it's official. The "Yay Area" American Idol Auditions are at the Cow Palace. For those not in the know, the Cow Palace is actually in Daly City, which means that I will have to DRIVE to the audition... This really throws me off my game. Somehow I was sure that auditions would be at Pac Bell Park, in downtown SF, which would have meant coming & going easily (I was all set to clean-up my rollerblades!) and I would have a better sense of where I was. I also would have saved on parking and food expenses, I think. Plus I was secretly hoping that my friends would come visit me in line, but it looks like that may not happen, now...
Oh well. I'm still very excited about the audition and I plan to head to the Cow Palace, this weekend, to practice entering the parking lot quickly and scope out a campsite.
Make Me An Offer I Can't Refuse
So far, I must say, I have been so good... I've not asked you for endorsements or sponsorships or paypal donations or anything much, other than your undying love, support, and an occasional vote.... But now I really need your help. I need gigs. Solo gigs. I need practice singing alone, without the reinforcement of backup singers, guitarists, and the machines and film projectors that usually crackle behind me when my band performs. I will come to your cafe, I will karaoke in your bar, I will deliver a singing telegram to your special someone... Just ask!
To Do List
Ok, it has hit me that there is little more than a month left before the audition and I am way behind in my training....... First of all, I've had little luck in auditioning voice coaches. This stinks! Also, my hairdresser is going to be in Italy during the auditions... This really stinks! I will say that I feel a little better after reading the amazing audition suggestions of Jen, who reminded me to be myself and not overdo anything. I don't want to overdo it, but am I underdoing it? Now that I have a "fan base," people ask me all the time why I'm not wearing my training stilettos... And I just feel like there is so much to catch up on. Here are just a few items from my to-do list:
Research & purchase camping gear, take dance lessons, select & practice a song, lose more weight, see a dermatologist, learn pilates, learn ashtanga yoga, learn bikram yoga, pick an outfit, pick a hairdo, research camping logistics: where is the site, how to get there, dietary restrictions, etc.... I also wanted to learn to play guitar, so I can play in line, to help me stand out... When I'm not playing accordion.... Meanwhile, thanks to everyone (especially Jen!) for your continued support!
