Sunday, August 16, 2009

Denver "American Idol" auditions attract Boulderites

BOULDER, Colo. — Locals looking to become the next Carrie Underwood get their shot this week. "American Idol" auditions return to Invesco Field in Denver Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
The auditions are known to bring thousands of people from all over the region and at least four singers from the Boulder area are participating. A good performance could land them a spot on season 9 of "Idol."
The auditions came to Denver once before, in 2005. Ace Young was one of many at the Denver auditions in 2005. Young, a Boulder native, made it to seventh place in the fifth season of American Idol in 2006.
Many, however, do not meet the same fate as Young, as there are two grueling rounds before they get even a glimpse of the television judges. Just waiting in line for registration can take all day. Registration for the Denver auditions begins Sunday.
The process for this year is not publicly outlined by the show's producers, but here's how auditions have gone in past years:
On the day of the audition, contestants waited in line again to sing in front of producers with two other contestants. Each sang a 15-second piece with no accompaniment. The vast majority of hopefuls were eliminated in this round. It sounds chaotic, but according to 2005 Denver audition attendee Nicole Walker, it's not.
"It was a little overwhelming, but I was really surprised it was really well organized," she said.
Producers -- that is, still not the celebrity judges -- have also done the second round of judging, but in a more intimate setting, typically a few days after the first audition.
The third round of judging has been in front of the four famous judges, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi. Typically, this round has had about 100 to 200 hopefuls per city.
The last round, before making it big time on the popular show, is the Hollywood round. All of the contestants who have advanced from preliminaries across the country rehearse and compete for a week in Hollywood. After this round, those deemed able to become the next Idol make it to the show.
While the odds are long, these Boulder-area hopefuls have been working hard to try and make it all the way, practicing, taking vocal lessons, and singing in front of everyone they know:
Kari Han
A 27-year-old stay at home mother of two, this is her first time auditioning, and because "American Idol" only allows people between ages 16-28 to try out, it's her last chance. She cites Britney Spears as her musical inspiration and will be singing "At Last," made famous by Etta James and "He's a Tramp" from "Lady and the Tramp."
Courtney Brown
A 16-year-old student at Frederick High School, she's in choir and drum line at her school. She has traveled with the Longmont Children's Chorale to New York City and performed at Carnegie Hall and has placed second in "Frederick Idol" -- her school's competition -- twice.
Philip Rubinstein
A 21-year-old fourth-year student at the University of Colorado, he has a double major in philosophy and vocal music. Rubinstein started a barbershop quartet in high school and is in the a cappella group "Mile 21" and has watched every season of "Idol."
Nicole Walker
A 23-year-old vocal instructor and session vocalist, Walker auditioned for "Idol" in 2005 and plans to sing "I Told You So," a song by previous "Idol" champ Carrie Underwood.

No comments:

Post a Comment