Are we going to Hollywood?

Well..........what a crazy 24 hours we just spent! After getting up at 6 am to be in line by 7 am and standing in that line for 5 hours.............Patrick didn't make it past the first round of auditions!



Bummer.





Seriously, huge bummer. But so much fun and something we wouldn't have missed for anything. If you are an American Idol fan like we are, it's amazing to see this part of the process.



(In this photo, I'm trying to give you an idea about the length of the line we stood in at 7.)



It's been a big secret - Fox confidentiality issues - but now I'm ready to spill the deets. It all started in September....



Patrick calls on a Sunday night and says he's in Norman and wants to stop by to tell us something. (Back it up - at this point he's already moved back to Stillwater so for him to be in Norman really had us wondering.) Patrick has never had to sit us down face-to-face to tell us anything. (interpreted to mean we've never really had a moment's worry with that boy! This is usually what we get from Brandon!!) Anyhoo...he tells us that he has been in Kansas City for the last 4 days auditioning for American Idol and he had gotten the Golden Ticket to advance to the next round of auditions.



At that audition, there had been "thousands" of people trying to make it and only about 150 people had been selected to go to the next round. That was very exciting. So for this round, he could take 7 people with him and wanted us to go.



(This photo is of Pat and Miranda - a contestant he met at the first audition. She's from Florida and we fell in love with her and her friend, Lily. She didn't advance either.)



So, Patrick and his groupies (Nana, Aunt Robbie, Brandon, Walter (friend), Roman, Joshua, Richard and me) had to be in line at 7 am outside the hotel to get wristbands. Have you noticed that the sun really isn't quite up at 7 am??? Especially in the shadow of a huge, honkin' hotel! It was c.h.i.l.l.y., chilly! (After we got our wristbands, we ditched Patrick in the line and went back in for breakfast!)


We did come back out when we heard they were starting to do some filming of the line!! Got to get our 5 seconds of fame, right?



(Here we all are. Except Aunt Robbie. Where'd she go???)



Around 9:30, they started sending the contestants in to get their numbers. (The stickers they wear across the tops of their tummys) After they had all the contestants in a huge conference room, they started letting family in. The producers were pretty straight-forward saying that this was the last city, the bar was set high and you had to be way better than the person sitting next to you. And then the real fun began...



This room is jam-packed. Everyone has to learn the song "Sign, Sealed, Delivered" - you know the song- "Here I am, baby. Signed. Sealed. Delivered. I'm yours" Of course, everyone is clapping and singing it at the top of their lungs. Oh wait. That was me!! oops! Contestants were up dancing for the cameras. Ya know the ones that are dressed "differently" that probably can't sing worth a lick but will make it through so Simon can make total fun of them? Those are the ones that really hammed it up for the cameras.



I didn't take pictures of some of "those" contestants but they were interesting. There was a guy in a yellow and orange suit. Carried a banana and called himself "The Banana Man." Two girls in over-the-top cheerleader outfits. A guy in a pimp hat and jacket that looked like it had dollar bills all over it. His sunglasses were dollar signs. A girl dressed like an old west saloon girl that was with another girl dressed just like her and a guy in total cowboy gear.



By this point they were taking rows of contestants to the first room to audition. From there they went to the "big room" if they made it. Patrick finally auditioned right before noon. He was only in the room for about a minute before they told him he "just wasn't what they were looking for." That was the standard line they used. He said he was really nervous this time and missed the last note that he sang. I don't think any of the friends he made at the first audition made it through this time, either.

Just like that, it was over. No Simon-Randy-Paula. No "listen up dawg." No going to Hollywood.

Thanks to everyone for sharing our excitement of just getting that far. It was definitely a life-experience.

Maybe, just maybe, now he can concentrate on college. Maybe not. He told us he's now in a band. Aye yi yi.

B.