They came from all over the country, young people hoping for a shot at making it on American Idol, waking before dawn to join thousands of others who listen to themselves and hear a star.
That is, those who slept last night.
When the doors opened at 6:30 this morning for auditions, the line of contestants snaked outside the Wachovia Center.
Inside, the concourse took on a festive atmosphere, as the auditioners rolled in, the wannabes wearing blue wristbands, their guests wearing white ones.
Knots of contestant broke out in rehearsal to keep their voices limber. Garnier, the hair-product company, set up a karaoke stage and had stylists doing hair. Shortly after 8, a producer standing on the arena floor led the contestants in a chorus of “I Love Rock N Roll” to warm them up for the cameras.
As cameras rolled, sections of contestants, filling the stands, chanted things like “Welcome to Philadelphia, City of Brotherly Love.”
One blonde, not shy about being on camera, held aloft a gigantic headshot of herself, looking “very busty,” according to one auditioner reached by cellphone.
“There are no losers on American Idol,” said producer Patrick Lynn, giving the rules. “They’re non-winners.”
For the first time, Fox’s TV juggernaut is holding tryouts in Philadelphia and the turnout has been enormous. Even host Ryan Seacrest showed up.
The only thing redder than the strings of brake lights coming off the Walt Whitman Bridge this morning were the shades of some of the dos of wannabes lined for the Idol auditions.
Thousands flocked to the center (some were actually wearing feathers) just to register over the weekend.
Early this morning, they returned, covering the parking lot outside, standing, lying down, sitting on the asphalt, some in lawn chairs, primping, snapping gum, yawning, talking, happy, excited, eager, scared, anxious, depressed and bored.
Surprisingly, for a half-hour about 6:30 a.m., nary a tune was crooned.
“We called in sick! Pick us!” pleaded a sign held up by Harold Jennings, 27, a smiley, bespectacled guy with two coworkers from New York University.
“And they’re going to get fired tomorrow!” chimed in Carol Cartwright of Bowling Green, Ohio, wearing a “Get Out of the Box” T-shirt. Her daughter, Angela Chesloch, just turned 16 on July 3 - just weeks before the show’s birthday cutoff date.
“No, we won’t. Our boss loves us,” said Anna Palumbo, 25, a colleague of Jennings’ in NYU’s finance department.
She’s a long-haired singer-songwriter, originally from Virginia, who now lives in Queens. Jennings talked her into coming. Along with Patricia Marange, 25, they drove up from Wildwood Crest, N.J., after a weekend stay.
They seemed a little disappointed to find out they wouldn’t be performing for Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson today. The judges only show in town after the thousands have been winnowed to dozens of the best and worst.
“At least we have the rental car for another day,” said Palumbo.
Across the way, two moms and their daughters patiently waited.
“I am really dumbfounded. I can’t believe how many people are here,” said high schooler Samantha Trudel, 17, accompanied by her mom, Kathy, from Massachusetts.
Samantha said she’s always like to sing and thinks she’s pretty good, although she hasn’t much on-stage experience.
Nadcia Jennings, 18, carefully done up with tightly braided hair and soft makeup, said she’s been singing in public since she was 10, and even has made paid appearances.
She and her mom, Jessica, came all the way up from Richmond, Va., where the daughter will be attending Virginia Commonwealth soon.
About 8 a.m., contestants were expected to start to file in, to find out - some of them very quickly - whether it was all a lark or whether those hopes might flutter for a while.
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