Idol worship
is in full play

By Kathleen Smith
For the Times

On Sept. 4, 2002, a 20-year-old girl from Fort Worth, Texas, was crowned the country’s very first "American Idol."
That girl made history, became a household name, and gave aspiring singers everywhere hope that a record deal, money and fame could appear overnight.
From that day forward, hopefuls all over America dreamed about the day when they would have the chance to go before a panel of judges to either have their egos ripped to shreds or to hear the words, "You’re going to Hollywood!"
As TV’s American Idol gears up for its eighth season, Philadelphians are finally getting that chance.
Philadelphia was the last of seven cities that judges visited to seek out a fresh group of people aspiring to be the next Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, or even William Hung.
Just in case you’ve been in hiding for the past five years, American Idol is Fox’s incredibly popular amateur singing competition.
Originating from the British reality program Pop Idol, the show seeks to find the best young singer in the country through a series of nationwide auditions.
During the first round of tryouts, people from all walks of life, ages 16 to 28, stand before a panel of judges and are given 10 to 30 seconds to sing their hearts out. They also learn if they’ll be moving on to the next round, a decision that means the difference between shrieks of elation and tears of rejection.
If the judges deem them good enough (or even awful enough) to move on, the hopefuls then perform for the show’s producers, Ken Warwich and Nigel Lythgoe.
And that’s the big hurdle. Get past them and it’s the contestant’s chance to face the music before the Big Three — judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson — during preliminary episodes of the show’s season.
Some contestants are natural-born stars, with strong vocal techniques, while others — especially the ones shredded by Cowell & Co. — might wish they’d never been born.
In the seven seasons of the show’s existence, this is the first time that Idol has visited Philadelphia in search of a star. In previous years, auditions have been held in various locations, including New York, Washington D.C., and Hawaii, to name a few.
More than 20,000 people showed up at the Wachovia Center on Monday to audition for the show — the largest audition turnout in the history of American Idol, according to the producers.
Many contestants, like Sara Wrencher from West Philadelphia, began camping out at the Wachovia Center as early as 4 a.m. on Monday, eager to reserve a good spot in line.
Wrencher, 19, who has been singing in church since the age of 2, got a thumbs-down from the judges after her audition. Her voice, she said they told her, was "too strong."
But Wrencher had no need to take it personally. Plenty of other hopefuls were shown the door.
As people crowded around Devon Riley after her audition, she broke into a country ballad and gave them the news — the judges shot her down.
She was, however, not too discouraged. Having traveled from Port Elizabeth, N.J., with a large group of family and friends in special T-shirts — the shirts had Riley’s picture and proclaimed Our American Idol — the singer actually had endured her second Idol audition.
Riley, 19, who likes country music, tried out in Washington, D.C., when she was 16. Though she has no plans to try it a third time, Riley insisted that the experience was a positive one, and joked that after the long day she just "wanted a cup of coffee!"
Still, she advised other hopefuls to "be prepared for the worst!"
Newtown resident Alexis Rossetti, 20, said she was prepared for the worst when she decided to audition.
"Year after year, my family urged me to try out," she said. "Since judges were coming to Philadelphia, I figured I’d give it a try!"
She arrived at the Wachovia Center at 6:30 on Monday morning. Seven and a half hours later, like Riley and Wrencher, she too was politely turned down by the judges, and she walked out.
Germantown resident Gary Williams, 21, was in high spirits as he waited for his chance to audition. Singing since the age of 3, Williams was certain that this was his chance at fame.
"This is all I dream about," he said. "I really belong in Hollywood."
Accompanied by a friend, Williams was enjoying the total experience. "It’s what I expected and more," he said. "I’m just waiting for my spot in Hollywood!"
Could Williams be our next Justin Guarini, the local young man made famous in the program’s first season?
Only time and the judging will show us whether, in a crowd of more than 20,000 people, a potential American Idol was discovered in Philadelphia. ••