Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2004 | 8:28 a.m.
It's just past 8 a.m. on Sept. 12 and David Gonzales Sr. is so nervous he can't stand still.
His son, David Gonzales Jr., is one of 6,000 hopefuls to pack The Orleans Arena for "American Idol" auditions.
The initial tryouts are open to anyone ages 16-28, and as past seasons have shown, the best don't always get through to see celebrity judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul.
But Gonzales Sr. is optimistic of his son's chances.
A 21-year-old music major at California State University-Stanislaus in Turlock, Calif., Gonzales Jr. has been singing since he could speak. He's also recorded a CD, "Crazy Ways," which his dad is dutifully passing out to potential agents or to anyone who might further his son's career.
Plus, Gonzales Sr. reasons, his son is simply a good kid and deserves the opportunity to be the next "American Idol."
"He goes around to schools and plays for kids to tell them how important school is," Gonzales Sr. said. "And he's such a hard worker. He dedicates seven to eight hours a day to his music."
Which made it justifiable to spend money the family could barely afford to drive his son eight hours from Merced, Calif., and stay in Las Vegas all for a shot at nearly instant fame on the weekly reality TV series.
"Everywhere we go, people told us to come here" to the auditions, Gonzales Sr. said. "My boss heard this (pointing to the CD), and he said, 'Take him there and take whatever time you need.'"
Now Gonzales Sr. is simply passing the time, waiting to hear from his son or from his wife whether the family will stay in Las Vegas another day.
Nearly two hours later he gets word: His son didn't make it.
But father and son remain all smiles.
"I'm a little (upset), naturally," Gonzales Jr. said of his not making it to the second round of auditions. "But I felt like I did OK. I was satisfied with it." Meanwhile, Gonzales Sr. says he's not giving up on his son's career.
"This is just the start of something that's going to happen," he said. "Nothing comes easy in this life. You have to work for it. I have all the confidence in the world and I'll continue to back him forever."
The story of Gonzales Jr. is just one of many at the audition.
Thousands lined up early morning Sept. 11 in front of The Orleans Arena to register and get a ticket to a seat in the arena for Sept. 12's open auditions for one of 12 producers on the show.
For the audition, groups of four were called up to sing 30-45 seconds of a song, one at a time. When the final contestant in the group finished, the producer quickly rendered his or her verdict: "No, no, no, yes."
A "no" meant the end of the line. A "yes" was an invitation to audition for two "American Idol" executive producers later that day or Sept. 13.
Of the 6,000 who tried out, only 263 made it through to the executive producers.
And that was the best ratio of any auditions so far for this season's show.
"We had the most people sent to us up to this point," said Nigel Lythgoe, "Idol" executive producer. "Which makes the producers feel the talent is very interesting here to send them on to us."
It's of little consolation, though, to those who didn't make the cut.
Rejection reality
At the northeastern exit of The Orleans Arena, where those who weren't moving on were herded out of the venue, there was the predictable torrent of emotion.
Some refused to believe they were cut and would suddenly burst into song for friends and strangers in a part-audition, part "see, I can really sing" statement.
Others took the opportunity to express their feelings on not being selected.
"I didn't like them," Christina Barhett, 18, from Lehi, Utah, said of the judges. "They were passing up on all these good people. I don't think they know what they're talking about.
"Everyone I have sung to said I am awesome," Barhett said minutes after the tears had stopped. "That's why I don't think they know what they're talking about."
But some hopefuls took the rejection in stride, such as Brian Bergstrom, 26, from Seattle, who made the trip as moral support for a friend who was auditioning.
While waiting in line at 4 a.m. Saturday for his friend to register, Bergstrom decided he would audition as well.
"I'm really doing it for the experience and thrill," he said two hours before his tryout. "If they decide to move me on to the next round, that's their call."
While some "Idol" hopefuls had spent weeks practicing their songs, Bergstrom, who has no singing experience other than performing in karaoke bars with friends, downloaded the lyrics to the Queen anthem "We Will Rock You" on his Blackberry the night before.
He managed a few practice sessions in a rental car and while walking the Strip.
As chance would have it, Bergstrom was among the first group of four to audition. The crowd cheered as his row in Section 101 stood up and marched down to the audition booths on the arena floor. It was, he said, his 15 minutes of fame.
But that was as far as he went.
Halfway through his audition with the producer, Bergstrom jumbled lyrics in the song and began creating his own.
"I don't remember what they were," he said. "I made words up just to keep singing."
No one in his group made it.
Later, Bergstrom learned his friend didn't make the cut either. So they made plans to nap and then try their luck at the casinos.
"We've used up our bad luck for the day," he said.
'Idol' dreams
Kelly Clarkson.
Ruben Studdard.
Clay Aiken.
Fantasia Barrino.
And Justin Guarini, for that matter.
None of these singers were household names before their appearances on "American Idol."
Perhaps that's the appeal of the show -- a quick ticket to stardom.
"American Idol" offers wannabe pop stars the opportunity -- however slim -- to circumvent years of frustration of paying dues in small clubs and juggling jobs just to survive, and receive a million-dollar record deal almost overnight.
While the dream is certainly tantalizing, for some it's become an obsession.
Bobby Barefoot, a 26-year-old clothing designer from Fayetteville, N.C., has tried out in four of the audition cities for this season -- Washington, D.C., Orlando, Fla., New Orleans and Las Vegas -- missing only Cleveland and St. Louis.
He's made it past the first round only once, in New Orleans, when he eventually performed for Randy, Simon and Paula and guest judge Gene Simmons of Kiss.
"Simon told me I can't sing, Paula said he was rude and that I can sing. Gene said I totally confused him, that he couldn't tell what I was: country or pop, but I was too heavy to be a pop star. And Randy said I could sing but I was 'pitchy,' " Barefoot said.
Paula then asked Barefoot to sing behind an "Idol" banner so that the judges could hear the voice without seeing the performer.
It didn't matter. Paula, Barefoot's sole supporter, said his singing voice was "too nasally."
"That made their decision," he said. "I wasn't going to Hollywood."
And Las Vegas was even less kind to him.
"I had the same judge I did in D.C. and he hated me," Barefoot said. "He said, 'I appreciate your persistence, but unfortunately, you're not going through.' "
Which means the San Francisco audition Oct. 5 is his final chance to make this season's show, which will air in January. Barefoot is already making plans to attend the tryouts.
"I have to come and prove to Simon I can sing," he said.
He's got his work cut out for him.
"Just to clarify here, 98.9 percent of the people have absolute zero chance in this industry and everyone believes they're the 'American Idol,' " Cowell said in a news conference Tuesday.
"For me, I'm not interested in the mass. It's trying to find that one person, like Fantasia, who is different."
Still, being told you're not good enough for the show is never easy.
Marissa Pontecorro, a 17-year-old New Yorker, won a radio station's singing contest and was flown out to audition. No matter. She didn't make it past the first round.
"Everyone's getting cut," Pontecorro said. "There were some really good singers. Whatever. It's not God's will for me."
Painful truth
By the time executive producers were finished with tryouts on Sept. 13, less than 100 "Idol" hopefuls made it through to the final audition in front of Simon, Randy and Paula on Wednesday and Thursday.
That meant the odds were approximately 1-in-60.
And the odds of making it to Hollywood, the next level of judging for finalists of all the cities, was even slimmer -- especially considering the mood of Randy, Paula and Simon and special guest judge Kenny Loggins.
"Randy was pretty mean-spirited," said Shane Churchill, a 28-year-old high school choir teacher from Phelan, Calif. "He said, 'You know what, if you sang like that to me, I wouldn't want to join your choir.'
"For someone in the music industry, you would think he would offer more constructive criticism than an insult."
Paula picked on the look of Temphest Stanley, a 16-year-old senior at Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts.
"Paula didn't like my hair, thought it was a gimmick," said Stanley, who braids her hair and dyes it blue. "But I've had blue hair since fifth grade."
The first to audition Wednesday morning, she said the judges "all looked tired, with coffee faces."
Two hours into auditions the judges put their first contestant through: Niki Bente, an 18-year-old college student from Santa Clarita, Calif.
"I was very, very nervous," she said. "But it feels good, a big relief."
Bente said she has been practicing every night since learning of the Las Vegas audition weeks ago.
"I really wanted to feel comfortable with the song I did," she said.
Bente's choice? Cole Porter's "You'd be so Nice to Come Home To."
"I wanted something different than anyone else," she said. "Everyone is picking Whitney (Houston) or ballads. I thought I'd give them something different."
A few minutes later Mikalah Gordon, a 16-year-old junior at Cimmaron-Memorial High School, was the second contestant to make it and the first from Las Vegas.
"Dude, I'm stoked," she said. "I never thought I'd make it this far, not in a million years."
A cheerleader who's used to performing in front of crowds, Gordon said the final audition was the most nervous she's ever been.
"I almost peed my pants," she said. But then the four judges unanimously chose her to go on to the next round and "I got really excited and started to do a cheer."
Her next step -- Hollywood -- is nearly two months away, and she will compete against roughly 60 finalists from the other cities as well as Las Vegas.
But Gordon insists she's up for the challenge.
"I'm very proud to represent Las Vegas," she said. "Sin City, baby!"
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