Hi, my name is Amanda and I am an American Idol super-fan.
I can make a compelling argument for or against pretty much any contestant in the top ten, based upon singing ability, showmanship and marketability. I gasped in horror the first time Adam Lambert landed in the bottom three. I love Kelly Clarkson’s entire musical library, more than any self-respecting, 27-year-old woman should. Also, I have no musical talent whatsoever.
My younger sister Caitlin, on the other hand, can sing and has a dream of getting famous on a reality show, any reality show.
So, after some persuasion, which basically consisted of her telling me that there was a chance Ryan Seacrest would be there, I agreed to take a vacation day and see what my favorite reality show is really all about at the first round of American Idol auditions (insert excitable "Woo!" here). Creative Loafing gave us a video camera, we headed to Orlando, woke up well before dawn, smuggled said video camera into the arena and spent all day surrounded by people with one goal, to be the next Ruben Studdard, or something like that.
This is Caitlin's American Idol story. Video after the jump:
This article appears in Jul 15-21, 2009.