Blazers line up to face Simon on "American Idol"

At the Washington Convention Center this past summer, thousands of people lined up along the sidewalk for as long as a block. Young dreamers from all over the U.S. turned out: hailing from Alaska, Ohio, California and Maryland. A few Blazers were even eager to get in on the action on Aug. 18 to see if their dreams to be pop stars could actually come true.

For the past three years, "American Idol" has captivated the attention of millions of viewers. Last season, a record 65 people million voted for their "Idol" hopeful and watched as Fantasia Barrino won the competition on Fox. Whether it was just for kicks or to make it to the top 10, thousands showed up when "American Idol" auditions had come to D.C.

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Days before the actual "Idol" auditions, people are everywhere: on the sidewalk along Seventh Street, lying on bathroom counters and if they are lucky, sleeping in a crowded room in the Convention Center. For senior Stephon Millet, "you just sleep where you fall." For best friends Tamea Stover and Bianca Whitfield, both seniors, they have their "neighbors" watch their things for them while they go to McDonald's for breakfast. It's like a giant slumber party and the guests are people who want to try out for "American Idol."

Millet and five of his friends started camping out in front of the Convention Center three days before the set audition day. "There were thousands of people," says Millet. "There were people everywhere. The first people got to sleep inside. [The Convention Center workers] even opened up another room, and the basement."

Stover and Whitfield, both Blair cheerleaders, camped out for two days before getting their auditions, and whenever they left their spot in line to go to cheerleading practice, they could trust those around them to keep their place. "Everybody there was so nice," Whitfield recalls. "The people next to us, we called them our neighbors, they'd watch our stuff when we left."

High hopes

Whitfield auditioned because she thought it was worth a try, Millet just wanted to meet "American Idol" judges, and senior Clarence Turner's plans were to be aired in the show's bloopers. But Stover was serious about showcasing her voice. "I wanted to be in the top ten, I'm not going to lie," admits Stover. "I like to dream big."

Once in the Convention Center, there were people all over doing whatever they can to keep themselves busy. Stover remembers "a lot of people prettying and beautifying themselves." Millet says at one point a bunch of people were sitting outside of the Center singing together and praying. "Everyone was singing!" Whitfield says. "After a while people started getting on my nerves. [The producers even] had to tell people to be quiet." Some even played practical jokes " one person brought a fog horn with them to sound first thing in the morning before the first auditions.

Before any singers reach the official "American Idol" judges - Simon, Randy and Paula - they must audition in front of three different preliminary judges. One by one, people are called into a large room with about 10 tables, each with three rows of people lined up waiting to show their stuff.

The pressure's on

As she is in line, Stover occasionally glances over at Whitfield, who is standing in a line a few rows away, and they both laugh. But as Whitfield enters the room next door, Stover begins to feel the pressure, and a sudden nervousness as she moves towards the audition table without her friend at her side.

"Before I went in, all I was thinking was 'I just want to get this over with,'" remembers Stover. Unfortunately, Stover did not make it past the first round of judging " they were looking for singers with more of an "opera-style" voice this year, according to Stover, and they told her that her voice would have been better for last year's competition.

Stover's best friend, however, still had a chance. Whitfield, who sang Whitney Houston's "Where do Broken Hearts Go?" did make it through the first round. However, she would have to get through two others before Simon, Randy and Paula. If she passes through them, she gets a paper from the judges as her pass to attend auditions in Hollywood, California. "I was happy [after the first audition]," she says. "I was just trying to get that yellow paper so I'd be in Hollywood."

The first judge told Millet, who sang "Five Steps" by Dru Hill, that he had a "good, soothing voice," but that he needed more confidence. As Millet walked away, though, the judge called him back; she had something else to tell him. "I was shocked!" says Millet. "I thought she was going say she made a mistake, but then she asked me to sing another song, and I started getting nervous."

Millet sang Jaheim's "Just in Case," but his anxiety got to him, his voice began to crack, and he didn't make it to the next round. The judge still told him to wait around after the auditions, but Millet chose to leave. Outside of the Convention Center, he ran into "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest, who interviewed Millet in front of a camera. "I couldn't stop staring at his makeup," laughs Millet.

Because the Convention Center was so cold, after being there for several hours Turner also had some voice issues and caught a cold. "I hate getting sick," says Turner. "So when I went in [to audition] I was mad." Turner's goal to try out as a joke didn't work. After his audition, the judges said that they were looking for singers that were a little out of the ordinary, but that he had a "good voice."

Slipping through the cracks

As Whitfield waits for her next audition in another line near her first one, all she can think of is making it to Simon, Randy and Paula and getting discovered. The wait is about half an hour, and one by one, Whitfield watches as "good" singers are turned away. However, she remains calm. Despite Whitfield's casualness, she is still disappointed when she doesn't make it past the second round of judging.

"I was trying to hide it, but I was bitter, I can't lie. I just wanted to go home." The judges said Whitfield was a little too R&B and that, again, they were looking for "opera, high-pitched" voices this year.

Since many singers with talent did not make it to the second round, says Turner, who planned to audition just for fun after going to the Convention Center to watch his cousins try out. Turner recalls that one man dressed as a clown who passed through both rounds of auditions. "A few people who could really sing, didn't make it. Like when [my cousins] sing, I'm just like...I'm about to cry," says Turner.

There was also another man who made it through to Randy, Simon and Paula who was dressed in a skin-tight, all purple suit, but had no singing abilities at all, according to Whitfield, who recently saw the same guy on an "Idol" preview on Fox.

When the more talented singers are turned away, the purpose of "American Idol" seems to be earning good ratings rather than finding the best singer in the country, according to Stover. "I think they do it for people to embarrass themselves, which defeats the purpose of the show," argues Stover.

Blair choir teacher Paul Newport is not an avid "American Idol" viewer, but is familiar with the show's premise. Newport likes that the show gives some people the opportunity to sing professionally, but he thinks it can be very negative. "I would prefer they have clinics to tell people how to audition and to do a more friendly elimination," says Newport.

Some who auditioned, like Turner, were not affected by being eliminated. But for more serious singers like Stover, rejection is a hurtful setback. "I think they should pick people based on talent. I think [the show] puts people down - it put me down," says Stover. "But I'll be back next year!"

Road to stardom

Stover, who is also a songwriter, says that she is very serious about pursuing music in the future. She sings with the go-go band Drastic Measures every Saturday with another Blair go-go band, Armed and Dangerous. Along with performing with the chamber choir, Stover has performed an original song on radio station 93.9's "Showcase."

Singing is not the premiere passion for Millet or Turner, even though they have been involved in music for most of their lives. Millet, who has been singing since he was seven, plans to study fashion and marketing distribution in college, he was even scouted by AMG Models after his "Idol" audition and got a modeling contract. And although Turner comes from a music-oriented family, his father plays in a jazz band at a D.C. club, he says that he is not serious about singing at all.

In January, Whitfield auditioned for the local talent show "Showtime at the Apollo," which airs on NBC on Saturday nights, and she plans to record a demo soon. "I've always wanted to move to New York. That's where I want to get discovered, broadcast myself," she says. Even though Whitfield didn't get discovered by "American Idol" she does not regret trying out. "I still would've auditioned, but I didn't want to be an 'American Idol.' I just wanted to do something crazy."