It appears that the American Idol producers are reaching out to local talent agencies to find singer willing to audition for the show. Via High Plains.com.
Local talent agencies are getting to show their stuff at the Idol auditions Thursday. One is Stapp Production by Shellie Stapp. She says American Idol producers called her to provide singers for the Amarillo auditions. Some of Stapp’s clients have been on American Idol and other reality shows before. She’s thrilled to be able to show Hollywood what the panhandle has to offer.
The bus tour stops in Amarillo TX on Thursday. There’s another leg going on simultaneously on the East Coast. Check the schedule HERE. By all accounts, anywhere from hundreds to 1,000+ (Tuesday’s auditions in Albuquerque) are showing up to sing for a chance to appear in front of the judges panel later this year.
The Shook twins of Portland, OR talk about being invited, by Idol producers via email, to audition for the show, but turning them down when learning they would be expected to audition as solo acts. Guess they’ve never watched the show! The sibling trope is an old standby. Put both singers through, and watch the other fall apart when one is cut! Whee! That’s good TV!
“You said in your email invitation that, ‘You would have to audition us individually of course.’ It’s interesting that you assume that would be OK. Sure, ‘Of course’ we would abandon ten years of hard work and career building as a duo to be the next new ‘Pop Star’ singing songs that we didn’t even write,” the sisters wrote back.
Ha. You can read the entire text of their Facebook missive at Boise Weekly
My point is: If American Idol has been aggressively recruiting talent–even contacting talent agents to find it–this is the first I’ve heard of it in the press. It probably HAS been going on for awhile. I know the show has been recruiting artists from Berklee School of Music here in Boston for a few years now, at least. But with the audition numbers dwindling, and The Voice actively casting for contestants, maybe American Idol has become even more pro-active in their quest to find talented singers than ever before.
The practice certainly flies in the face of the image that hopefuls find their way to Idol, fresh off of the farm or from the small town, completely on their own, ready to take a chance on stardom.
ETA: You definitely want to check out the comment from “A Little Birdy.” I featured it so you don’t miss. It’s legit.
