Stars in their eyes
The dream often begins in childhood: Mike in hand, you stand in the spotlight belting out your song. Applause. The crowd roars. They love you.
You are an idol, a diva, a superstar.
Harboring that fantasy, at least 150 people lined up outside the KHQ studios in downtown Spokane on Saturday to try out for “Gimme the Mike!,” a locally produced program that will showcase the area’s vocal talent. In the end, judges will select 25 singers to compete for prizes as they perform on live TV.
“I dream of being in front of people,” said Russ McMillin, a financial consultant from Hayden, Idaho. “I dream of people watching me. I absolutely love to sing, and this is my chance to give it a whirl.”
McMillin, who wore a black cowboy hat sang a George Strait tune for his audition, was the second person in line. He was so thrilled to take part in “Gimme the Mike!” that he hardly slept the night before. McMillan went to bed at 1:30 a.m., rose an hour later and left his house at 3:30 a.m.
He arrived at the KHQ Studios at 4:15 a.m., but Robin Kolassa of Spokane beat him in line. Dressed in a short black dress with blue sequins and a matching necklace, the haz-mat control technician was dismayed to find a run in her nylons. Luckily for her, she didn’t have to do too much strutting around while singing Patsy Cline’s “Crazy.”
“I just wanted a chance to sing,” said Kolassa, 48 and a grandmother to four kids.
The take-off on the wildly popular “American Idol” drew a boisterous throng of extroverts who were willing to put themselves out there in pursuit of stardom. As they waited along the sidewalk of West First Avenue for the doors to open, some warmed up their voices by singing at the top of their lungs. Many also dressed the part of a rock star: excessive makeup, spiky heels, hairdos that stayed in place thanks to copious amounts of gel and spray.
The vast majority of the aspiring vocalists began singing as children, starting out in the school choir and moving on to other choral groups in church or in the community. Many enjoy belting out tunes, just for the sheer pleasure of hearing their own voice intoning a familiar melody.
When asked about recent performances, several responded with predictable answers.
“Karaoke,” many replied enthusiastically.
“In the shower,” said Jeni Lucas of Spokane.
At 8:30 a.m. – still 1½ hours before auditions began – as many as 65 people queued outside the TV station’s brick building. By 10 a.m., the crowd had more than doubled as the line snaked around the block.
Appearing on one of three stages inside the TV station, contestants sang a cappella for 90 seconds in front of a judge and a video camera.
Beginning July 11, KHQ-TV and its sister stations in the Tri-Cities and Yakima will air “Gimme the Mike!” every Sunday for six weeks. Each show will feature five contestants, one of whom will be chosen by judges to compete in the Grand Finale. After each broadcast, viewers can vote online for one of the four vocalists who didn’t win and the viewers’ pick will move on to the semifinalist pool. The Grand Finale will be broadcast Aug. 15.
Saturday’s audition was the first of two in Spokane. Tryouts also took place in Yakima and the Tri-Cities earlier this month. About 40 showed up for the one in Yakima and more than 60 for the Kennewick audition, said executive producer Mike Jackson.
Since the station started publicizing the event several months ago, KHQ has received about 25 voice mails a day and a number of e-mails inquiring about the show.
The Web site also was receiving a large volume of hits. “We knew this thing could get pretty big,” Jackson said.
Thirty-five stations throughout the country are doing similar shows. While other stations have given away cars, studio recording time and other prizes, it wasn’t clear Saturday what the grand prize in August would be.
“I don’t really care about the prize, I just want to sing,” said Jonathan Shuffield, 28. “There’s a feeling you get when you’re on stage, singing. It’s an amazing thing and there is nothing like it.”
Although the minimum age to audition for “Gimme the Mike!” is 18, the contest had no other age restrictions like “American Idol,” which takes only 25-year-olds or younger. Many in line, including a few who were in their 60s or 70s, were elated with the opportunity to show off.
“Whatever it took, I was going to be here today,” said James Hicks, who has been rehearsing and preparing for the audition for the last three months.
Stricken with laryngitis last week, Hicks was relieved to get his voice back in time for the auditions. The 30-year-old Spokane resident belted out his own soulful rendition of “Flying Without Wings,” a song made popular again by Ruben Studdard, who was crowned last year’s American Idol.
Behind him in line, Forest Violette sat on the sidewalk, strumming his Sebring electric guitar. “I think I’ll stand out because I’m a good performer,” said Violette, a computer salesman who sang Aerosmith’s “Dream On” for his audition.
“I want to be 55 and still singing rock-and-roll.”