did he or didn't he?

Some of you might remember me mentioning I wanted to follow local guy Timothy Fedd through the audition process.

Well, even though we touched base in the a.m., he didn't get out of Georgia Dome until the mid-evening, well past my deadline.

But he called me (when I was still in bed) this morning, to tell me his experience was "wonderful."

"So," I asked, "what did the judges say?"

Timothy said he couldn't say, as he had been instructed not to talk to the media.

Which I thought was weird, since ousted contestants DEFINITELY could talk to us yesterday and even some contestants who got the thumbs-up were escorted to the media area.

But Fox is weird about that kind of stuff, and it's perfectly feasible Timothy was told not to speak to anyone.

Either way, I'm going to try to get an interview with him.

smitten with seacrest

Prior to yesterday, I'd always viewed AI host Ryan Seacrest as a mere accessory to the "Idol" action. Didn't hate him, but didn't love him, either. If I had to pick a side, though, I'd most likely join the haters. His weird facial hair was seriously creeping me out last season.

But when my media efforts to stand around aimlessly were interrupted by Fox crews telling me it was time to "meet Ryan," that all changed.

Initially, the Fox people told us Seacrest wouldn't be there, so I initially envisioned this so-called "Ryan" as a former hopeful desperate for a cheap shot at publicity.

False.

It was the real Ryan (who's also an Atlanta-area native), and the 10 of us in the media crew were told to stand in a semi-circle and ask questions. Individually, we each got about three minutes with him.

Seacrest was, surprisingly, not as short as I imagined him to be. I'd guess about 5'3". Not tall enough to audition for "America's Next Top Model," I'll note.

Anyway, I was the second to last journalist to interview him, and I have to admit my knees buckled a little bit when he said he liked my name. Don't tell anyone.

I asked him if he liked sweet tea (yes), what kind of genres he'd like to see emerge next season and which musical guests he'd like to see perform on AI.

My spirits fluttered a little when he mentioned the Backstreet Boys' reunion.

Quit playing games with my heart, Seacrest!

almost famous

As I noted before, former AI finalists Brandon Rogers (season six) and Constantine Maroulis (season four) were present at the Atlanta auditions.

I spoke with both of them -- Brandon was there as a correspondent for TV Guide channel, Constantine was there promoting his album and his new role as a spokesperson for Garnier, one of the AI sponsors. He described Sanjaya's hair as "luscious."

What I thought was the weirdest thing about the experience, though, was that they were both just kind of hanging out. Like walking right past contestants and everything.

It's amazing...just recently (months ago for Brandon) these guys were part of what's arguably the biggest show on TV. Now they're walking arounds sans bodyguard. For better or worse, my encounters with them really added a human element to the show. Both of them were really nice, though.

idol auditions - what u don't know

No, Paula, Randy and Simon weren't there.

Almost 24 hours after my trip AI auditions, I'm finally giving you the lowdown on what happened yesterday. Since I can't naturally give you the heat-of-the-moment intensity of live auditions, I figured I'd start with a recap of some of the most interesting things.

*At least for Atlanta, I thought the prevalance of weird costumes was exaggerated. I got to Georgia Dome at 5 a.m., expecting to see a whole sea of weird getups. False. Yes, there were drag queens and a girl dressed as a butterfly, but as far as I know none of those people made it through to the next round. I interviewed season four finalist Constantine, who was there promoting his album, and he said things looked tamer than when he auditioned.

*However...finding the "so bad they're good" people is difficult. Once auditions got under way, the ousted contestants wandered out a side walkway. The ones who got the thumbs-up, meanwhile, signed the necessary papers and then some of them were escorted to the media. But the ones we got to speak to couldn't sing for us. And while the rejected ones spoke of OK'd contestants with weird hair and personalities, we never saw any of those.

*Basically, it's a giant zoo. Yeah, this might not come as a major surprise, but it's really hard to understand the magnitude of this thing unless you were there. An estimated 15,000 people showed up, where and how the line wrapped around the building.

*People got inside surprisingly quickly. I got to the auditions shortly after 5 a.m., and spent at least until 6 a.m. getting clearance and acquainting myself with the venue. By 7 a.m., the outside crowd was limited to stragglers. Awkward. And I wasn't allowed in the building.

back

Yep, after a day that lasted from 3:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., I'm back from Atlanta's AI auditions. I'm finishing up a few projects, but should be able to give a detailed recap by the end of the day. Thanks for being patient.

it's that time again

Holla!

Yes, after a brief therapeutic cooling-off period, Ledger Idol is back in effect...just in time for the AI auditions in Atlanta on Tuesday.

I'll be following the auditions -- yes, with a 3:30 a.m. wake-up call -- blogging, taking photos and writing an article for Wednesday's paper. Check my blog for pics, funny stories and my overall impressions of the entire talent circus.

Once I get to the auditions -- at 5 a.m. -- I'll follow (or attempt to follow) two local guys, Timothy Fedd and Andy Johnston, through the audition process. Wish us all luck!

It's on, baby!