Fox40
No, it wasn't the thousands and thousands that show up for the nationwide "American Idol" auditions, but between 150 and 200 wannabe contenders rose and sang (early!) Friday morning at the "Sacramento Idol" competition in Elk Grove.
The contest was put on by Fox40, with ample assistance from Skip's Music and 101.9 FM (The Wolf) .
Contestants were singing for the chance to go to San Francisco's Cow Palace this Thursday for a crack at the real "Idol" audition, the first in the nation for Season 8.
Our local winner? Piney Davis (pictured) of Carmichael!
Greg Saunders, creative services director at Fox40 (read: "Department of Fun"), says he was pretty amazed at the turnout.
"We only had two to three days to plan this, but it came together at the last minute," Greg says. "Skip's Music did a lot of the heavy lifting, supplying tents, vocal coaches, etc."
The audition, in front of professional judges (not just clapping!), was a two-step process. After singing once, only 60 people got a pass to go "inside" and sing again. From there, five finalists competed in a sing-off, which Piney won.
"Piney is all excited," Greg adds. "We're sending her with a letter to get her in the express lane for the actual competition in San Francisco."
There are no guarantees Piney will see Simon Cowell's sweet face, but she does get to sing in front of the "Idol" producers. Unlike the Season 7 winner, David Cook, who tagged along with his brother last summer to an audition and ended up, well, you know the rest of that song. Piney really wants to audition!
To watch a video of the "Sacramento Idol" competition, click here.
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