American Idol Premiere

[ProjectMaximus]

I'm not an American Idol fan at all, but I watched the premiere tonight to catch a glimpse of our fair city.

Unfortunately, the entire two-hour show was devoted to the Phoenix auditions. I want my two hours back!! But at the same time, maybe I'll be able to use what I saw to compare to our auditions.

So...does anyone have any idea when Jax will be on? All I know so far is that tomorrow is just going to be Kansas City, so I won't be tuning in. http://www.americanidol.com/auditions/

There will be audition episodes for the next few weeks, I believe...hopefully I can get a heads up to know when to watch our city on TV.

[BridgeTroll]

I trust it will be featured over and over on the local news.  I may be the only person on earth to say I have never... and will never watch an episode...

[fsujax]

Our skyline was featured in the first opening scenes. Basically, the classic Friendship Fountain skyline shot.

[ProjectMaximus]

Yeah, actually I think I saw that for a second. Maybe less than a second.

So it's sometime next week I guess? Hopefully local news, at least the FOX station, will tell you before it airs? And then someone will come on here and inform me?

Thanks!

[ProjectMaximus]

Any idea when they will air the Jax auditions? I sorta saw it tonight and I think they showed Puerto Rico and San Fran...

[Jason]

I think its going to be next week.  Tonight is Churchill Downs, Kentucky

[ProjectMaximus]

Jax auditions are tomorrow.

http://www.jacksonville.com/interact/blog/tom_szaroleta/2009-01-26/are_you_planning_an_american_idol_viewing_party

[Coolyfett]

Pro Max you are a trip dude!! I may watch just for the Jax part, but this show is so corny to me. So is that dance show on MTV....Sports will never go bad.

[ProjectMaximus]

meh...it was OK. I think they showed more terrible auditions than good ones. Probably a total of 20 seconds worth of Jacksonville outdoor city shots...from downtown outside the arena, to the usual skyline view, to the beaches. Everything else was out in Amelia Island, where they held the real auditions...

[blizz01]

They did have a segment that had some fruitcake from Orlando in Memorial Park.  It's really crazy how much gets screened - obviously with good reason.  I had no idea that they were in Amelia Island until I read it yesterday.  There really wasn't much footage from the "Day 1" auditions downtown that took place weeks prior.

[Joe]

There's never much footage from "Day 1" regardless of the city. It's just not as noticable with other seasons because they would have the "Day 1" arena shots, and then all the later auditions take place in a generic convention center, but it looked like it was done all at once.

Regardless, I thought that the brief shots of downtown and Amelia were all quite nice. Somehow they even used the "Jacksonville: Where Florida Begins" tagline.

[stjr]

They did a great job playing up both the good and bad Florida stereotypes - a "swamp" infested by gators (shown repeatedly) and bugs (Ryan Seacrest complaining when "lost in the woods") and our fine beaches and bodies that inhabit them.  At least they left out the elderly playing rounds of shuffleboard and man eating sharks!  It sure looked like the judges were smitten by the area's tropical "island fever" given all the provocative playfulness including lap sitting.

Interestingly, there was a shot or two of our infamous fountain (in the foreground of our skyline) that MJ says is targeted for removal.  Wonder how that same shot would look with a kids playground instead

I was a bit surprised at the appearance they gave of a lack of musical talent in the City.  I always thought Jax had an abundance of such talent.  I guess most of the really good ones don't care to "lower" themselves to a usually humiliating Idol cattle call.

[ProjectMaximus]

Regardless, I thought that the brief shots of downtown and Amelia were all quite nice. Somehow they even used the "Jacksonville: Where Florida Begins" tagline.

Instead of saying it matter of factly, though, the context was something like: "the people here say this is where florida begins."

[ProjectMaximus]

There really wasn't much footage from the "Day 1" auditions downtown that took place weeks prior.

Wait...the final auditions in front of the judges were weeks later? I thought they were just on another day. So they force these people, some of whom have traveled long distances, to come back weeks later? That sucks...

[CMG22]

I only saw one toothless grin on camera.  Not bad.  Not bad.