The showdown begins for starry-eyed young hopefuls

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

A new batch of show hopefuls warmed up for their moment in front of the judges. Some will get their shot at stardom. Fox photo 'American Idol' 7-9 tonight, 7:30-9 p.m. tomorrow Fox

We'll find out as "Idol" returns. For its first week, it expands to 7-9 tonight and 7:30-9 p.m. tomorrow on Fox.

The singing competition among adults age 16 to 24 scored huge ratings last summer and launched young stars in a way that no show has done since Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" in its early days.

"I'm delighted" by the show, Clark says. "It's an extension of the old 'Amateur Hour.' It's a launching pad."

Now "Idol" returns almost intact. The producers dropped one host (Brian Dunkleman), but kept the other (Ryan Seacrest). They briefly added a fourth judge (New York disc jockey and hip-hop artist Angie Martinez), but she promptly quit.

So the original three judges remain — Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and the sharp-tongued Simon Cowell, who also judged the original version in his native Britain.

Looking back at the first "American Idol," Cowell has one upbeat thought: "There's no doubt that the American girls were much better than the English girls," he says.

That included Kelly Clarkson, who beat the mop-topped Justin Guarini for the title. "America chose the best singer, not the cutest," Jackson says.

Still, there were close calls when "Idol" started to seem trivial.

Judges chose 30 semi-finalists then stepped back. Viewers, voting by phone, picked nine of the 10 finalists and judges added the tenth.

Viewers then placed thousands of calls to an 800 number casting their votes for the best singer.

At times it seemed to like a popularity pageant. Some people considered Guarini a sure thing.

The low point came when the talented Tamyra Gray was ousted from the final four.

"She consistently surprised us, because she could do it all," Abdul says. "She had the personality, the skill, the range."

Then she was out. "I was dumbfounded," Abdul says.

So was Cowell. "I bit my tongue," he says. "But I think Tamyra being voted off was a joke."

Voters may have redeemed themselves two weeks later when they chose Clarkson over Guarini.

Abdul isn't sure the competition between the pair was on a level playing field, however. "Having ... (both) sing a female-power ballad might not have been giving Justin an even chance," she says.

Clarkson nailed that ballad, "A Moment Like This," before 22 million viewers during the show's finale in September. She got 58 percent of the vote and a million-dollar record deal; her "Moment" reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

Then it was time to audition for the second edition and face a question: After seeing the talent of the finalists and the ferocity of Cowell, would singers be intimidated?

Apparently not. At its first open auditions in Detroit, an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 young singers lined up. Some even stayed outside overnight on a freezing October day.

Some Detroiters were aiming at the top. "It's my way out of the ghetto," said Teya Blackman, 23.

Others came from far away. One teen flew in with her mom from Seattle. Four drove with their music teacher from Buffalo, N.Y.

The Buffalo girls were hip and stylish in denim and leather. Most contestants worked hard on their image. "If you don't look good, it ain't happening," says Katie Clem, 22, of Indianapolis, Ind.

Most, however, were ousted quickly.

Abdul told one singer that she had "an amazing voice." But Cowell shrugged. "I guess you have a good voice," he told the same singer, "but then I'd say, 'So what?' "

Judges wanted an instant impact. "Within the first couple of notes, I know," Jackson says.

There are people who meet that standard, he says. "Aretha Franklin, from note one, is right there."

But for the non-Arethas, the auditions were tough. "There were so many good singers there," says Patricia Smyka, 16, of Lansing, Mich. "They kept dismissing them all."

And occasionally they pulled a surprise. Smyka got favorable votes from Cowell (who was the tiebreaker) and Abdul. She advanced.

"She kept saying, 'Dad, did this really happen?' " says Phil Smyka, her father.

It did. The 16-year-old advanced to Los Angeles and this week's competition. That's the sort of human factor that keeps people watching.