Idolize This! By Laurel E. Anderson
(first published in the Kanata Kourier, Friday Feb 20, 2004)
Sorry if I haven’t been in touch the past little while, I’ve been busy idol-ling. Not idling, idol-ling, as in Canadian Idol. And not as a contestant, oh gosh no! First off, I don’t sing, not even in the shower and secondly, I don’t meet the age requirements for the competition (16-26).For those of you not familiar with this worldwide entertainment phenomenon, Canadian Idol is a competition that pits singer against singer with the ultimate prize of a recording contract up for grabs. Contestants must prepare and sing up to two songs a capella which is a fancy word for singing alone and without music.
When I told my friends that I was going to work on Canadian Idol 2 auditions in Ottawa, I was the envy of the group, almost a mini-celebrity in this sleepy burb of Ottawa. Among my mommy friends, I was pretty much relegated to local celebrity status. Of course I continued to gloss up my position with Canadian Idol 2.Words like freelance and PA continued to impress both friends and casual acquaintances. I'll admit I was having fun bragging about this ‘industry’ gig to all that would listen, as long as they weren’t in the industry themselves. That would have taken all the fun and glamour out of the assignment. If these were peers from my old film class days at Queen’s University, I probably would have been a bit evasive about my actual job title because they would have seen right through the hype I was trying to create. One of the first things that you learn in a film production course is what all the acronyms at the end of the movie stand for and all the job descriptions that go with them. That being said, my now graduated and firmly entrenched in the industry former film production classmates would have immediately caught on to the lack of status of a PA job. You see, PA stands for production assistant and the job description of a production assistant, while not well defined in its duties, is never-ending. Assisting a producer or helping with the production on a project can include anything from getting coffee, setting up chairs, typing, running lunch and assisting other members of the crew, just to name a few. And while all tasks on a project are essential, it is understood that some are more highly regarded than others. Prominent position or not, I didn’t care and was looking forward to a few days of work in the entertainment industry.
My homework for this gig included checking out the Canadian Idol website at CTV and becoming familiar with the judges and other VIP’s that would be on hand during auditions. Other equally important preparations included deciding on a hip wardrobe for this four-day stint. I needed clothes that were hip, dressy casual but that I could move in and didn’t mind getting dirty. Tops that wouldn’t reveal bonus material when I bent over while setting up chairs or performing other labour-intensive tasks, and pants that could take a lot of bending at the knees and waist – no low cropped jeans for this mother of two. A quick perusal of my wardrobe confirmed what I had thought. I had enough pieces that met the above mentioned criteria but still felt I may need some extras. This is because I suffer from ‘shiny and new’ syndrome, which means that I like to wear something new when I go out somewhere special, or when I start a new adventure. So I hit the mall and picked up a few snazzy (I don’t think that’s a hip word) essentials that would hopefully help make a good impression and allow me to do whatever task asked.
Feeling as prepared as the web can make you feel about anything, I made my way to the production meeting at Lansdowne Park where I would be educated on the ins and outs of working on Canadian Idol 2.Now, as anyone who knows me will tell you, I am rarely late. I'm the one who sends out invitations with ‘sharp’ printed in black marker for effect after the start time. So, it’s early rush hour and it could have taken me twenty-five minutes to an hour to get there. It took me all of eighteen. Too early but I did beat the ‘I’m going to be late’ sweats and rewarded myself with a latte from my favourite coffee bar. I figured that I might as well get a head start on the caffeine I was told that I would need to get through very long production days. Caffeine and comfortable shoes would be the keys to my survival for the next several days.
I arrive at the Salons at Lansdowne Park on Thursday night and see that there are already many hopeful contestants milling around. Some in flashy outfits befitting future rock stars and some with their parents along as sleeping bag holders and snack ‘go getters.' No one is formally lined up yet. They are encouraged to come back later when the doors will be opened to allow keeners a warm place to sleep on this frigid Ottawa night. I make my way inside where things are already hustling and bustling with tables, chairs and cameras set up for the big day. A quick production meeting includes going over paper work, tasks and wardrobe. It turns out that my shopping was in vain as we are supplied with cool black Canadian Idol 2 audition shirts to wear while working. I make my way out of there soon after the meeting knowing that there are few precious hours left for shut eye before our 7 am start time in the morning.
It’s Friday morning and I find myself amidst a sea of people as I make my way past the huge line holding the singing stars of tomorrow. Prospective competitors notice my shirt and security pass and make room for me to pass. Several try to make eye contact, thinking that I may be someone important. If they only knew! I take up residence at the registration table and things start to move as over 800 competitors are processed in one hour. The excitement in the room intensifies as rumours that Ryan Malcolm is in the building start to make their way around. It would only be fitting as it was in Ottawa last year that Ryan Malcolm began his journey to become Canada’s first Canadian Idol. Ryan does indeed make an appearance and shares a few words of advice with an excited crowd of hopefuls. With paperwork well underway, the auditions begin and Ben Mulroney makes his first of many appearances of the day, talking with the crowds and competitors along with comedian Jon Dore, who has been entertaining the contestants in line since the early morning. They are both quite funny and surprisingly down to earth.
I am now into the groove of this production assistant job and run things from one end of the room to another, collect supplies, set up tables and generally help out wherever I can. And it is while doing this that I really start to feel the passion of the contestants. I can also see a unity among the hopefuls as they support each other with hugs and high fives, work on dance moves, practice their scales and generally hum together in groups. New friendships are being formed all around me and I can’t help but feel warm and fuzzy inside (maybe this is more because of the heat of running around). As Ben continues to talk it up on stage, he tells the competitors to have fun and enjoy the experience and to really give it their all. I will hear these same sentiments voiced throughout the competition both by the producers and the celebrity judges and I decide that this is definitely the Canadian way to do things.
I end up working as an assistant to the Executive Producer of the entire production, John Brunton. He is the president and CEO of Insight Production Company, the company that produces Canadian Idol in association with CTV and along with Rink Rat Productions and Aquila Productions. He is an industry leader and successful producer but more important to these young competitors here today, he is kind, a great guy who truly cares about these contestants, someone who is generous with his time and the advice that he offers to tomorrow’s stars.
The day is more than half gone and auditions are well under way. The concentration level is obvious while contestants wait outside the judge’s trailers to audition for a shot at fame, for a chance to realize their dreams. Who will come out of the trailer squealing and jumping for joy with the coveted ticket needed to get to the next round? And who will walk out quietly, empty-handed, looking disappointed, sad, maybe even shedding a tear, knowing that it’s not their turn this year? Stay tuned next week for more highlights of my excellent adventure with Canadian Idol 2!
Laurel is a writer living in Ottawa. When not stargazing, she works on her collection of ‘Shorts’ (really short stories) to be published in 2005.