Louisville Idol

You might recall that Vincent and I drove by the July "American Idol" try-outs at Freedom Hall (see "Implosion and 'Idol'"). Last week I was making my nightly drive to Vincent's friend's house to wait for him and pick him, and I missed the "Idol" show from Louisville (which covered the July Freedom Hall try-outs with producers and the September follow-up try-outs that included Paula, Randy, Simon, and - now - Kara. But before "Idol" Tuesday night - the local Fox affiliate ran a "Idol in the Ville" special, with lots of footage. We caught the second half, with footage from the Churchill Downs try-out. Only one person from KY (from Hopkinsville/Bowling Green) made it "to Holly wood." After that, we enjoyed also watching the regular "Idol" show officially from Jacksonville (which the three of us visited some eight years ago on our way to St. Augustine). It seems that the summer segment took place around the Jacksonville civic center, where I saw Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Greg and a friend some 20 years ago. Then, the second round was held on lovely St. Simon's Island - which the show didn't mention is actually across the border in Georgia, near where Vincent got a concussion biking with his father and near where the four of us in my family watched the Apollo 11 moon landing in a motel on TV (near Brunswick, GA) and where Penny and I stopped on one of those wonderful summer Latin trips. I don't recall other "Idol" auditions (in Kentucky or Florida), and this one featured a physics student from Florida State University and a contestant (Ann Marie Boskovic) who got to come back and try a second time.

Click here to see the Louisville contestants who are going to Hollywood: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epwZxpiBqw8

"Idol" started the Jacksonville episode by showing a clip of Journey - during the time when (now "Idol" judge) Randy Jackson was its bass player - playing on the "Raised on Radio" tour in the Jacksonville arena where I once saw Petty. Somehting like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP-yr6iWPMs

-- Perry