What's the deal with American Idol?

So my dreams of becoming the next rock-icon have been dashed! I was not chosen to continue on to the next level of auditions. (Which shouldn't be called auditions.... they should be called "screens.") But -- it was interesting.

It started Tuesday morning, waking up in SanFran at 5am with my mom (who graciously paid for our hotel stay two nights, along with singing lessons, tolls, parking... she's a saint!). It was super cold and foggy when we arrived around 6:30, and we were already near the back of the several thousand-person-long line. There must have been 8,000 people ahead of us.

Into the cattle cars we were driven. Each sectioned off area held roughly 500 people, and as the line progressed, the section would be cleared out and closed off before the next section was allowed to move forward. People were singing (badly), playing guitar, reading (me), and generally showing off before the informal camera crew roaming the masses. I (probably unwisely) kept my head down, while my mom chatted up every neighbor near us. She's very social.

It took about 3 hours but finally we got our wristbands! I got a snotty girl who asked me, "Wait, how old are you?".... Really?? "Oh, I'm 27." Hm.

Next.... on to the real audition!