American Idle

David Osmond is fast becoming the talk of American Idol 8. But it isn’t coming without a price. The blogs are dissecting every angle, checking every fact.

But they didn’t check all their facts before printing them, according to a production assistant who worked at the Salt Lake auditions. In an exclusive to American Idle, Mike B. lines out what really happened.

He says the truth about Osmond’s audition isn’t what you may have read on Vote For The Worst.  Some highlights of the chat: Osmond was not recruited by the producers, but rather was found while the producers were looking for the “perfect story angle.” He was allowed to skip the first audition after being given a “Green Star,” however. Oh, yeah, the producers missed another potential “story angle” too, when a girl related to the 80’s music group The Jets was passed on.

Also, Mike B. says Osmond’s brother auditioned after being coerced into doing it, although he was only “there to support his brother,” Osmond’s wife auditioned but wasn’t with her husband when he auditioned (and she didn’t make the cut) and apparently, you can audition twice for the same show. Wow.

Here’s how the conversation began in an email tip:

Hi, I wanted to try to set the record straight somewhere. I am reading on so many sites about David Osmond getting perferred treatment at the auditions in Salt Lake City.

I was a Production Assistant at the Salt Lake Auditions. I live in Salt Lake, all the producers are from out of state. David Osmond stood in line to get a wristband the day before the first auditions. During the second day of Auditions where it is filmed with Ryan Seacrest the big auditorium, all contestents had to wait in long lines until they had to audition in front of one of eleven tables with two producers. They were grouped in fours and had like 10 seconds to sing.

While David was in line, NO ONE noticed him from American Idol. He stood there with his brother and a friend like every contestent there. I quickly noticed him and told my friend who was also a Production Assistant to confirm and she did. I hestiated about telling anyone. Finally I saw one of the bigger Producers walking towards me, so I stopped him and asked him, “Do you want to know if someone kinda famous is in line to audition?” He told me “certainly” I then said, “two of the sons of Alan Osmond are in line waiting to audition. He asked me “Really?” I said “Yes” he said “You are sure?” I said “Very”

He asked me to point them out, I did, I noticed that David happened to be looking my way and noticed I was pointing him out. The Producer than went to another Big Wig Producer and told him, they both came back to me and said “Which two are Osmonds?” I pointed them both out and they went straight over to the line with them and gave them Green Stars, which went they automatically went to the next round.

Their friend was not so lucky. They made him audition and he was cut at the table. Right before David and his brother got to the table the two Big Producers stood behind the table of the two assistant producers and whispered in their ears. They both look over at David Osmond. Once they Auditioned, the one producer told David, “I was a fan of your Aunts”

David looked at me and kinda shook his head while smiling. At that point I knew he wanted to just audition on his own merits, and I kinda felt bad for pointing him out at that point.

Then the producers made a big deal about and got the Cameras and Ryan Seacrest to talk to him.

Had I not pointed him out I highly doubt that they would of been recognized at that point, because their names are not known to anyone unless they make it past that table. Who is to say that those two producers at the table would of even put them through not knowing who they really were? Because so many excellent singers were cut., like do you know the group The Jets? They were a big family group with top ten hits back in the late 80’s? Their younger sister Natalia actually auditioned and at that first table she was cut. She went on her own merits. Yet, professionally Natalia has sung onstage all over and opened up for top artists.

So to all the critics who claim Idol planted David Osmond…I can honestly say they were blind at who he was at first until I pointed him out!

Please help me get the truth out!

And we started talking more. On Osmond’s brother auditioning:

Yes, he also auditioned, yet he made it clear when they gave him the “sticker” that put him automatically through that he wasn’t there to audition but was there to support his brother. I don’t know what happened to him afterwards but I do know he wasn’t really trying to audition, just kind of got pulled in at the moment.

On Osmond’s wife auditioning and the process:

Yes, Valerie, David’s wife was auditioning too. Like I said, she was seated in a different section with her friends, and she didn’t make it past the first round of auditions. Keep in mind how that first round of auditions took place:
11 tables lined up with two assistant producers seated at each table, each table is separated by black curtains. It is very loud. All those auditioning are asked by seated sections to line up and then they are grouped as 4’s and sent to a table where all 4 line up in front of the assistant producers and are told to sing for 10-15 seconds one after another. The assistant producers whisper then they make their decision if any of the four move on or exit. It’s very loud, so I couldn’t understand how they could determine if someone was really good or not.

Think Idol is paying attention to who’s already auditioned? Here’s proof:

My friend who worked with me, her husband’s cousin was auditioning. She was told she wasn’t “strong enough” by the two assistant producers table she was at, she exited. My friend then went to back to the Production room/lounge and got another wristband and ticket and went outside to meet her husband’s cousin and gave it to her so she could come back in and audition again. Lo and behold her second time in she was directed to another table (no one recognized her) and the two assistant producers she auditioned for the second time told her she was great and sent her on to the next round!

And how, pretty tell, the producers get their info if you do make it on TV:

Lastly, once the person auditioning makes it past the first round they are sent to what was called the “winners lounge” where they had an hours worth of paperwork to read and sign. One of the papers they are asked if they are related to anyone famous, have ever met or sang for anyone famous or worked for anyone famous. They also ask to list every social networking site and blog they have. They then ask if they ever had anything really interesting happen to them in their lifetime.

On the talent the producers “ignored” while playing on their Blackberrys and Mike’s final thoughts on the Osmond audition:

Anyhow, I agree, Salt Lake is a hotbed of talent, but after working 4 days as a production assistant on the Salt Lake auditions and seeing the behind the scenes auditions it is interesting how so much true talent is passed on in a matter of seconds by 22 assistant producers who are not even really in the music business but rather the reality tv business!
 
Oh, one other note, at the Salt Lake auditions day, it was the same day they had that minor earthquake in Southern California, and being that all the A.I crew was from Southern California, they became preoccuppied with watching CNN or calling home on their phones at the same time as auditions were happening.
 
Well, thanks again for hearing me out and giving you the actual truth of how David Osmond even got past the first round noticed.  I do know that they do a backstory on him because of his name and because he had the west nile virus and MS. I don’t know if it runs during the first auditions or the Hollywood auditions (which, yes he didn’t make it past Hollywood, that’s confirmed) I actually can’t wait to see how they spin it all!

Also I forgot to mention that later that day in the Production room/lounge, the producer came up to me again and stated “thanks for catching that Osmond in line, it’s the perfect story angle we were looking for here in Salt Lake”So irregardless, they needed something interesting for the Salt Lake Auditions.

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