KC & American Idols

200 people signed up to compete for two final spots that would guarentee them an audition in front of American Idol executives, producers and judges. The winners would also get to "cut in line" in front of 17,000 other Contestants at Kemper Arena.

There were two gals and two guys in the final 4 and only two slots to win a front row audition for American Idol Producers and Judges. The judges for FOX 4 went with the two guys. One is Aca Barns standing next to Michelle in the pic on the left. Oh so close for Michelle but she still had hope with 17,000 people and a couple of judges at Kemper Arena - two days later.

Michelle was happy and somewhat excited that she was the youngest in the final 8 at the age of 16. After the competition she got to hang out and chat with John Michael Montgomery.

These vendors sat around a lot. Maybe because we were giving food away to anyone who stopped by?

Sandy Beets and her daughter watching a Michelle Lea DVD on a portable player while waiting for news from inside Kemper Arena.

Uncle Kenny on the phone with Michelle and her father who are either in line or inside Kemper Arena

Meanwhile, while talking with Uncle Kenny back at the Tailgate Party he informed us that a reporter for the Kansas City Star was hanging out with them and seemed interested in asking Michelle a few questions. Apparently, he had taken a liking to what he saw and heard while visiting with other folks.

Back at the Tailgate Party - Media tables were set up with newspaper articles, DVD players and even laptops were available for viewing and listening. Michelle's good frend Brandon played Michelle's "Back In The Saddle Again" CD in his awesome stereo system in his car.

A total of 10 hours had passed with nearly all of it doing television production stuff to pump up the crowd. Now it was time to get Michelle's 30 seconds to impress a couple of Judges. So they systematically set up about ten makeshift judging tables with two Judes at each table and they filed everyone in groups of four.

This is the only picture we have of the two judges with Michelle standing in front of them getting ready to sing. The judge on the right could not convince the judge on the left that Michelle deserved a second round. Michelle's audition for American Idol ended here... At the first table

This photo was taken by the Kansas City Star Photographer as we were walking back to the Tailgate Party. Apparntly, Timothy Finn, The Kansas City Star writer who stopped by saw even more than he had bargained for when watching us walking through this parking lot as he writes -

"No one said much as the party watched the two walk across the parking lot toward their site. Wendy called her husband and told him a reporter was waiting, in case her daughter needed to "compose herself". But even from a distance it looked obvious that Michelle Lea wasn't so deeply disappointed. At one point, she even broke into a short skip."

Sounds like Michelle huh?

It became apparent to us that this wasn't going to be just a few question interview as we watched the Kansas City Star Photographer - Tammy Ljunkblad starting snapping photos and recording video segments of Michelle singing for the Kansas City Star website.

We were right in our suspicions with the Kansas City Star. Timmothy Finn wrote his article making Michelle the centerpiece. We came to the realization that although Michelle didn't make it past the first table in the audition she made the first page of the Kansas City Star. Mr. Finn sums it all up in his final words of the article where he writes a comment toward the American Idol Judges who told Michelle "She was not quite there yet" -