More than 9,000 audition for 'X-Factor' in Hoffman Estates
A young woman in a hoodie and jeans stormed out of the Sears Centre Arena Wednesday without an invitation to return for the next round of auditions.
“Oh, but that freak in the costume made it,” she huffed, refusing an interview.
The day was filled with heartache and hope, shrugs and shrieks, as more than 9,000 people lined up at the Hoffman Estates arena to audition for “The X Factor,” the new FOX singing competition show created by ex-”American Idol” judge Simon Cowell.
While FOX wouldn't reveal how many people made the cut to the next round — which takes place today — many suburban singers emerged from the arena holding “golden tickets.”
“They said, ‘We'll see you tomorrow,' and I just said, ‘God is good,'” said Rachel Newman, 23, of Naperville, who sang Chaka Khan's “Ain't Nobody” with her twin sister Gabriel as the duo “Namirajj.”
For Wheeling bartender Darin Ortmann, 34, his gold paper that said “Congratulations!' affirmed the power of positive thinking and perseverance.
A cancer survivor who loves to sing, Ortmann did research and learned Cowell likes when people sing a variety of styles and try to stand out during auditions. So Ortmann dressed up like a superhero, “Super X,” and prepared to sing Lynyrd Skynyrd, Smokey Robinson and B.o.B.
His inside-out “beer man” Halloween costume consisted of a tightfitting blue body suit, red boots, a mask and a metallic gold cape. Because everyone was forced to wait outside in the rain Wednesday morning, the duct-taped “X” on his chest fell off.
“When I got in front of the judge, I said, ‘Let's just do it.' The worst they can say is no,” Ortmann said. “Now I've got a chance.”
His costume was one of many creative looks people wore to grab the judges' attention and prove they had the “X factor” — that certain something that would make them a star. Some girls wore sexy outfits and high heels. One man wore a business suit and full KISS makeup and hair. There were also men in kilts, tye-dyed clown costumes (with a matching wig) and a bright red polyester suit.
Those who survive today's call-back auditions will return Thursday, May 19, and Friday, May 20, for a live taping at the Hoffman Estates arena with the real judges, including Cowell and music executive L.A. Reid. The show will air on FOX this fall, and the winner will receive a $5 million record deal.
Some dreams dashed
While some dreams took flight Wednesday, others were dashed. Mundelein native Roberta Shivlar, 52, said the judges barely let her sing her version of Elvis Presley's “In the Ghetto” before telling her “No.”
Now living in Paris, Ill., she said it was a struggle to scrape together enough money to travel here.
“It's disappointing. I've always wanted to do this, and this is the first chance I've had. I couldn't do it when the kids were little,” said the mother of three who works two jobs, cares for an ill husband and assists with a local animal rescue group. “They didn't even give us time to show what we really had ... it's a let down.”
Wauconda mother of two Heather Cimarrusti, 40, simply shrugged after being cut.
“This would have been a tough row to hoe ... and I have plenty to go back to,” said Cimarrusti, who is the worship director at McHenry Campus of the Chapel.
She sang “Precious Lord Take My Hand,” which she recently sang at her uncle's funeral. She thought it went well, and was sung with true emotion.
“It might be that they filled their quota on 40-year-old women with kids today. I don't know,” she said with a smile. “It's OK. I'm not crushed.”
Cristina Lopez, 33, of Buffalo Grove sang two current Top 40 hits, but wasn't asked to return.
“It's a grueling process, and I'm tired,” she said. “It's my dream, but what are you going to do? I still have my family who loves me and that's what matters.”
The audition process involved early morning lines in the rain and hours of moving from one waiting area to the next. Lisa Janoschka, a graduate of Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, practiced in the parking lot as she decided whether to sing The Ramones or something else, definitely accompanied by high kicks.
“That will be part of my audition,” she said.
Huddled under umbrellas and tarps for hours, contestants grabbed free coffee, Pepsi and doughnuts, and obligingly turned on the excitement for roaming “X Factor” camera crews. Eventually, they were herded inside a few hundred at a time to dry off, tape an audition and try to move along to the next round.
Even if their costumes didn't.
Stephen Fuhri, a truck driver for Walgreens, ended up leaving his elaborate headdress with giant pink wings in a Dumpster outside the arena after rain and pressing crowds ruined it.
He'd audition anyway, he said, adding, “I'm here to have fun.”