The Adventures of Don Chapman

I lead an exciting life.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Disney's American Idol Experience



Here's a behind the scenes look at my visit with Chris Sligh to the premier of Disney's new American Idol Experience on February 12, 2009.

Before the Disney experience, Chris led worship and I played the piano at the Metro II Music Conference - a gathering of church music directors. That evening we had dinner at Boizao Steakhouse in Tampa - the best Brazilian steakhouse I've been to so far. There we celebrated Chris's Rascal Flatts cut and first single "Here Comes Goodbye." This achievement is probably why American Idol invited Chris to the Disney premier - not all top ten finalists were invited as not all top ten finalists have careers.

Chris and I got to Orlando on Wednesday and Disney gave us each $100 meal cards. I've always wanted to eat at the California Grill - it's the restaurant on top of Disney's futuristic Contemporary Resort. The meal was great (not outstanding) but the service was exceptional. Our waiter was top-notch and loved telling stories of famous people he's waited on. He said his most unfriendly customers have been Rosie O'Donnell and Teresa Heinz Kerry! We didn't leave the place until after midnight. The view is incredible - big windows that look out to the Magic Kingdom and surrounding lake. This would be a great place to watch the nightly fireworks. Make sure you get reservations way in advance if you'd like to try it.

On Thursday Chris and I had lunch with Sligh SuperFan Carmen and her husband at Planet Hollywood in Downtown Disney. I had eaten at a Planet Hollywood once, many years ago when one opened in Nashville (it has since closed) and thought it was one of the worst meals of my entire life. Unfortunately nothing has changed.

After lunch, Chris and I met up with his manager, Mitch, and a Disney representative chauffeured us to the backstage of Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM) so Chris could get ready for the Idol parade. 


The Disney rep took Mitch and I into the park and led us to the VIP section where we could watch the parade. I recognized Harvey from Celebrity Fit Club. Chris is currently negotiating to be on the show. I asked Harvey what brought him to the premier. He said that he's never seen an episode of the show, but is dating Kimberly Locke (she was 3rd place on season 2, right behind Ruben and Clay.)


The Idols rode their own convertibles down a blue carpet through main street of the Hollywood Studios, and were interviewed at the end of the carpet.


After that they entered a tent for interviews, then walked down a press corridor for even more interviews.

Chris, Mitch and I were next ushered into a restaurant where we were served delicious hors d'oeuvres as we waited for the premier to begin. We sat next to Ace Young and his girlfriend - you almost wouldn't recognize him now that his hair is cut.


When the show was about to start we were all led into the American Idol Experience building. The first two front rows were all reserved for guests and we each had an assigned seat with our name on it. I sat between Chris and Phil Stacey. Phil's excited about working with super producer Brown Bannister on his new album. I noticed David Archuleta and his spooky dad in front of me to my left, Bo Bice in front of me to my right.

Both Chris and Phil were amazed at how eerily realistic the set is. It really is just like being on the show. Every day they'll have several shows with people who've auditioned in the park. At the end of the day, all the daily winners will compete for a ticket that will get them straight to an audition with Randy, Simon and Paula - no waiting for hours.

The show opened with a guest appearance from Ryan Seacrest. He introduced the five finalists. Paula came out on stage, rambled a bit then inexplicably started giving the contestants back rubs. Ryan said something like "Paula, remember the rules about interacting with contestants!" The audience howled. Paula stood there perturbed and said "shut up, Ryan!"


The show even comes complete with a fake Ryan Seacrest, a fake Randy, Paula and a fake Simon with British accent. Each contestant performed and received critiques from the judges.


But before the winner was announced, the real Ryan came out and told us we'd hear from some special guests. David Cook and 5 of his band members came out, sat on stools and sang an acoustic version of his hit "Lights On." Then Carrie Underwood came out with her band members and did an acoustic version of "All-American Girl." David came back out and they did a duet on the old Fleetwood Mac tune "Go Your Own Way." All I can say is wow - the sound was incredible, the musicianship was incredible and their vocals were incredible. Carrie has really grown as an artist.


Ryan introduced the other Idol winners from past years and they all were there: Ruben, Taylor, Fantasia, David, Carrie, Jordan... and then, sheepishly, Kelly walked out on stage. She seemed to have a weird vibe about her. I found out later there had been negotiations for days to get her there. That morning the negotiations were finalized and she flew out to Disney on a private jet and arrived an hour and half before the show! Two different Idols told me that they have hung out with Kelly several times in the past and she acted as if she didn't know them at the premier. Sounds like she's going through a diva spell.

It's clear who Idol wants to promote - their current favorites are definitely David and Carrie, and these talented two deserve it. They both sparkle. I heard Fantasia was let go from her management contract with 19 Entertainment and she didn't look so hot. Ruben has lost lots of weight but you don't hear much about him. Taylor also looked good but he, too, has fallen out of the public eye. At least Jordan's getting a few hits under her belt.


After the audience voted electronically (Phil's voting thingy didn't work and he said "what do you expect, it's Florida!") and the winner was announced (some quirky guy who beat out a real vocalist with talent) explosions and confetti filled the room.


After the show the Idols gathered out front and had their pics taken with Mickey. Conspicuously absent were Clay Aiken, Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson.


I chatted with Mandissa for a few moments - I had played piano for her and Matthew West when they did a Christmas concert at Brookwood Church a few months ago. Mandissa looked great - she's lost 70 lbs and plans on losing 30 more before her new single comes out.

I also got to talk with one of my favorite Idols - Melinda Doolittle. She had just been on the Ellen Show that week promoting her new CD. I reminisced with her about how all of this happened - we all sat in Chris's hotel room two years ago in Pasadena after they had gotten word they'd made it into the top twenty, and we all watched the Idol episode that night where Melinda had her original audition.

Everyone headed down to the Tower of Terror part of the park where Disney had food and drinks galore: sushi, chicken, fish, carved meats... you name it, and all delicious. By this time Disney had closed the park and this party was just for Idol guests. I stood at one of the neon-glowing tables and had a wonderful time chatting with Mike Blanton. He's one of the architects of Christian music, guiding the careers of Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and others (including Chris, Phil and Melinda.)

Mike, Melinda and I went on the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster with some others (three times in a row with no waiting) and then joined Chris for the Tower of Terror. Melinda prayed loudly throughout the entire ride!

When that party died down we were whisked away by limo to an after party thrown by Idol's 19 Entertainment, held at Rix Lounge at the Coronado Springs Resort. Security guards were everywhere, and only the Idols and their friends & family were allowed to enter. Just more to eat in a dark place with very loud music.

If you want to see what it's like being on an American Idol show, I recommend Disney's American Idol Experience. It's actually two experiences in one: an audition experience and an audience experience. I was in the live audience on the real show I can tell you it's very realistic. Click through some of my posts on this blog and you can read about my visits to the show.


34 Comments:

  • At 10:53 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I really don't think Clay Aiken is somebody Disney would want to be associated with. The disgusting photos of Aiken that are all over the Internet have surely been seen by Disney.

     
  • At 2:12 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Nonsense! I googled my fingers off and haven't found any. You must be one of those haters.

     
  • At 7:59 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Fantasia's split with 19 was mutual. She was not happy with them and they were not happy with her because they didn't want her doing so many other things (they are not making money while she spends a year on Broadway, etc....). She lost a lot of weight recently. I think she looks nice with the braces gone. Nice smile.

     
  • At 8:12 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Those so called disgusting photos have never been proven to be Aiken's. He told Diane Sawyer on GMA two years ago that the prurient stuff out there on the internet wasn't true.

    Mr. Chapman, do you have any idea why Clay wasn't there? He recorded "Proud of Your Boy" for the Aladdin DVD, and sang at the Disney Christmas Parade back in 2003. Disney sponsored his solo tour back in 2004. I just don't get why he would not be invited, if that is the case. Surely it isn't because of his coming out? I thought Disney was supportive of gay rights and all that.

     
  • At 8:35 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Well Clay and AI are not exactly on friendly terms and Clay just had surgery, so take your pick on the reasons why he isn't there.

    What disgusting photos? I sure haven't seen any.

     
  • At 8:52 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    for your information, David's Dad Jeff is anything but spooky. I have met him at 6 different shows and have talked to him for about an hour each time. He is loving, kind, humble and everything a father should be!

     
  • At 9:00 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Your blog was interesting and I appreciate hearing about all the former winners. Amazing you write something about Clarkson maybe being a diva, but there are no comments. I was surprised at that attitude on her part. Too bad.

    Why so many comments on a guy who wasn't there? Obviously the man had other things to do, not the least of which was jaw surgery from what I read elsewhere. Am sure Hudson and Daughtry were busy too.

    But, overall, thanks for the info.

     
  • At 9:22 AM , Blogger Cathy Storms said...

    Wow..it sounds liike it was an awesome experience. And you got to have lunch with Carmen. Now that's cool.
    But...Kelly a diva? No...I just think there were some issues with her being invited. And then not even asked to sing..Very sad..I was hoping her and Chris would do a duo. Now that would be awesome.
    So..don't go dishing my Kelly...lol.....

     
  • At 9:23 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Interest info, but I don't think Kelly Clarkson can be considered a diva just because she doesn't remember certain idols. Do you remember everyone you've ever met? Also, it's her management that schedules her around and she was already supposed to be in the Bahamas for radio performances that next morning. In interviews, it states that she didn't know about the opening until that morning so I would think that it's more of the American Idol Experience people that didn't think ahead that all the idols were going to be there. The blame shouldn't be put on Kelly since she had to accomadate her schedule just so she wouldn't dissapoint her fans.

     
  • At 9:25 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Thanks so much for sharing an insider point of view! I heard they had to threaten Kelly w/not letting her perform on the show this year to get her to come to the Disney thing.

    I bet commenter #1 is actually a former Claymate who's angry cause her world fell apart when Clay came out of the closet.

     
  • At 9:27 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    My talented niece wants to take part in the AIEx . Maybe we'll head down there . I enjoyed most of the details about your experience but am saddened to see many snide comments about spooky dads , rude celebrities and diva behavior . Pure gossip . Too much negative in the world already .

    I hear a lot about Taylor and Ruben . Taylor has been in Grease on Broadway recently and Ruben is the star of the road company of Ain't Misbehavin' .Frenchie and Trenyce are in the show too . I'm glad Melinda and Chris are doing well . They were two of my favorites . I thought Fantasia looked good in the photos .

    Lol . If your anonymous commenter finds the pictures of Clay Aiken clowning around in a photo booth too disgusting for Disney , I hope s/he will avoid the unwed pregnancy , nudity and drug rehab stories of Disney stars , Jaimie Lynn , Vanessa and Lindsey . The Mouse has changed .

     
  • At 9:53 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    You failed to mention why, Blake and Kat Mcphee were not present surely thier appearance was missed by many Idol fans. Winners and runners ups were expectd by fans of all.

     
  • At 9:53 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    It sounds like Kelly was an unwilling participant in this event. Another blogger had posted that she refused to do the parade as she had agreed to, leaving Kim Locke to be in the final car. Kim is hardly grand finale of the parade material. She's pretty much a nobody in American Idol history.

    I saw the footage of the group getting their picture taken and you could tell Kelly was just going through the motions.

     
  • At 10:17 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    She's been scheduled for the Bahamas for months now. That's probably why Kelly Clarkson was a bit antsy and didn't do red carpet.

    From what she has said, she just sings. That's all. Her management deals with where she's going. Most of the time, she doesn't know her schedule and just goes where they tell her to go. I'm sure she was caught off guard about having to go to Florida the night before.

     
  • At 10:22 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Kelly being there was a last minute thing because she already agreed to do a show in the Bahamas a long time ago; the American idol ppl should have stepped their game up and not wait to the last minute. Kelly is in NO way a diva! Seriously she is still the same sweet humble funny person that she was 7 years ago. And there was a bunch of nobodys from Idol there. How is she supposed to remember everyone? She has been touring non-stop since she won! And Carrie and David are not more successful then Kelly. I would like to know which idols said that about Kelly.

     
  • At 10:28 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Kelly was busy.
    She had a event in Nashville on Wed. and had to in the Bahamas at 8am on Fri. for a show. So,Idol should be lucky she even showed up. Because I paid go money to see Kelly in the Bahamas, if she would have been late for that many people would have been a lot more upset than Simon Fuller.

     
  • At 10:33 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Kelly going through a diva spell you are sadly mistaken my friend. Kelly is one of the very, very few anti-divas out there. Kelly has very busy 24/7 schedule and so she probably has not had the time to know about it, the girl rarely has time to watch tv and/or be on the net. She was scheduled to be in the Bahamas to perform a couple days later so. I have never heard of "I heard they had to threaten Kelly w/not letting her perform on the show this year to get her to come to the Disney thing" your wrong there. They are crazy if they don't let Kelly come on the show this year and promote her new album. Kelly being a diva that's not how the KC rolls, she could give crap about being a star.

     
  • At 10:37 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I don't think your assertions about Ms. Clarkson being a diva are reasonable or proven. From the footage I saw she seemed very excited to be there, hugging Ryan, Simon and company.

    If anything, maybe she agrees with your thought about Idol pushing David & Carrie as the best of the bunch. I think critics and consumers would buy-in-large agree that Kelly has the most talent of everyone on that stage.

    Carrie is mucho-talented but seems like a bit of a robot that sort of does whatever the idol machine tells her to do. It was proven years ago that Kelly has a mind of her own, if that makes her a diva than so be it.

     
  • At 11:13 AM , Blogger gomez said...

    Well it was still good to see all the winners at once. I thought Kelly's dress was a little matronly, she is such a pretty girl.

     
  • At 11:19 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I watched a bunch of videos from it and seemed like Kelly was enjoying being there to me. She was talking to everyone, even Simon Fuller (her former manager) and Ryan of course.

    I think she was in a rush to get down to the Bahamas, as she was up and doing interviews the next day at like 7:00am. But hey, who needs sleep right? She was also rehearsing for the concert (she did 15 songs)the entire week and doing some stuff with the Girl Scouts in Nashville. I'd hardly call that diva. Maybe she didn't recognize your friend Sligh...but then again, who really would?

     
  • At 11:39 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Wow, once again rabid Idol fans prove their total inability to allow others to have their own opinion. The pearl clutching and defending going on("Oh Jeff Archuleta is wonderful not creepy!" "Kelly is NOT a diva!" "Clay is the most amazing idol EVAH!") is incredibly silly considering you don't know these people at. all.

     
  • At 11:50 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    kelly is da bomb so humble best idol ever

     
  • At 11:51 AM , Blogger risalea said...

    Hi, Don...thanks for your comments on your Disney AI adventure. I've been following your writing about as long as I've been following Chris, so it's always interesting to hear your take on things.

    I hope you'll plan on coming to Chris's fan picnic this year. Those of us who haven't met you in person would love to. It'll be July 4th in Nashville, and there's a website to get the scoop at www.fropatropicnic.webs.com.

    Take care! Risa

     
  • At 12:14 PM , Blogger risalea said...

    I meant to add, we've been to WDW four times, and we made it to the California Grill once. We had a similar experience...fantastic view, superb service, and food was good, but not quite worthy of what they were charging for it...I guess that was part of paying for the atmosphere....oh, wait, you pay for atmosphere at every WDW restaurant! LOL

    Oh, Mandisa looked absolutely marvelous and she's lost that weight in a relatively short amount of time, remembering seeing her on the Dove awards with Chris, Phil, and Amy. Good for her! Beautiful lady, inside and out, even before the weight loss.

     
  • At 12:21 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    LOL. Look at all the kelbots coming out of the woodwork to defend her.

    To poster at 10:33 AM: If Kelly did not give a crap about being a star, she would have been writing and releasing My December II instead of crawling back to Idol fold and selling out all over again.

     
  • At 2:00 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Die American Idol...DIE. Hate this show!!!

     
  • At 2:18 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Uh oh, pedo alert at Disney.

     
  • At 3:19 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Um, there go the old claymates just waiting to jump on anyone from Idol that is way more famous and successful than he is.

     
  • At 5:13 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    lol to the 12:21 comment....if you knew ANYTHING about Kelly, you'd know that she actually wrote like half of the upcoming album as well. (By the way she wrote Behind These Hazel Eyes and Because Of You on Breakaway....2 top 10 hits). She puts out a different flavor of album every time. Thankful was pure pop-princess pop. Breakway was rock/pop. My December was more towards rock and All I Ever Wanted seems to be more pop/punk-based. The only Idol sellout is robot aka Carrie Underwood. She hasn't released one original thing in her life. All American Girl, Just A Dream? Gag me with a spoon. Just because Kelly Clarkson doesn't appear on every, single season of Idol and the finale doesn't mean a thing. I, for one, like that she's carving out her own niche. Seems like Daughtry is doing the same. Can't be said for any of the other "Idols".

     
  • At 5:43 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    LOL again. Who are you calling a Claymate, 3:19 PM? I'd rather rip my ears out than listen to either of them.

     
  • At 5:48 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Why do you assume people posting here are claymates? He wasn't there, but others were. I watch Idol to see these people develop as artists, why do you assume that makes me 'old?' Do you describe yourself that way? I will say this, most older people have better manners.

     
  • At 10:29 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    It was a thrill to see all seven Idol winners together! I'd love to see a special with all of them performing.

    Cool to see how good looking they all are. Taylor Hicks has turned out to be a looker!

     
  • At 9:08 AM , Blogger HstryQT said...

    Hahaha "It's Florida, what do you expect?" That cracks me up.

    Great recap Don! Thanks for going into do much detail. I haven't read too much about the specifics of the Idol Experience but I think I get the whole concept now. Sounds pretty neat!

    What a thrill for Chris to be invited; we're all so proud of him, aren't we?? :)

     
  • At 10:42 AM , Blogger Laura said...

    Hi Don - great recap. I was standing at the end of the media line, and you caught the back of my shoulder in one of your pictures! This was the second time I had been able to meet Chris and he is always so nice and gracious. Best of Luck to him!

     

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