The American Idol show is now a well know reality TV series globally. It’s made a fan out of all those who watch it and celebrities of all those who appear on it. One of the best known is charismatic judge Simon Cowell, who’s become a celebrity simply because of his judging on the show, and contribution to the show’s popularity through his sharp wit and razor tongue.
American Idol has had a huge fan base in Sri Lanka ever since its inception and more since ETV started telecasting the show from 2005. Thrilling as it is to watch the performance on TV, how much more would it be to watch it live, in the audience of the show?
It would be a dream come true to many an American Idol fan to be part of that exclusive audience. Can you imagine getting to see Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Kara Dioguardi in the flesh? Not to mention getting to see the finalists battling it on stage to become the next American Idol?
That is what the lucky winner of ETV’s biggest America Idol fan contest 2009, Alicia Gnaprakasam got to do.
“I am truly lucky, I have been obsessed with the show ever since it’s inception in 2002 when I would follow it on youtube as I didn’t have cable TV and it wasn’t aired on any of the channels here,” beams Alicia.
“I am American Idol’s biggest fan but even before that, it was always a dream from childhood onwards to visit America. I used to walk my fingertips all over a map of the US, pretending I was walking about there. This was my first trip abroad and I am so happy it was to watch my favourite show in a country I have always wanted to visit. I am thrilled that the first stamp on my passport says ‘America – Hollywood, American Idol contest winner from Sri Lanka.’”
A past pupil of Methodist College, she is currently studying for a degree in psychology and describes herself as ‘very into music.’ But she doesn’t sing or play any instruments herself – she just likes to listen. She describes herself as a listener and observer of people which is why she took up psychology. Well, the American Idol show should throw up ample fodder for that as well, with all sorts of interesting characters from the psychotic to the hilariously deluded auditioning.
Alicia who spent four days in the US in an all expense paid trip from ETV to see the American Idol finale show live, describes it as ‘a magical time.’ In addition to the finale, she had gotten to visit Disneyland, California and have a tour of celebrity residences in Beverley Hills.
“We were not allowed to get down from the tour bus but I saw Britney Spears driving into her home, saw the place where Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes live, saw the house in which Will Smith shot Fresh Prince in Bel-Air, visited the Kodak Theatre where the Oscars are held and passed through the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” she says.
But the high point of the visit was of course the American Idol finale. Apparently, Alicia was told at her hotel that she could sell her tickets if she wanted to for $3000. Of course she didn’t want to and so the day of the finale found her way back in the audience, probably the only Sri Lankan national there.
“I was seated way back, the judges looked like dolls and Paula Abdul was so pretty,” she recalls. Apparently, Alicia like most of the other Season 8 idol watchers had been pretty sure that Adam Lambert was going to be the winner and so was taken by surprise when Kris Allen won instead.
“The crowd had been going crazy around me but when Kris’s name was announced, they fell silent and started murmuring and muttering,” she says. “But even so, Kris did have his own fan base and they cheered for him loudly.”
She had not been allowed to take her camera in but was allowed to in the red carpet area outside where she got to meet some of the contestants like Tatiana Del Toro, Chris Daughtry and the ‘bikini girl,’ Katrina Darrell. She also saw Kara Dioguardi and Lionel Richie up close.
“The show was very prompt, it started at 5pm on the dot and went on till 7pm at which time, it still looked like daytime,” says Alicia adding that the “sound and light system on the show was awesome.”
Her favourite contestant winners so far are apparently Kelly Clarkson (the first winner) and Carrie Underwood and her favourite judge is “of course, Simon Cowell,” though she likes Paula Abdul too.
She had apparently just randomly tried sending a text to get into the ETV competition and says she was “very lucky to get selected” as only 25 lucky people were selected. She along with the other contestants had to sit a written general knowledge quiz based on the show and was one of the best five selected out of this lot. She then had to make a one minute presentation on TV to get voters to vote for her and she thanks all her friends, family and voters for voting for her.
“The competition had concluded by April 3 and on April 6, all the five contestants were been told to stay at home as one of us would be informed that we were the winner. It was my best friend’s birthday which I couldn’t attend because of this and I stayed at home praying that I might get some good news.
But I was shocked when the ETV crew made a surprise visit to my house carrying a TV camera and a huge card saying ‘Congratulations – You Won,!” she recalls.
“Going to Hollywood and seeing all these people has been a childhood dream for me and I wish to thank ETV, my family, friends and all those who voted for me for this lovely opportunity.” |
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