They Tried to Make Her Go to Rehab...

Back in July, American Idol held auditions, here in Portland.  My friend Conor (Cherry Lemonade), went to the auditions.  From there, the trail went cold.  Conor wouldn't talk about how he did on the audition...and then there was a random trip to Kansas City, MO.

I've known for a while, that he was at least going to be on air.  I don't really know much more than that.

For the last week or so, Cherry has been in the midst of a media blitz.  Radio interviews, TV interviews, newspaper articles, and even a write up in an online article through INSTINCT magazine.

Thursday night, the second night of the premiere, was the first night of the Kansas City auditions.  Cherry had spent the week promoting a viewing party at Styxx.  For once, my schedule worked in my favor, and I was going to be able to go.

About 7:30 pm, we left to go to Styxx, just to make sure that we were going to get a seat, and be ready for the start of the show.  Cherry was mingling with her adoring fans, making sure that everyone knew how grateful she was that we were all there.

Given the fact that Cherry has been doing shows over the last few months, and has a few coming up in the next few months, talk turned to the upcoming shows, and the possibility of getting into some shows in Boston, in addition to the shows at Fran's Place.  Cherry told us about how that morning, 4 minutes into what should have been a radio interview, she was just waking up, and how non-stop all day, there were interviews, here, there and everywhere.  And, then, she was off again, mingling.

We grabbed our seats, in the alcove, by the DJ booth, in the front room.  As it got closer to show time, people came streaming in.  The guest list was pretty much a who's who of Portland.  For once, there were more people that I knew, at the bar, than that I didn't know.

Me with Cherry Lemonade

  We put ourselves in the perfect spot, apparently.  The TV screen was in front of us.  The TV crew from WGME, Channel 13, the CBS affiliate in Portland was parked outside, but the camera man was literally directly behind us...he asked us if we minded being recorded. And, I ended up on tv, so obviously, I didn't mind.  And, Cherry was back and forth in the DJ booth, all night, so we got the best of everything.

Of all the days, to not think before the show started, I forgot my camera at home.  I asked Cherry for a picture, to which she asked, "Will it end up in Dragged to the Inside?" It's cool to know that one of "my" queens is actually hoping that I'll write about her event.  

Our new friend the Camera Guy,
 in blue

The show started, and people quieted down.  Cherry gave a play by play, on some of the singers.  She revealed that each person was asked to prepare three songs to sing for the judges.  She also revealed that there were two other Mainers who made it to the "out of state" auditions, and that both of them had been invited to the event, to perform live.

Halfway through the show, it was still Nashville, and I began to wonder if we were actually going to see Cherry on tv...  And then, cuteness happened.  Conor, Cherry's male alter ego, would probably be able to give me names, because I'm bad about remembering names, but, I remember events...A mother came on to audition, and brought on her little girl.  The daughter sang "Let it Go" from Disney's Frozen, and I started tearing up, when JLo give the little girl a golden ticket (a feat that is usually only accomplished by watching Titanic. RENT or Philadelphia).

Cherry talking about the show

During commercial breaks, Cherry would alternate between showcasing local singing talent, and sharing stories about what it was like going through the audition process, occasionally jumping behind the bar to help keep up with the bartending duties.

At one commercial break, I checked my Facebook, and that was when I found the blip about Cherry on INSTINCT's page.  After freaking out about how cool it was, and reposting, I ran out to let Cherry know that she had made it as far as a National Gay Magazine's viewership, and since it was on Facebook, that meant international...

Finally, the Kansas City auditions started.  The stakes were getting higher.  This is the right city.  Each time a contestant finished, the next one could be Cherry.

Yeah, I might've taken a pic
of the heckler...

Unfortunately, for my little camped out group, this also became the time, when we received a big distraction from the show.  Around this time, a girl came in, who, most decidedly, is not a fan of, "What?! American Idol? The worst show ever..." and some choice expressions of disgust toward the show.

At this point, it was time for another drink.  Cherry had Cherry Lemonades as a special for the night, and I figured that since I've tried Shaunna Rai's Shaunna Rai drink, it was only fair.  Unlike Shaunna's Jaeger, Grey Goose and Redbull, Cherry's Cherry vodka and Lemonade was right up my alley.  It made the heckler just a little more bearable...or, maybe it made the responses to the heckler from Dan just a little funnier.

And then, the show was over.  And, Cherry wasn't on it.

There was disappointment, because, hey, we're all here to see Cherry. But, really, it wasn't Cherry's fault that the information she was given was that Kansas City would be on on Thursday... So, poor Cherry, apologized profusely, inviting everyone back for Wednesday's show, because that episode will also feature the Kansas City auditions, so she should be on that episode, and we should find out then, whether she got the Golden Ticket to Hollywood.

This is just my personal speculation, at this point, that she actually did get the Golden Ticket, because, to me, it wouldn't make as much sense to have a viewing party, if she knew she'd gotten the boot...

While this week, my schedule worked out, for the viewing party, Wednesday's schedule is not going to do the same.  Fortunately, I work in a home, so I can claim the TV while I do my paperwork, at 8pm.  But, it won't be the same as it would be if I were watching from Styxx.