Hope Springs Eternal at 'Idol' Auditions

About 10,000 "American Idol" hopefuls showed up at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday with wide-eyed dreams of becoming the next Taylor Hicks or Carrie Underwood.

After waiting all night and standing in line for hours, most contestants got less than a minute to sing a few bars - and then the boot.

Michael Taylor, 21, of El Monte, who works at a customer call service center, was among those quickly dismissed from the tryouts. Fox publicity representatives were more sensitive, saying he "was not moving forward."

"This is just a stepping stone for me and I'm looking past it," said Taylor, who asked an observer if he could sing a few notes to demonstrate his talent. He had a nice soulful style - but obviously not nice enough.

Pasadena was the first of seven cities where producers of Fox TV's talent show planned auditions for the upcoming sixth season. Approaching the Rose Bowl, roads were clogged as auditioners hurried to meet the deadline to line up. Outside the stadium, early arrivals gathered - some huddled under blankets, some wearing headphones and silently mouthing lyrics. Others did last-minute makeup checks.

On the new season that begins airing in January, "American Idol" will up the ante with a songwriting contest in which professionals and amateurs will have the chance to compose tunes for the finalists.

Upcoming auditions for singers:

Alamodome, San Antonio, Friday;

Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, N.J., Aug. 14;

Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex, Birmingham, Ala., Aug. 21;

FedExForum, Memphis, Tenn., Sept. 3;

Target Center, Minneapolis, Sept. 8;

Key Arena, Seattle, Sept. 19.

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