NASHVILLE, Tenn. (USA Network/Real World) - The area around the Country
Music Hall of Fame and Museum Tuesday (Oct. 22) came straight out of everybody's vision of what Nashville must look like.
Dozens of aspiring singers -- many wearing cowboys hats, most of them carrying guitar cases -- filled the sidewalks, all of them seeking their one, big break. Inside the Hall of Fame, powerful managers, producers, publishers, and record-company executives milled about, several of them first-round judges for the official launch of USA Network's new reality-TV show Nashville Star.
Nashville Star, a creation of The Real World producer/director George Verschoor, will launch on USA Network in March 2003. To find the 10 finalists for the show, USA Network will host auditions in 30 markets. In addition to competing with each other during the eight-week series, the finalists will live together (a la The Real World) and meet, write, and work with people from Nashville's country music industry.
Brooks & Dunn's Ronnie Dunn, a national talent-search winner in 1988, came to encourage the participants, but he also was frank with them. "I didn't find that particular talent contest to be the final door to my being successful," he said. Trace Adkins said he was brought aboard as an example to all the people who wouldn't make it to the final round, saying, "I entered several of these and never won any."
The aspiring singers -- nearly 400 showed up -- went through two phases of judging, answering questions, and then singing 30 seconds of a predetermined song for two- and three-person panels of judges from the country industry. At the end of the day, the number was culled to around 100.
"I wanted to try out for American Idol, but I found out I was too old," says Catherine Ament, 34, who works as a nurse in Nashville. "Then I heard about this." Auditioners must be a solo act at least 18 years of age. For details on auditioning, go to www.usanetwork.com/nashvillestar.
Speaking of American Idol, auditions were held in Detroit on Monday (Oct. 21), drawing approximately 2,000 hopefuls. Nashville auditions will be held Sunday (Oct. 27).
