Oprah who??

Many of you know already that I was deep into an audition process to star on Oprah's upcoming new tv reality show called "OWN".  It is Oprah's attempt to find America's next famous talk show host.  I guess she finally succombed to the depths of reality tv.  Hey,  if Trump can do it - why not the big O.  Sources say the show will actually be similar in feel to that of 'The Apprentice'.  - Not that I would know because I did not make it to L.A.    (I say that with a teeny bit of disgust in my tone)
After everything I went through to make it past the first few rounds of auditioning - plus the 3 hour application process alone - yeah, I'm a little jealous.  - Although I did make it far enough to have an on-camera screen test!  What an experience that was!   Let me set up the scenario for you.  It's quite the covert spy operation!

After waking up at 2:45am to be at the audition site by 4am,  then getting a call back for a small group audition at 8am, which then led me to a phone call saying I had been chosen for another call back - etc... I finally had to show up at a hotel for the on-camera screen test.  However!!  This is how it was described to me:  in an email by Oprah's people,  I was given the information along with some specific directions.  The directions said at the end,  "DO NOT GO TO THE HOTEL DESK.  DO NOT SPEAK TO ANYONE THAT WORKS AT THE HOTEL.  GO STRAIGHT TO THE LOBBY AND WAIT FOR YOUR CELL PHONE TO RING.  DO NOT SPEAK TO ANYONE.  IF SOMEONE ELSE AUDITIONING APPROACHES YOU, DO NOT SPEAK TO THEM.  WE WILL CALL YOUR CELL AND TELL YOU WHERE TO GO NEXT".
 - Um,  are you kidding me???  I felt like I was in a James Bond film.   And yet on the flipside,  it was thrilling!!  So my cell phone finally rang and I was told to go to the 3rd floor and someone would meet me at the elevators.  At this point, I was escorted into a hotel room that had been drastically changed to look like a mini studio set - with professional lights everywhere and cameras and pieces of tape on the floor to tell you where to stand,  floor to cieling backdrops of Oprah and the show .... etc....
Surreal!  The casting agent began asking me my questions and without a shy bone in my body -- I rocked it.  (or so I thought).  What irritates me is that the casting agent said the same thing!  She said I was fabulous and "have nothing to worry about".   ---- What does that mean??  She was visibly impressed and even squeezed me tight on my way out.  She lastly told me to wait for "THE CALL".   (I put that in caps because over the next week and a half .... 'the call' was the only topic of conversation amongst all the people in my life.)  My cell phone immediatly became an appendage of my body.  If I went to the bathroom,  so did my cell.  If I walked outside to get the mail,  so did my cell.  If I went to mow the lawn,  so did my cell.  - It became an obsession!  I couldn't dare miss "the call"!    Because this was it!  That phone call was the vehicle to put me on a plane and out to LA and to Oprah.   Friday night, July 9th was the cut off.  If I didn't get the call by then,  then I would know I did not get chosen for that very last round.
Obviously,  since I am still here writing you this blog ... I think we all know the outcome.
It was a major disappointment.  I'm not going to lie.  I'm a girl,  I cried.  I would like to take this opportunity and blame the casting agent who auditioned me.  (lol)  If she hadn't told me "I have nothing to worry about" in terms of being chosen for LA .... then I think I would not have had such faithful expectations.  Because when the call did not come in -- I admit,  I was crushed.
Granted,  I came a long way!  I am proud of myself for that.  Definitely.  I beat thousands and thousands of other hopefuls just in the first audition alone!  Which is amazing to think about.  I know this.
So I know I baked my cake!  But man .... the icing would have made it so much sweeter.
After my pity party had ended,  I realized that I have a new fire under my bum to go out and give it 10 times more effort to continue this adventure!  -  I love where I am at,  but there's still a ladder to climb.

Thank you to all those who have been supporting me and cheering for me along the way!  What a crazy past few weeks.  Maybe I should be thankful that I'm not going to meet Oprah and be on her show. -- I wouldn't want to be in her sights when I go and steal all her thunder!

:-)  





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