Gimme The Mike Auditions Begin

The fourth season of 'Gimme the Mike' is underway. Open auditions were held Saturday at Woodland Hills Mall. The News On 6â€™s Chris Wright reports hundreds of contestants lined up at the mall,

Saturday, April 21st 2007, 2:31 pm

By: News On 6

The fourth season of 'Gimme the Mike' is underway. Open auditions were held Saturday at Woodland Hills Mall. The News On 6â€™s Chris Wright reports hundreds of contestants lined up at the mall, eager to take advantage of their 60 seconds on stage, and impress the judges.

Performers battled nerves on Saturday while anxiously awaiting their turn on stage. Each contestant was given just one minute to make an impression during their taped auditions.

"I think I did pretty good, I was a little nervous but I gave it my best," said contestant Joshua McGuire.

The idea behind â€˜Gimme the Mikeâ€™ is to showcase local talent in the community, and hundreds are vying for 20 coveted spots. Some even have 'American Idol' experience, and say standing in line for a few hours at the mall is easy compared to waiting for an audition in front of Simon.

"We waited a total of 20 hours between the two days we were there," contestant Ashley Shannon said.

Others say getting on stage was more difficult than they anticipated.

"It's easy to look at people and say that's not good, but when you're up there, it's a little harder," said Candace Shaw.

Contestants this year are competing for more than just 15 minutes of fame. The grand prize package includes a one year lease on a new Kia, a $500 Woodland Hills Mall gift card and a holiday song recording on the Community Food Bank CD.

'Gimme the Mike' tryouts are being held at Woodland Hills Mall. They continue on Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. The judges will review the tryout tapes and announce the final 20 contestants on May 5th. The â€˜Gimme the Mikeâ€™ winner will be announced during a live finale at the Cain's Ballroom on August 20th.

For more on the auditions and eligibility requirements, click here.

Watch the video: Singers Belt One Out For A Chance On TV