New Orleans, La. -
Auditions begin Tuesday for American Idol hopefuls. Monday is the last full day to register for an audition, but for many people, their stay in New Orleans began over the weekend, bringing business to area hotels and restaurants.
Kayla Carbo is one of thousands of people who plan on auditioning for American Idol. "I've been singing my whole life and it's kind of one of those things where regardless if I make it to Hollywood or not, I went and tried again and it was a fun experience," Carbo said.
Courtney Whitley also wants to make it to the big time. Whitley drove to New Orleans from Arkansas for this opportunity. He says the seven-hour drive was totally worth it.
Most of the American Idol hopefuls registered on Sunday and with auditions not beginning until Tuesday, it gave them an entire day to explore the sights and sounds of New Orleans.
"We just heard about this place... Cafe du Monde? And we had to stop," Texas native Marina Espinoza told us.
The Mattice family decided to make a week-long vacation of their trip here for the auditions. They live in San Antonio.
"We love music and we went last night to the Spotted Cat and some other places right, you know, in the same block and of course the food is great," Cindy Mattice said. Her daughter, Alli, plans on trying out for the show.
The manager of Cafe du Monde says it's been packed for days. "It actually started this weekend. We were as busy as we were for Essence Festival which is highly unusual this time of year," Scott Escarra said.
Alli Mattice says she's seen other Idol hopefuls like herself, all over the city. "Our whole hotel is filled with Idol people, everyone singing in the garage and everything," Mattice said.
Because after all, these singers all have the same goal -- to become the next American Idol.
If you haven't registered yet and you want to audition for the show on Tuesday, you still have time. Idol producers will be at the Arena all night Monday, accepting registrations. In fact, they'll accept registrations until 8:00 Tuesday morning.
