Part 1: Meet the Contenders
DAMIAN
"Sir, your boarding pass please?", the flight attendant asked at the entrance of the aircraft.
Damian handed his boarding pass for checking, and he was shortly directed to his seat. After settling comfortably, he checked his hand set for the last time, hoping there was a call or an SMS from Jenna, his girlfriend. Ugh, he mentally exclaimed. Ex-girlfriend, Damian, ex-girlfriend. They both decided to break up because he will be gone again for maybe a long time. He replayed the long conversation they had, and his head could not wrap around the fact the very person who believed and supported him, is not in a relationship with him anymore. We are still friends, Damian thought. But it's still.. different.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to British Airways flight 951 from Dublin to Los Angeles, USA. We will be stopping at Heathrow, and our flight time will take ..."The pilot's voice trailed on the public address system about their trip. Damian was barely listening to what was being said next. He looked at his hand set again, waiting for the last minute before he will have to turn it off for the duration of his flight to Los Angeles. But no call came, no SMS went through.
Enough, Damian said to himself.
He willed his phone shut, turned it off, and looked out the window.
I have to believe that all will work out well in the end, he thought, Los Angeles, here I come.
HANNAH
Hannah arrived at The Glee Project building an hour ago, and now she was being ushered in to a small conference room where she was to wait for the arrival of the other 11 contenders.
"The other contenders should be arriving soon. There's tea, coffee and of course, slushies in here...", says Tory, one of the show's interns. "... just in case you want to start on those cold stuff." She grinned mischievously. Slushie face was very much familiar to a Glee fan.
Hannah said her thanks with a laugh, and exhaled slowly after Tory left the room, trying to take in all the events that was happening to her life. A few months ago, she was but an ordinary sophomore student at Queens University. When she was home in Asheville for Christmas break, an ad played for The Glee Project, a reality-TV competition where contestants view for a recurring spot on the hit TV series "Glee". Without thinking twice, Hannah booked a flight to Dallas to audition along with 39,000 other people. And now she's here, called back to be part of the Top 12 contenders of the Glee Project!
Fiddling with the show's sealed primer and hand book, she walked around the room, taking in the view of the Los Angeles skyline. This is it, Ginger! Hannah thought to herself. Keep your head up...
DAMIAN
Damian breathed in deeply, and his forehead creased in slight frustration. The smell was different. He looked up, and the sky was even not that blue. Well, not as blue as the skies over Derry. Suddenly, he missed his hometown in Ireland. Snap out it!, he told himself. Get a grip McGinty.
The day was like a whirlwind. After arriving in Los Angeles after noon, a representative from show fetched him from the airport and he was taken to the building where The Glee Project competition will happen. After the show's production staff collected his luggage from him at the lobby, he was told to proceed directly to Conference Room A at the 6th floor, where he will meet the other contenders.
Walking across the lobby to catch the elevator going up, he saw the doors to one of the elevators shutting close.
"Hold it!", Damian shouted. He squeezed through and found himself face to face with a small but really built fellow.
"Thanks!", Damian said. He was about to push 6 on the panel when he saw it was lighted.
"Going to 6th floor too?", he turned to the chap behind him.
"Yes.", the guy replied with a nervous smile. "Going up, up, up?"
"Oh, yes, going up.." Damian agreed with a smile. "Up, up, up we go..." Contender too?, he thought.
The elevator shortly stopped at the 6th floor and they both got out.
"Oh good, you both are finally here! Hello Damian, hello Mattheus." greeted a smiling guy with a mohawk. "I'm Luke, one of the Oxygen interns."
"Hello!", they both greeted back.
"If you could follow me please, the rest of the contenders are all inside Conference Room A now, waiting for you." Luke jovially quipped, as he led them down a colorful hallway.
Great, Damian nervously thought, as he followed Luke and Mattheus. Last ones in!
"So, here are your show primers and handbook." Luke said, as they stood outside a door marked TGP CONTENDERS. "Please do not open them until you are told to do so, okay? Someone will be with you guys shortly."
Damian and Mattheus nodded as they got their booklets from him. They stared at each other, unsure of what to do at once.
"Well then, go mingle with the other angels." Luke pointed at the door with a grin. "See you later!" And with that, Luke left.
"After you.", gestured Damian to Mattheus.
Mattheus shrugged his shoulders. "Here we go then...", he said and opened the door.
HANNAH
So far, Hannah has met the other 9 people she will be competing against for the recurring guest role in the hit TV show Glee, and mentally noted each and everyone:
1. Marissa - a New Yorker who is not only a looker, but also a regular performer in commercial and shows for more than 12 years. Her style is bohemian-artistic.
2. McKynleigh - a country music darling who has been performing in amateur shows for 13 years!
3. Ellis - a sweet young lady who not only can sing, but can also be mistaken for a ten year old girl instead of the eighteen year old teenager!
4. Alex - a seemingly gay guy who has really awesome voice range.
5. Lindsay - The one to beat! She seems very sure of herself, as she has been performing in theater and shows for also 13 years.
6. Cameron - This funny and nerdy looking guy she met at the Dallas/Fort Worth open casting call. He has a wonderful sound who may just be a born musician.
7. Bryce - Wow, this Berklee boy is great with guitars and has a really deep and sexy voice.
8. Samuel - Ah, the rocker. 'Nuff said, Hannah thought.
Hannah was talking to the last contender inside the room named Emily, the sassy Hispanic girl from New York and veteran of off-Broadway and Vegas shows, when the door opened. Everyone stopped chatting and stared at the small man walking akwardly inside the room, followed by what must be the cutest boy Hannah as ever seen.
"Hi everyone! I'm..." he introduced.
"MATTHEUS!" exclaimed Hannah. He was seated next to her during the Dallas/Fort Worth open casting call. Hannah came forward to hug him. "So great you made it!"
"Hey Hannah! Glad you made it too!" Mattheus greeted with a big smile as he hugged her back. He faced everyone and waved. "Well, hello guys, my name is Mattheus."
The cute boy behind Mattheus came forward and said, "Hello everyone. My name is Damian McGinty, and I'm from Ireland."
Hannah's jaw dropped. Irish accent, she thinks. They got someone out of the country.
Everyone else came forward to introduce themselves, and they can barely understand each other.
Lindsay suddenly stood up on one of the chairs and made an announcement. "Hey listen everyone, maybe we should sit down and let's all well, re-introduce ourselves." She looked so excited and giddy.
Reminds me of a cheerleader back in High School, Hannah smiled quietly. Or more like a Student Council President too.
The group followed and settled in on the conference room chairs. One by one, they said their names, and told a bit about themselves and their musical background. Damian happened to sit right across Hannah, and she was trying not to look at him too much. Finally, it was Damian's turn to talk about himself.
"Well hello again. My name is Damian McGinty." he started to say in the most adorable accent. "I auditioned from MySpace as encouraged by an L.A. agent, and I am part of an Irish vocal group called Celtic Thunders. I've been singing with the group for four years."
"Cool." Hannah gushed loudly. Everyone looked at her. Great Hannah, she thought. Just go right on and embarrass yourself more. Pat on the back to you. Sheesh.
"Well I meant that's awesome, we got someone from outside U S of A!" The contenders laughed. Whew, nice save! "I'm Hannah, by the way. I auditioned at Dallas/Fort Worth and met Mattheus and Cameron there."
"So what are you good at Hannah?" Lindsay butted in. "I mean, do you do theater? Amateur shows?"
"Well..." Hannah looked down at her hands. "I have been doing amateur shows for six years already, yes, I have been doing a bit of theater at school. Just tiny ones."
"That's it?" Lindsay clarified. "Formal training? Professional group membership?"
"None." Hannah admitted. She forced a tight lipped smile, and caught Damian looking straight at her in a daze. He must think I'm such a loser, she realized.
"That's cool, girl.", Cameron reassuringly offered on her left as he sensed the uncomfortable silence. "Everyone done I think? Who else?"
"I'm next.", said a kind-sounding voice from the opened door.
DAMIAN
This is competitive!, thought Damian. From the time he and Mattheus entered the conference room and met all the other Glee Project contenders, he has since been floored with the competition. They all came from all over USA. Musically diverse, he reckons, but no less than talented. Really talented.
He ticked off Lindsay, Alex, Marissa, Emily and Samuel as the contenders to really beat. They seem to be exceptionally talented more than the others, and have very intense vocal training and experiences. When the time came for him to re-introduce himself to the group, he tried to be really humble, and just cite off the basics. Damian felt his cheeks turn warm while talking. Well, this is weird, he thought. I never had to really introduce myself that much when I was in Celtic Thunder.
He then noticed Hannah when she reacted to his background. She was this plump and bright smiling girl he immediately saw when they entered the room earlier. Hannah was the first one to greet Mattheus. Damian listened to her introduction, and when she said mentioned theater experience, he absentmindedly thought of Jenna again. Little Theater was where we first met.,he realized sadly. Damian was so busy thinking of Jenna when Samuel, the dread locked guy beside him, poked his arm. Apparently, he was not listening because Hannah finished talking about herself and someone just came inside the room.
"I'm next!", said a kind-sounding voice from the opened door.
It was Robert Ulrich, the Glee TV Show's casting director, and the one who chose all of them for the Glee Project competition. Everyone stood up and clapped as they recognized the director.
"Thanks everyone, have a seat." Robert took the chair at the head of the table and smiled. "So, here you are - the Final 12."
"Wooooo!", Alex shouted. The rest the group cheered and laughed. Lindsay looked like she's about to pee in her skirt. She was that excited!
"As Ryan Murphy has said, kids that started with the Glee TV show will be graduating." Robert started to discuss. "Therefore we need new blood, new kids, new talents. And that is why you guys are all here." All the contenders cheered again.
"So this is how it goes - we have each given you your show primer and hand book." Robert pointed to the booklet in Damian's hands. "Those are the rules and regulations of the show - including the details of the confidentiality agreement you have all signed prior to arriving here in Los Angeles. Please read it well, and follow strictly, lest you want to be booted out of this competition."
All the contenders nodded. The door opened again, and Luke, the intern, came inside the room again. He wheeled in a white board with the words "WEEKLY SCHEDULE" written in bold, red letters. Below it is a mumble jumble of time and activity list.
"This will be your weekly schedule that we will put in the rec room.", Robert gestured to the white board. "The show will be presented in TV in one night. The viewers will think that everything happens in two days, but of course in reality, each episode is made in one week, and that includes shooting, and editing. Since we just started, we will start tonight at 06:00pm."
THE GLEE PROJECT WEEKLY SCHEDULE
MON
09:00am Concert Hall All Contenders - Performance Evaluation
11:00am Concert Hall Bottom Three - Last Chance Performance
01:00pm Rec Room All Contenders - Lunch
02:00pm Concert Hall Bottom Three - Elimination
03:30pm Concert Hall All Contenders - Shoot Contender Elimination
- Break -
06:00pm Rec Room All Contenders - Introduction of Theme & HW
All Contenders - Initial Rehearsal of HW Assignment
07:00pm Rec Room All Contenders - Dinner
TUE
08:00am Rec Room All Contenders - Breakfast
09.00am Rec Room All Contenders - Homework Assignment Rehearsals
12:00pm Rec Room All Contenders - Lunch
02:00pm Performance Hall All Contenders - HW Assignment Presentation
03:00pm Rec Room All Contenders - Learn Big Group Number Song
05:00pm Dance Studio HW Assignment Winner - Mentoring Session
07:00pm Rec Room All Contenders - Dinner
WED
08:00am Rec Room All Contenders - Breakfast
10:00am Dance Studio All Contenders - Dance Rehearsals with Zach
12:00pm Rec Room All Contenders - Lunch
02:00pm Dance Studio All Contenders - Dance Rehearsals
THU
08:00am Rec Room All Contenders - Breakfast
10:00am Rec Room All Contenders - Voice Rehearsals
12:00pm Rec Room All Contenders - Lunch
02:00pm Voice Studio All Contenders - Voice Recording with Nikki
07:00pm Rec Room All Contenders - Dinner
FRI
08:00am Rec Room All Contenders - Breakfast
09:00am Rec Room All Contenders - Voice Rehearsals with Dubbing
12:00pm Rec Room All Contenders - Lunch
02:00pm Rec Room All Contenders - Assembly for Location Shoot
Location All Contenders - Big Group Number Shoot
07:00pm Rec Room All Contenders - Dinner
SAT/SUN
- free day at the dorm - All Contenders - Rec Room/ Gym/ Pool
- free day at the dorm - All Contenders - Rec Room/ Gym/ Pool
"You've all met Luke, one of the show's intern. He will take you to your dormitory now and tour you around the set where most of the competition will take place. You will also be given your first Homework Assignment which you will perform tomorrow." Robert stood up. "Any questions? None?" He smiled at all the contenders. "Good luck, get settled, be ready early, and I will see you all tomorrow for your first day at The Glee Project.". With that, Robert left the room amidst cheers from the group.
Damian clapped enthusiastically. Let's do this!, he silently said.