15 minutes and counting
Valerie Kuklenski
Long Beach Press-Telegram (Long Beach, CA) September 3, 2002

Aspiring superstars Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini sang their hearts out Tuesday before a sell-out crowd at the Kodak Theater and a nationwide audience of millions as they competed for crown of "American Idol.'

Fans who managed to secure tickets to Fox TV's summer hit, "American Idol: The Search for a Superstar' screamed and cheered during the performances by the talent-show finalists.

Tonight, in a special two-hour episode airing from 8-10 p.m., the winner will be revealed. Guarini, 23, of Doylestown, Pa., or Clarkson, 20, of Fort Worth, Texas, will savor the moment by singing his or her first single, which will hit stores Sept. 17.

Lined up Tuesday outside the Kodak, fans of all ages couldn't contain their enthusiasm for the singers.

Wearing a custom-made "Justin is my American Idol' T-shirt, Gina Leonardo, 42, of Napa, explained why she's been phoning in votes for the curly-haired young man.

"To me, he's just a good all-around entertainer. He's got the whole package: charisma, vocal. Rafael Iniguez of Riverside, 31, and his wife Christy, 27, were split: He likes Justin, she likes Kelly.

"I think he's the better performer,' Rafael Iniguez said. "I know Kelly has a great voice, but I think Justin has a better chance to make it.'

"I think she's an amazing talent,' Christy Iniguez countered. "That girl could sing the socks off of anyone.'

If the winner doesn't make it big, it won't be for a lack of trying on the Fox's part. The grand prize is a "major' recording contract with RCA Records, a management contract and a concert tour. After the single comes the compilation CD featuring multiple finalists and the winner's first solo album most likely entirely covers on Nov. 26.

The promotional frenzy is evident on the Web site [ www.idol onfox.com], where fans can snap up logo-imprinted T-shirts and caps, order the series on DVD, and buy the official book by Marissa Walsh.

There is also information about the official "American Idol' tour, which launches Oct. 8 at Cox Arena in San Diego. Its L.A.-area stop comes Nov. 15 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim.

"American Idol,' derived from the British hit series "Pop Star,' began June 11 in a bid to retain a summer audience that has no appetite for series reruns.

It drew 11.5 million viewers in its debut, which introduced the good, the bad and the completely dreadful wannabes that judges singer-choreographer Paula Abdul, record executive Simon Cowell and musician and record executive Randy Jackson had to endure while tapping 30 with a real shot at stardom.

It became the water-cooler show of the summer, much like the first "Survivor' outing was.

Fans at the Kodak Theater praised the show for being an upbeat, entertaining program that the whole family could enjoy.

Claudia Malawy camped out overnight early last month to secure tickets for Tuesday's show for herself and her daughter Trista, 14, an aspiring singer who was rooting for Kelly.

"It's a reality show, but it's not like 'Fear Factor' or 'Survivor," Malawy said. "I don't want to watch people swallow strange things.'

Viewership snowballed as the contest grew more interesting, and the phone lines tallied more than 14 million votes a week. [Fox acknowledges that that includes some "power dialers' hoping to stuff the ballot box and influence the outcome, but the producers say they were a statistically insignificant number.]

Jazmin Lambright of Los Angeles, 16, and her grandmother Nori Lambright, 59, said they used three phones to vote for their favorite, Nikki McKibbin. McKibbin was eliminated last week, but the Lambrights figure their frantic voting helped her win third.

"We pushed 'redial' until we went nuts,' Nori Lambright said.

Meanwhile, Fox has begun looking for contestants for the next season. Somewhere out there is the next superstar.