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Published Wednesday, January 28, 2009 in Local

Special

Of the 12,000 hopefuls who showed up for “Idol’s” Jacksonville auditions last August, Newnan High School student Alan Jackson was one of just 16 selected to move on to the next round of Hollywood auditions.

Newnan's other Alan Jackson didn't make Tuesday's 1-hour 'Idol' telecast

By Alex McRae

The Newnan Times-Herald

Although millions of viewers didn't get to see it on Tuesday night's segment of "American Idol," Newnan's Alan Jackson is "Goin' to Hollywood, Baby."

Of the 12,000 hopefuls who showed up for "Idol's" Jacksonville auditions last August, Jackson was one of just 16 selected to move on to "Idol's" round of Hollywood auditions.

Friends, family and fans were hoping Jackson's successful audition would be shown Tuesday night. But of the 16 Jacksonville contestants chosen to go to Hollywood, only six were featured Tuesday. Jackson was not among them.

It was two sold-out karaoke performances last spring at Jekyll & Hyde's sports bar that convinced Jackson to enter the "Idol" competition, so Jekyll & Hyde's seemed like the logical place for Jackson and over one hundred of his friends and fans to gather and watch his national TV debut.

When his audition didn't appear, it was like the air had been let out of a balloon, according to Jackson's mom, Peggy Rusich.

"It was a huge crowd and we were all so excited," Rusich said. "Then we waited and waited and when they didn't show Alan, it was really a letdown. He's taking it well, but I know he's disappointed. But at least he made it to the Hollywood round, and we're still excited about that."

Fans and friends are hoping at least some of Jackson's adventures in Hollywood will be shown in the next few weeks, when the show airs the preliminary Hollywood audition rounds.

During the first phase of the Hollywood competition, more than 100 contestants from across the country -- including Jackson -- continue the grueling climb to the top of the show business heap.

"We're all hoping he'll finally make it on air when the Hollywood shows start running," Rusich said.

Once the top 12 contestants are selected, the show airs live weekly, with audience votes determining who moves on and who leaves the show.

Jackson still can't say how well he did in Hollywood, where he spent considerable time last fall. He missed several days of school at Newnan High, but he managed to keep up thanks to lots of help and cooperation from teachers and school officials.

"I can't say enough about the support I got from everybody at Newnan High," he says. "I was gone a lot and couldn't have ever pulled it off without teachers helping me out so much. They deserve a lot of credit for all they did."

Last fall, "Idol" crews also came to Newnan and filmed the local sights and interviewed some of Jackson's fellow Newnan High students. They also interviewed his parents at their north Coweta home.

Will the world ever see those scenes?

Right now, Jackson doesn't know. He just hopes that in the coming weeks the folks back home will be able to share part of his "Idol" journey.

"He's worked so hard for this and has had so much support we want everyone to see what it was all about," Rusich said. "It was a great experience and we want to share it."

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