Much like the popular television series it took the name from, Syracuse Idol will return once again.

Like any self-respecting competition, there must be initial auditions to determine who the main contestants will be. Relax: Simon, Ellen and Randy won’t be there to judge, but students wanting to compete in this year’s Idol must first perform an acapella song of their choice before a small panel of judges tonight at University Union’s offices in cubicle D of the Office of Student Life, located in the basement of the Schine Student Center.

‘There will be a judge panel,’ University Union Performing Arts Director Drew Sullivan said, before adding that this panel of three judges has not yet been finalized. ‘It’s to be determined – there has been scheduling conflicts.’

Regardless, after tonight’s judging only a small portion of tomorrow’s contestants will be able to advance into the next round. ‘The 10 that are picked (tonight) will be able to compete in the public event,’ Sullivan said.

While the first auditions are only happening tonight, the main event will take place at a later date. ‘It’s a one-night event,’ Sullivan said.

On that night, the 10 contestants must sing before a live audience, and the judges, in order to advance to the final round. The judges will choose only the top three contestants and then the audience will choose one of them as the winner. Just like TV ‘Idol,’ it is up to the people to democratically decide who will be SU’s champion.

Sullivan said that last year around 60 students showed up for the audition, showing that even after seven years of broadcasting, people still show an interest in ‘American Idol’ and are even willing to try it on a smaller scale. ‘We’re hoping for even more this year,’ Sullivan said.

For the Grand Prize Winner, a contestant may have the opportunity to display their talents on a larger scale: ‘(The winner) gets the chance to sing the national anthem at a basketball game,’ Sullivan said.

ansteinbe@syr.edu

Published on September 21, 2009 at 12:00 pm