Document text
THURSDAY March 4, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels February 11, 2004 From Ashland to Oprah By Steve Zimmerman Ashland Daily Tidings When Lee McGinnis Aguilera was told about the "Oprah's Pop Star Challenge" talent contest, she had to be talked into sending in a tape. So the Ashland native, with the help of her friend Amy Lechner, prepared a tape of a song she wrote, "Terminal Routine," that had Oprah Winfrey's name in it and sent it in. It was one of 15,000 entries for the contest. Ashland native Lee McGinnis Aguilera gets a hug from Oprah Winfrey on the set of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." McGinnis Aguilera is a semifinalist on "Oprah's Pop Star Challenge," and will discover her fate in the contest on Friday. Courtesy photo Monday, she appeared on "Oprah" as one of eight semifinalists singing the song "At Last." She impressed celebrity judges Cyndi Lauper, Brian McKnight and Toni Braxton greatly. Braxton went as far as to compare McGinnis Aguilera, who now lives in Nashville with husband and fellow Ashlander Brian Aguilera, to Faith Hill. "That was a great compliment," she said from her home in Mt. Juliet, a suburb of Nashville and the home of Charlie Daniels. "I have never been told that before but I will take it." McGinnis Aguilera and her husband were delivered by the same doctor in Ashland and started dating as seniors in high school. In 1995, they moved to Nashville, where McGinnis Aguilera pursued a music career. "After I saw what it took to be a performer, I saw that wasn't me. So I decided to quit and focus on my songwriting," she explained. "I thought maybe it was meant for me to be a songwriter and had quite a few doors open for me." But things changed three years ago. "I didn't think I could get pregnant but I found myself pregnant and my focus shifted to the kids," McGinnis Aguilera said. "After I had my second baby, I decided that when my son became one year old, I would hit it hard again." She didn't quite make that goal as her son was eight months old when Oprah literally came calling just before Thanksgiving. "I sent the tape in last year and had forgotten I had even sent it," McGinnis Aguilera said. "They (an Oprah crew) were camped out in my neighborhood and came and knocked on the door. I thought it was a salesman. "I was in my work clothes and the kids were in their jammies. When I opened the door, there was a full crew and camera. They then fed Oprah through the satellite to tell me I had been chosen as one of the final eight. I was like a deer in the headlights." The first person she called after the crew left was her husband. She followed that up with a call to Lechner. McGinnis Aguilera, who is partial to country and blues music, is back in Chicago today to rehearse and prepare for another possible appearance on Oprah next Monday. The voting to determine a final three was done by logging onto Oprah.com or by calling a toll-free number. Voting began immediately after the show aired ended Tuesday afternoon. The results will become known to McGinnis Aguilera and the other seven semifinalists Friday. If she is chosen as one of the three finalists, she will perform again Monday, with the winner announced Feb. 23 on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Oprah can be seen at 4 p.m. weekdays on KDRV-TV Channel 12. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: The new search is here! Click here for more information. .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - ODOT Road Cams