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53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 28, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 10, 2004 Tryouts slated for Southern Oregon Idol event By BILL VARBLE Mail Tribune Singers, start your vocal engines. The search for the first Southern Oregon Idol begins Friday at Vogel Plaza in downtown Medford. Those who have wondered when the "American Idol" craze would come to Southern Oregon need wait no longer. "It seems like the interest is out there," says the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater’s Brad Nelson, who is coordinating the event. Events begin with a kick-off party from 5 to 8 p.m. in the plaza at the corner of West Main Street and Central Avenue, which is presented by Craterian Performances and Medford Fox affiliate KMVU- TV. The event is the first chance for young performers to pick up registration materials for the contest. It features food, music, giveaways, karaoke and a live radio broadcast. Singers must be at least 16 and no older than 24 to compete in the event. Advertisement At stake is a chance to audition for the nationally televised show "American Idol," which includes a chance to be subjected to the taunts of Simon Cowell, the Brit known for heaping insults on contestants on the popular show. The prize package includes airfare and five nights’ accommodations in the nearest city in which the TV show winds up holding auditions. "As of now it’s Las Vegas," Nelson says. More than 70,000 young people took part in the last "American Idol," which resulted last month in a shot at a recording career for the winner, brash Fantasia Barrino. More than 65 million call-in votes were cast by the show’s viewers. A one-hour orientation for would-be idols taking part in the competition is set for 2 p.m. July 18 at the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater in Medford. Preliminary auditions will be held July 20-23 at the Jackson County Expo. Each contestant will be asked to sing a two-minute song, a cappella. Contestants under 18 need the signature of their parents or guardians to be eligible. Callback auditions will be July 24 at the Craterian. At the callbacks, competitors will be chosen for the shows that will determine the eventual winner — the Southern Oregon Idol — Aug. 3, 4 and 5 at the theater, probably with a different theme each night. "We’ll provide karaoke background music," Nelson says. "We’ll have a list of 1,000 songs, and they’ll be able to pick four or five each." Nelson says themes could include ballads, current pop tunes, maybe Motown. Completed registration materials and a non-refundable fee of $10 (cash or check) may be turned into the Craterian in downtown Medford from Tuesday through July 9. The box office is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Those who can’t attend the kick-off party can still get registration packets beginning Tuesday at the Craterian box office or the offices of KMVU-TV Fox 26 at 820 Crater Lake Ave., Medford. For more information, call the Craterian at 779-3000, or KMVU-TV at 772-2600. Reach reporter Bill Varble at 776-4478 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers