Local "American Idol"-style competitions put you in the spotlight

Boston MA, Wednesday May 2, 2007

By Meredith Goldstein
The Boston Globe

Jason Venezia is more of a hard-rocking Chris Daughtry than a pop-loving Sanjaya.

Friday night at the Limelight Stage and Studios karaoke club on Tremont Street, the 33-year-old Charlestown resident warmed up with Pearl Jam's "Black," a soulful rock number that's a challenge because of its slow pace, dark mood, and extreme range.

One might call it a karaoke risk.

"Tattooed all I see ... all that I am ... all I'll be ..."

Venezia bellowed Eddie Vedder's high notes with confidence, closing a performance that Randy might call "pitchy," Paula would call "passionate," and Simon -- well, we shudder to think what Simon would say.

It was night No. 1 of the "Anthem Idol" competition at Limelight.

"We decided, why don't we capitalize on the 'American Idol' craze, too?" said Ashley Horton,an event planner for Anthem Entertainment, a national event-planning and marketing group that also holds numerous music events.

"Anthem Idol" works like this: For the next three Fridays, Kelly Clarkson wannabes perform in preliminary rounds, and 36 contestants will be chosen to perform in the semifinals on May 18 and 25. That group will be pared down 18 for the final round on June 1. Secret judges will be in the house for the preliminary rounds, and their opinions will be considered along with votes from the audience. Judges will be made public during the semifinals.

Contestants who register in advance online get a coupon for free studio practice time so that they can test their pipes before the competition. Or, if you show up before the competition begins, as Venezia did last week, you can take a turn on the mic before everyone else arrives.

Venezia picked "Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down as his official competition song. "I figure it's an opening round, so I'll do something easy," he said.

Venezia's competition for the night included Shannon Stearns, a 17-year-old from Plymouth who sang "A Whole New World" from Disney's "Aladdin," and Natasha Anderz, a 19-year-old from Boston, who kicked off the night with a soulful rendition of Erykah Badu's "On and On." All three advanced to the semifinals.

The winner gets recording time at Limelight, where they can create a demo, and the chance to perform at a future Anthem event in Boston. There will also be cash prizes for runners up.