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    Columbus Named 1 of 20 Cities to Host American Idol Pre-Game Auditions this Friday

    American Idol did it first, right? And more importantly, American Idol is going to do it in Columbus. On September 12, the Great Darwinian Spectacle hits Columbus to partake of our local talents.

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    We are one of 20 cities whose musical hopefuls can vie for a shot at singing in front of Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Ritchie in the upcoming season of the rebooted talent show.

    What’s the best strategy for local hopefuls to edge their way to the front of that line? You can audition in advance with Columbus Idol.

    On Friday, August 24, Flannagan’s Dublin (6835 Caine Rd.) will hold the auditions, hosted by ABC 6/Fox 28’s Cameron Fontana.

    The panel of local judges is populated by radio personalities Kristie Kemper of QFM96 (WLVQ), Trisha Moore from Sunny 95 (WSNY), George Wolf of Rewind 103.5/104.3 (WNND) and Andre Styles of Mix 107.9 (WVMX).

    Contestants must be between the ages of 15 and 28 and will be judged on vocal talent, appearance, overall performance and stage presence.

    Auditions begin at 4 p.m. and consist of 30 seconds of a capella singing. Twenty finalists move on to Round 2 to perform 60-second auditions.

    One grand prize — Silver Ticket — winner is guaranteed an audition with American Idol executive producers. Three runners-up get to cut to the front of the line for the September 12 American Idol bus tour.

    Moore, for one, is excited about the opportunity to participate.

    “I look forward to hearing all the different song choices,” she says. “I was a competitive singer as a teen and wish I could have had an opportunity to be discovered like this.”

    What’s Styles most excited to see?

    “The crazies to come out!” he says.

    All three are honored to be a part of the American Idol tradition.

    “To me, the original judges with Simon, Paula and Randy were the best,” Styles says.

    Moore is also a longtime Idol viewer.

    “My favorite moments are Kelly Clarkson’s win, of course, and Katherine McPhee’s version of Black Horse and a Cherry Tree.”

    Wolf has spent less time with the program.

    “I started watching more when Katy Perry joined the show,” he admits. He’s mainly eager to see what the Columbus talent pool has to offer.

    “I’m sure it won’t be easy to choose between some really talented people to find winners, but it will be exciting,” he says. “There is so much musical talent in this city, it’s time to put it in the spotlight!”

    Says Styles, “We have had a lot of bands from Columbus in the past couple of years start to make a big name for themselves. I think there is so much hidden talent in Columbus that no one knows about.”

    Moore agrees.

    “As great as our city is, I expect some amazing talent to come from Columbus,” she says. “I would love to see a Columbus native take home the title.”

    Read more from Hope and team at MADDWOLF and listen to her weekly film podcast, THE SCREENING ROOM.

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    Hope Madden
    Hope Maddenhttps://columbusunderground.com
    Hope Madden is a freelance contributor on Columbus Underground who covers the independent film scene, writes film reviews and previews film events.
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