GC&SU Idol rocks the house

Campus was brought to life last Friday as GC&SU Idol hit the Magnolia Ballroom for its second annual showing.

The “suitcase college” label was uplifted from GC&SU as more than 600 students formed a line outside the Student Activities Center before 6 p.m. to reserve their seats for the event.

The line stretched all the way past the GIVE Center and almost reached the Old Governor’s Mansion. More than 100 students were denied entry as the university stopped letting students in when 580 people were let into the Magnolia Ballroom, said Allia Carter, GC&SU Idol director and director of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs.

Even though the wait was long, students were anxious to see the show.

“It is an exciting event,” said sophomore liberal studies major Dallas Smith. “It is good entertainment. You can tell the contestants try hard and that they put a lot of effort into their performances.”

Furthermore, as students waited patiently to claim their seats, there was more than an hour long delay before seating began. Moments before the crowd was supposed to enter the ballroom,the soundboard for the show broke and the GC&SU Idol staff had to find a new one, set it up, and make sure it worked. The event did not begin until approximately 8:20 p.m. The university does plan on making improvements to next year’s show “The equipment failure was unexpected. It was an act of God,” said Carter. “I don’t know how you plan for that sort of thing. We do intend to find a facility that holds enough people.”

After all the kinks were fixed and the tension was mounted, the grand event finally commenced. The projector slowly descended form the ceiling and students began to fill the room with cheers and applause. The show began with a short clip of all the student auditions that had taken place for the competition. Students were excited the show would finally begin.

“It is exciting because it is kids you know and you can relate with,” freshman Eric Duncan said. “When they get famous, we can say, ‘we know that person.’”

After the video ended, contestants took the stage and it was on. All the tension that had built up prior to the show was relieved as the nine contestants performed their introduction together. Each of the contestants began as equals as they were all dressed in black and white.

The room became dark and contestant Brian George broke the silence singing, “Can you Feel it.” The fans shouted as the nine contestants joined in to the song “Can you Feel it,” by the Jackson Five. Each contestant broke off into their own solo and the lights went out again and a spotlight shined on host Zaira Solano.

Solano took care of some house business before she let the contestants battle for the rights as the next GC&SU Idol. Solano introduced the three judges. The first judge for the evening was Jennifer Flory, GC&SU Director of choral activities. Flory mainly judged each contestant on their vocals- including pitch and tone. The next Judge was Ali Roc, Blazin’ 92.3 FM promotions assistant. Rocmainly commented on each participant’s stage performance. The last judge was Phillip Joiner, talent coordinator and promotions director for Z 97 FM. He was the GC&SU Idol’s subtle version of Simon Cowell on American Idol.

Once Zaira finished the introductions, Korey Johnson hit the stage to perform “I’m Ready for Love,” by Bryan Adams. The judges enjoyed his performance. Both Flory and Roc agreed that he did a beautiful job and that the song was a nice selection. Joiner also thought that his performance was nice but sympathized with Johnson for being nervous.

“I know how nerve racking it is to be the first contestant up on stage,” Joiner said.

After Johnson, Laura Dees followed with her performance of “Irresistible,” by Jessica Simpson. Although she had a strong wholesome voice, the judges could tell she also felt nervous on stage.

“You have a strong voice but you were a pitch above,” Flory said. “Your nervousness made your voice sharp.”

Next, out came contestant number three, Odinaka Ezeokoli with a jug of milk. His performance was one of the most wild and exciting one of the evening. He sang “This Love,” by Maroon Five. Dripping on the stage, he took a gulp of milk from his jug before he began singing. Even though his pitch was way off, he compensated with his stage performance. Midway through the performance he jumped off the stage and began jumping and dancing. The judges were stunned with his performance. The first word that came from Flory’s mouth was “well” and Joiner was so shocked he could only ask for a glass of milk.

“You definitely are an entertainer,” Roc said. “I can’t give you a whole lot on the singing, but you are an entertainer.”

After Ezeokoli’s wild show, Maddie McConnell kept the house rocking with her performance of “Break Away,” by Kelly Clarkson. It was a sentimental piece, as it was dedicated to her father. Her performance captured the hearts of the audience. The crowd began to sway their hands back and forth and when she was finished they gave her a standing ovation. Besides Flory, Roc and Joiner were a bit critical of McConnell’s performance. Joiner said she would be perfect as the star of her own Nickelodeon show and Roc thought she chose the wrong song.

“Your stage performance was great,” Roc said. “But I think the song was little too big for your voice.”

McConnell left the stage and it was time for intermission. After everyone reclaimed their seats Bonnie Kelly took the stage and performed Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes off You.” The crowd enjoyed her performance and gave her a standing ovation. As for the judges, Joiner was amazed by her yellow shoes.

“I can’t take my eyes off your shoes,” Joiner said.

But for Flory and Roc, they could tell that she was recovering from a cold.

“Are you sick?” Flory asked. “I can tell that there is something stuck in your throat.”

Nadirah Ross made her way to the stage after Kelly and sang “Stand up for Love,” by Destiny’s Child. The crowd was stunned with her voice. She sang like she had something to prove. The room all of the sudden grew quiet. A pin drop could have been heard. The judges loved her performance.

“I got goose bumps,” Flory said.

Roc agreed with Flory.

“It was the strongest performance of the night,” Roc said.

Once Ross left the stage, Kasey Minyard sang “I Believe I Can Fly,” by R. Kelly. The crowd really got into the moment and started flapping their hands and singing. However, the judges thought she was missing something.

“There is more in there than you are giving us,” Flory said.

“You need more soul, you need to run with it,” Roc added. “The song was too big for you.”

Brittany Lewis took the stage next and sang “If I Ain’t Got You,” by Alicia Keys. The crowd loved her voice and performance. They rewarded her with a standing ovation, but the judges were indifferent.

It was Joiner’s favorite performance of the night, but Roc disagreed.

“It was a very nice presentation, but you killed it a little at the end,” Roc said.

After eight contestants, George took the stage to end the night on a good note. He sang “Bless The Broken Road,” by the Rascal Flatts. Roc could tell the song was one of his favorites.

“You sang it like you really liked the song,” Roc said.

Joiner also thought his presentation was great.

“It was better than others but not as good as a couple ones I saw tonight,” Joiner said.

The two contestants that Joiner was referring to were McConnell and Ross, the top two winners of GC&SU Idol. McConnell got first runner-up and was awarded an iPod Nano. Ross was crowned the winner and received a $2,000 gift card for Apple Computer Software and took the stage one final time. As she sang her winning song, “Stand up for Love” by Destiny’s Child, the other contestants joined hands and began to sing along with her. When she was done each contestant gave her a hug.

“It is exciting to win the GC&SU Idol,” Ross said. “Singing is what I love to do. It is great that I get to glorify God through my singing.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 10 2006. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry