What’s New Oct 2007
KaraokeFest 2007 is in the books…and what a blast! This was, by far, the biggest and best “Fest” yet with 3 major singing competition finals, 6 Karaoke stages going all day and night and even live, right on the spot, auditions for the new hit TV show, the Singing Bee!
First of all we wish to thank our sponsors, VocoPro, Ace Karaoke, ProSound and Singer’s Choice for their generous support and enthusiasm for this event. They make it possible to have this day-long celebration of Karaoke every year for all of us to enjoy. Please support these fine companies for all they do for Karaoke.
As for the event itself, 90 singers competed in the 3 contest finals, the Crème de la Kids, Crème de la King and Crème de la Crème. The competitions started at noon and didn’t finish until 11:30pm. What a day of first rate, top flight singing! The 25 children in the Crème de la Kids contest were terrific as they melted everyone’s heart with their performances. The 15 Crème de la King competitors brought back the memory of Elvis in a huge way and really lit up the stage with their colorful outfits and exciting renditions of classic Elvis tunes. And, of course, the 50 Crème de la King Finalists rocked the Fairgrounds for over 4 hours with outstanding performances and world class singing.
Special thanks go to the phenomenally talented Shawn Parr for another perfect job of hosting the Crème de la Crème Finals Competition and to my good friend, Manny Pacheco, the best emcee for a huge event like this that anyone could ask for. For those of you who couldn’t be there, Shawn decided to try on some of the contestant’s special performing costumes during the show with hilarious results (see photos).
Our sincere gratitude also goes out to Crème de la King host, Dennis Skiles, and to Crème de la Kids host, Tony DeFazio for all their efforts in making the dream come true for all of their contestants. Many thanks also to all of the gracious volunteers who gave so much of their time and energy to make KaraokeFest so special for everyone.
Getting back to the “Singing Bee” auditions at KaraokeFest, we have already received reports of a number of auditioners being called back for the TV show. We would like to wish all of you who auditioned the best of luck and we are confident that you will be great representatives of the Karaoke community on this popular new TV show.
We would like to acknowledge all of our Karaoke Expo Exhibitors, VocoPro (represented by OK Karaoke & Electronics), Ace Karaoke, ProSound (formerly Priddis), Singer’s Choice of Huntington Beach, 5 Star Karaoke, Jean Nagle’s Karaoke Cruise, Ethermedia, Inc. and the Singing Bee. We, and the Karaoke community, sincerely appreciate your participation at KaraokeFest this year and we hope to see you all again next year.
Don’t forget that, for a limited time, you can purchase your own professionally produced DVD of any or all of the exciting singing competitions at KaraokeFest this year…a perfect memento of all the fabulous performances that made KaraokeFest 2007 such an entertainment extravaganza. The Crème de la Kids and Crème de la King DVDs are only $19.95 each (+ S&H) and the Crème de la Crème DVDs are only $29.95 (+ S&H), or you can order all 3 DVDs for only $59.95 (+S&H). Order yours today at www.KaraokeScene.com or by calling (714) 826-2212.
On a more serious note, the subject of “piracy” continues to haunt the Karaoke industry as well as the entertainment industry at large. Piracy hurts everyone connected with the Karaoke industry and the Karaoke community as well both directly and indirectly. If something is not done about it, everyone will suffer. A number of Karaoke music companies have had to close their doors as a result of piracy and some others are barely hanging on. Check the “Newsmakers” section on page 10 for a recent press release from the United States Department of Justice pertaining to this issue. It is everyone’s responsibility to try to do the right thing where piracy is concerned. Please do your part and purchase your music legally
