Karaoke Scene – What's New

 It’s nearing year’s end…and this has certainly been quite a year! The Karaoke industry is moving in new directions and Karaoke, as an entertainment medium, continues to flourish. Karaoke remains the number one form of live entertainment in Southern California with hundreds of venues from Ventura County to the Mexican border. And Karaoke Scene Magazine is delivered to all of them to be enjoyed by everyone.

The “Singer’s Showcase” right here on our extremely popular website, continues to be an overwhelming favorite with singers all around the world. This thing is really a blast! If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should because you have been missing a great time.

And for all you KJs out there, our “KJ Directory” at www.KaraokeScene.com is the perfect way to make sure the whole Karaoke world knows about you and your shows. Sign up now!

Our “Adventures of Karaoke Super Guy” series continues to evoke great response from our readers. Brigitte Wolf and Panos Papathopoulos have really put together something special here. We hope you all will continue to enjoy this light hearted, tongue in cheek Karaoke oriented super-hero fantasy.

And speaking of “Karaoke Super Guy,” when we first published the series we wondered what he might look like from the somewhat oblique description of him in the first installment. So, we decided to offer a prize to the person who submitted the best illustration of “Karaoke Super Guy” and his ordinary human counterpart, “Quincy Beanfang,” as chosen by our staff. We offered a $50 prize to the person whose drawings were chosen to represent our new Karaoke super hero. Although we had a number of submissions, unfortunately, in the opinion of our staff (and the writers), none of them quite hit the mark so we let it go for a while.

Well, we want to try it again. The writers are anxious to put a physical face and personality to the character and have asked us to please re-run the contest. It has been a while since the physical description of “Karaoke Super Guy” has appeared in print so, to refresh everyone’s memory, here is the portion of the first episode that describes him, both as a super hero and as an ordinary human.

Suddenly Quincy experienced a searing pain in his throat and his scalp felt like it was on fire. He turned to the mirror and couldn’t believe what he saw. Looking back at him was a stranger unlike anyone he had ever seen before. He was completely bald (with a weird criss-cross type pattern on his scalp, almost like the head of a microphone), muscular with handsome chiseled features and was adorned with a kind of suit which looked like it had been made from parts of his living room.

It was a typical evening for Karaoke singer, Quincy Beanfang, a 25 year old male nurse of slight build and quite ordinary looks.

Please be sure to submit a drawing of both entities, “Karaoke Super Guy” and “Quincy Beanfang.”

Please send your submissions for “Karaoke Super Guy” by email to info@KaraokeScene.com or you may mail them to:

Karaoke Scene
PO Box 2633
Cypress, CA 90630

Sorry, we cannot return the submissions.

Good luck to all of you!

Don’t forget, you can see your own photos in Karaoke Scene Magazine. We are still accepting photos from all over the world Karaoke community for publication in future issues. We appreciate all the folks who have sent us their photos and hope to hear from more of you in the future. Here are just a few suggestions:

Your photos should be about singing.
Please make sure your photos are sharp and clear.
Please be sure your photos are in a digital format (jpeg files); no prints.

Please send your photos by email to photos@KaraokeScene.com or, if you have a lot of them, you may put them on a CD and mail them to:

Karaoke Scene
PO Box 2633
Cypress, CA 90630

We look forward to receiving them.

Our staff is very busy working on the upcoming SongBurst ‘09 Singing Competition, the winter’s biggest singing contest, which will begin on February 14 (Valentine’s Day), 2009 at the Orange County Market Place. SongBurst will again offer both an adult (18 and older) and junior (17 and younger) contest. There will be thousands in cash and prizes as well as a terrific time for all, individuals and families alike. You can check out all the details at www.KaraokeScene.com and, of course, in our next issue.

Congratulations!!! Three time KJ of the Year winner for Orange County, CA, Donna Thomas raised a phenomenal $18,079 for the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles during her annual gala fundraiser at the TomKat Lounge in Buena Park. Karaoke Scene salutes Donna Thomas and all of the many folks who unselfishly gave so much of their time and money to help these children who need it so much.

 KaraokeFest 2008 has come to a close…but what a party it was! This was, by far, the biggest and best “Fest” ever with the finals for 3 major singing competitions and 5 Karaoke stages going all day and night. And did they go! Most locations had a one to 2 hour rotation for most of the day!

First of all we want to thank our sponsors, VocoPro, Ace Karaoke and ProSound 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 around 11:30pm. What a day of fantastic singing! The 24 children in the Crème de la Kids contest were really terrific as they melted everyone’s heart with their performances. The 16 Crème de la King competitors brought back the memory of Elvis in a huge way and ignited 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 sensational 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. And making her debut at KaraokeFest was KRTH 101 super radio personality, Sylvia Aimerito, hosting the Crème de la King Final Competition. She was superb!

Our sincere gratitude also goes out to Crème de la Kids host, Tony DeFazio and to Crème de la King Contest Coordinator, Tony Christina, 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.

We would like to acknowledge all of our Karaoke Expo Exhibitors, Ace Karaoke, ProSound, SingIt.TV (Ethermedia, Inc.), YourVideoke.com, Starlight Entertainment and Greg’s Pro Audio. We, and the Karaoke community, sincerely appreciate your participation at KaraokeFest 2008 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 2008 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 for only $59.95 (+S&H). Order yours today at www.KaraokeScene.com or by calling (714) 826-2212.

Thanks also to our fabulous Karaoke Stage hosts at KaraokeFest this year, Ace Karaoke, Greg’s Pro Audio, Blue Collar Karaoke, Helen Scheuplein and L-N-J Productions. These talented people make KaraokeFest fun for everybody all day long and we want them to know how much they are appreciated.

And, of course, our prize sponsors, VocoPro, Ace Karaoke, ProSound, Good Time Karaoke, All Star Karaoke, Music Book Deluxe and Tricerasoft.com. Their generosity speaks for itself and these companies are certainly deserving of everyone’s support.

Now that this year’s KaraokeFest is over, we can all start looking forward to the next big Karaoke event in Southern California, SongBurst 2009 at the Orange County Market Place starting on Saturday, February 14th. There will be both an adult and a Junior competition with thousands in cash and prizes!

And speaking of SongBurst 2009, in planning the event with the Orange County Market Place, we are discussing adding a third competition, “Karaoke’s Got Talent.” This would be for Karaoke singers who have other talents besides singing such as dancers, jugglers, magicians, impressionists, ventriloquists, musicians, mimes, etc. A decision has not yet been made about whether to add this competition to the others. Is this something you would like to participate in? Is this something you would like to watch as part of the audience? Do you think it would add an exciting new dimension to the show? Please let us know your thoughts about this new concept by emailing us at info@KaraokeScene.com or by calling us at (714) 826-2212.

Happy Halloween and Thanksgiving to everyone from Karaoke Scene Magazine!

 KaraokeFest 2008 is looming like a huge cloud of excitement over Southern California. This year’s “Fest” will again take place, by popular demand, at the L.A. County Fair in Pomona on Saturday, September 13 th…that’s right, Saturday. As you may remember, last year was the first time we scheduled “Fest” on a Saturday and it turned out fantastic (especially not having to get up the next morning to go to work).

The Crème de la Kids Singing Competition Finals will kick things off at 12 noon. Tony DeFazio of Starlight Entertainment is once again the contest coordinator and has done a remarkable job looking after the youngsters and providing them with this opportunity to show off their talents, and believe me, there are some extraordinarily talented children who will be competing at KaraokeFest this year. The show time for the Crème de la Kids Finals Competition at KaraokeFest will be 12 noon.

Next comes the Crème de la King Singing Competition Finals. As you may know, we at Karaoke Scene are huge Elvis fans here so we are really looking forward to this one. Tony Christina will be coordinating this exciting event. The qualifying rounds for this contest will begin on August 11 th and continue through August 24 th. For more details please check out page 17 of this issue. The show time for the Crème de la King Finals Competition at KaraokeFest will be 3pm. And we are pleased to announce that the Crème de la King Finals will be hosted by prominent KRTH 101 radio personality, Sylvia Aimerito. Welcome aboard!

The Golden Achievement Award nominees are listed on page 16 of this issue. These are individuals and venues that have been voted best in their respective categories by the Southern California Karaoke community at large (this time including San Diego). The winners will be announced and awards presented at KaraokeFest by radio and television personality (and KJ extraordinaire), Manny Pacheco. However, these nominees are already all winners just by having been selected from the many hundreds of venues and thousands of individuals in Southern California Karaoke. The “Best” and “Most Supportive” Awards will be presented at 5pm. The KJ and Venue of the Year Awards will be presented at 8pm. It is very important that the nominees be at the event to receive their awards. And remember, the Golden Achievement Awards are truly the “Oscars” of Karaoke and the very best way for the Karaoke community to express their appreciation. So please be on hand to show your support for these talented people and special venues.

The Crème de la Crème Singing Competition continues to send shock waves of talent across Southern California all the way down to San Diego. It looks like it’s going to be a sensational show at KaraokeFest when the 50 finalists (25 male and 25 female) will compete for thousands in cash and prizes and the coveted title of Male & Female Karaoke Singers of the Year (not to mention being flown to Salt Lake City for their very own recording session at the new “Home & Castle” recording facility, courtesy of the fine folks at Priddis Music). We are so pleased to have wildly popular L.A. radio and television personality, Shawn Parr, back as the host of the Crème de la Crème Finals Competition this year. Shawn always does a remarkable job hosting this event and we understand that he has some new surprises for everyone this year. Can’t wait to see what he’s got in store for us.

And don’t forget, in addition to the main show, there will be multiple Karaoke stages located throughout the Fairgrounds where everybody can sing all day long. Last year a bunch of folks made it a point to sing at each and every stage at least once. Sounds like a lot of fun!

Then there’s the Karaoke Expo featuring Karaoke & music industry related vendors who will be there to exhibit and/or sell their latest products. Visiting the Expo is always a great experience. The Expo will be located in very close proximity to the main stage where our show will be taking place. Be sure to make it a point to visit the Karaoke Expo.

All you need to enjoy all of the special events and activities of KaraokeFest 2008 is a ticket to the L.A. County Fair which can be purchased at many retail store locations throughout Southern California. You can also go to www.LACountyFair.com and purchase your tickets there.

Karaoke Scene would like to thank our sponsors, Ace Karaoke, VocoPro and ProSound. KaraokeFest would not be possible without the generous support of these fine companies so please show them your support.

The Karaoke Scene staff looks forward to seeing all of you at KaraokeFest this year on Saturday, September 13 th. Gates open at 10am and the “Fair” is open till midnight. See you there!

 HELLO SAN DIEGO! We are very excited to announce that the entire Karaoke community of Southern California can now come together under the Karaoke Scene banner. This means that from Ventura County to the Mexican border, Karaoke enthusiasts need only look in one place to find out all there is to know about what’s happening in the Karaoke world. It also means that all of us, including our many new friends in San Diego, can participate together in all of the major events that Karaoke Scene sponsors, including the biggest Karaoke event of the year, KaraokeFest!

This year there will be 3 “Crème de la Crème” KaraokeFest Singing Competition venues in San Diego County, the Carriage House in San Diego, Poway Fun Bowl in Poway and the Beach Club in Oceanside where you can qualify to compete at KaraokeFest 2008 for thousands in cash and prizes and the coveted title of “Male & Female Karaoke Vocalist of the Year.” San Diego will also be included in the “Karaoke Golden Achievement Awards” this year (see below). For more Golden Achievement Award information, please see pages 26 & 27.

Beginning with this issue, Karaoke Scene will be distributed to scores of Karaoke venues throughout San Diego County as well as Karaoke retailers and music stores. It is a golden opportunity for club owners and retailers to get in on the ground floor and secure the most advantageous advertising space positions in our magazine to increase their business. Advertising in Karaoke Scene, the largest Karaoke publication in the United States, is also the perfect way to re-introduce your club or retail location to everyone in San Diego County, as well as the folks that live in nearby counties or that travel frequently to the San Diego area.

If you are interested in advertising your club/venue please contact us at (714) 826-2212 or drop an email to info@KaraokeScene.com. We will be happy to help you with any and all of your advertising needs.

Now, let’s get back to KaraokeFest. This is the season of KaraokeFest competitions, and there are 3 to choose from again this year. The hugely popular and prestigious Crème de la Crème singing competition will be held at 25 venues throughout Southern California beginning on July 7 th and continuing through the month of August. This is the big one, the “mother” of all Karaoke contests everywhere, so don’t miss your chance to compete for thousands in cash and prizes, your opportunity to perform on the main stage at KaraokeFest 2008 and be named “Male or Female Karaoke Vocalist of the Year.” And this year, in addition to all the other prizes, our Crème de la Crème winners will be flown to Salt Lake City to record at the new Priddis Music, Home & Castle recording facility, courtesy of the fine folks at Priddis Music.

We are very pleased that Manny Pacheco will be coordinating the event again this year. Remember, you may qualify at as many venues as you wish in order to increase your chances for making the “Finals” at KaraokeFest 2008 hosted by Go Country 105 FM radio personality, the ever popular, Shawn Parr. All of the Crème de la Crème venues are listed on page 19. Best of luck to all!

Then there are the “Crème de la Kids” singing competition for juniors 17 and under, and the “Crème de la King” singing competition for Elvis singers/impersonators. Tony DeFazio of Starlight Entertainment will be coordinating the “Crème de la Kids” contest and Tony Christina will be coordinating the “Creme de la King” competition. These events will take place at venues throughout the Southern California area during the months of July and August. Please see page 20 for all of the exciting details. And new this year, we are pleased to announce that the Crème de la King Finals will be hosted by KRTH 101 radio personality, Sylvia Aimerito and the Crème de la Kids Finals will be hosted by Tony DeFazio and KOLA 99.9 FM radio personality, Vic Slick.

KaraokeFest would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. I would like to take a moment to personally thank our Major Sponsors for KaraokeFest 2007. These include VocoPro, Ace Karaoke and ProSound Karaoke. We sincerely appreciate their support in making this the biggest and best “Fest” ever! We st rongly encourage you to show your appreciation to these fine companies and their products.

PLEASE BE SURE TOVOTE! It’s that time of year for everyone (now including San Diego County) to support their favorite KJs, Karaoke venues and the most supportive individuals in the Karaoke community. The Golden Achievement Award voting has begun (June 1 st) and will last until July 15 th. That gives you all plenty of time to show your appreciation to the venues and individuals who have helped to make your Karaoke experience a special one. These special people and venues deserve your support and your participation is very important! Remember, in the interest of fairness, only one vote per valid email address and two votes per IP address will be accepted. You can vote right now through July 15 th at www.KaraokeScene.com.

We will be looking forward to seeing many of you at the numerous contest venues throughout Southern California over the next couple of months…and we want to wish you all the best of luck!

 We are pleased to report that the Songburst ’08 singing competition at the Orange County Market Place has been a great success! Scores of contestants turned out for the competition in both the Junior and Adult categories. And the quality of the singers was first class.

Congratulations to the SongBurst ’08 winners. Taking 1 st place in the adult category was Edward Pimentel winning $1,000 and taking 1 st place in the junior category was Cassie Gaylord winning a $1,000 savings bond. In 2nd place for the adults was Charletta Baker ($500), 3 rd place Jessica Salinaz ($300), 4 th place Cassell Williams ($200) and 5 th place Matthew Bryden ($100). For the juniors, taking second 2 nd place was Alyssa Henderson ($500 savings bond) and 3 rd place Summer Reign ($200 savings bond). All of the contestants did a fabulous job and each contestant was really a winner.

We would like to thank the Orange County Market Place for all they did to make this such a fabulous event. They are a class organization and a pleasure to work with. Special thanks to Jill Lloyd of the OCMP who helped make everything run so smoothly and really looked after the contestants to make sure everyone had a great time. The Karaoke community is fortunate to have a fine organization like the Orange County Market Place to support important events such as this.

Sincere thanks also go to Tony DeFazio of Starlight Entertainment for hosting the Junior Competition and providing the sound for the entire event. And kudos to Manny Pacheco, radio and television personality and KJ extraordinaire, for his excellent hosting of the Adult Competition.

KaraokeFest 2008 is coming on September 13 th at the fabulous L.A. County Fair in Pomona. By popular demand, KaraokeFest will again be held on a Saturday so we can all, once again, have our day-long Karaoke party on Saturday and then have a whole day to relax and recharge our batteries on Sunday. And remember, the “Fair” is open longer on Saturday; the hours are 10am – midnight. All of the exciting details for KaraokeFest 2008 will be available at www.KaraokeScene.com and in our next issue.

As KaraokeFest 2008 approaches, we are nearing the time for the “Oscars” of Karaoke, the “Karaoke Golden Achievement Awards.” These awards are so important because they provide a way to honor those in the Karaoke community whose special contributions should be recognized. These awards are actually rewards for those people and venues that rise above the norm and make a significant, positive difference to Southern California Karaoke. Whether it is being an outstanding KJ, having the fairest rotation, offering great sound, food, service or a fabulous stage from which to sing, the “extras” provided by the nominees in their prospective categories make all of our Karaoke singing experiences so much better.

Please take the time to cast your vote for the people and/or venues you think should be recognized for their efforts. And bear in mind that the more votes that are cast, the more representative the results. You may vote online at www.KaraokeScene.com. The voting begins on June 1 st and lasts until July 15 th. In the interest of fairness, only one vote per email address and two votes per IP address will be accepted. Again, the “Karaoke Golden Achievement Awards” depend on YOU, the Karaoke community, to participate and let those who are worthy know that you appreciate their efforts. They are there for you; you should be there for them!

Soon after the “Karaoke Golden Achievement Award” voting ends, the mother of all singing contests will begin. On July 5 th, the prestigious “Crème de la Crème” singing competition will “kick off” with singers from all over Southern California (and beyond) competing for thousands in cash and prizes and the coveted title of “Male & Female Karaoke Vocalist of the Year” plus all that goes with it. Don’t miss your chance to compete and become a singing star! All of the details will be available at www.KaraokeScene.com and in our next issue.

We are currently in the process of selecting the venues for our 3 KaraokeFest 2008 competitions. If you would like your venue to be considered, please contact Karaoke Scene at the number or email address listed below.

KaraokeFest 2008 also offers a golden opportunity for Karaoke related businesses to exhibit and sell their products at our Karaoke Expo area. There will be an estimated 90,000 to 120,000 people at the L.A. County Fair that day so exhibitors are sure to receive maximum exposure. The “Expo” area will be located right in the center of the Fairgrounds adjacent to where our main show will be held and totally accessible to the tens of thousands in attendance. Major sponsorship positions are also available to qualified companies.

For major sponsorship information, contest venue information or to reserve your “Expo” booth, please call (714) 826-2212 or email us at info@karaokescene.com. Space and time are limited so be sure to call now!

 Say cheese! Here’s your chance to see your photos in Karaoke Scene Magazine. That’s right; for the first time we will be accepting photos from all over the Karaoke community for publication in future issues. First, just a few suggestions:

Please be sure your photos are in a digital format (jpeg files); no prints.
Your photo should be about singing.
Please make sure your photos are sharp and clear.

We would like to welcome a new writer to Karaoke Scene, Panos Papathopuolos. We hope you all will enjoy his articles and stories. Panos has teamed up with long time Karaoke Scene writer, Brigitte Wolf, to bring you “The Adventures of Karaoke Super Guy,” a light hearted, tongue in cheek Karaoke oriented super-hero fantasy. We hope you will find a lot of fun in it…we did.

When we read the story of “Karaoke Super Guy,” we wondered what he might look like from the somewhat oblique description of him in the first installment. So, we decided to offer a prize to the person who submits the best illustration of “Karaoke Super Guy” and his ordinary human counterpart, “Quincy Beanfang,” as chosen by our staff. $50 will be awarded to the person whose drawings are chosen to represent our new Karaoke super hero. Please be sure to submit a drawing of both entities, “Karaoke Super Guy” and “Quincy Beanfang.”

Please send your photos or submissions for “Karaoke Super Guy” by email to photos@KaraokeScene.com or you may mail them to:

Karaoke Scene
PO Box 2633
Cypress , CA 90630

Sorry, we cannot return photos.

Good luck to all of you!

Finally, at this special time of year, it is good to reflect on the many blessings we receive but take for granted. Try to do a kindness to someone who may need a little boost. Take a step back and maybe let another person have their way about something. Try giving the gifts of “love and kindness, warm hearts and an outstretched hand of tolerance” this holiday season. Do this, and it will all come back to you many times over. All of us at Karaoke Scene Magazine wish you the happiest of holidays and a prosperous, song-filled New Year!