By Cassandra Miller
Contributing Writer
July 10, 2009 04:00 am ONEONTA _ Twenty-one of the 40 Ultimate Idol contestants who sang June 24 and Wednesday night have earned enough points from the three judges to sing at the semifinals under the white tent at the Foothills Performing Arts Center on July 22. On Wednesday night at Foothills, 23 singers shimmied, rocked out and urged the audience to clap along to their songs; the crowd of more than 500 enthusiastically obliged. Contestants sang songs ranging from "White Wedding" by Billy Idol, to "Not Ready to Make Nice," by the Dixie Chicks, to "Sherry," by Frankie Valli. Veteran Idol crowd members and singers noted that the music choices this year are more varied than in past years, which have heavily featured country songs. "Each year, it's different talent and different styles," said Judy Pitel, of Otego, a former contestant who made it to the semifinals at the 2008 Ultimate Idol contest. "It all depends on what the judges like." The judges said their musical tastes run the gamut from rock to country and everything in between. They give contestants a score on a scale of 1 to 10 in four categories: vocal tone, vocal pitch, connection with the audience and overall stage presence. "It's a $2,000 prize for the winner, so we take it quite seriously," said John Thompson, a three-time Ultimate Idol judge. The event is sponsored by the Central New York Radio Group. The judges noted that the audience seems to connect with older contestants who sing older songs. "The guys who come in and do doo-wop are always crowd favorites," said Tom King, who has been an Ultimate Idol judge since the contest began eight years ago. Bill Blair, of Pine Hill, a hamlet near Belleayre Mountain in Ulster County, was one of the singers who performed doo-wop and had the crowd cheering with every high note. His performance of "Sherry" earned him enough points to advance to the semifinals. "Anyone who can get up and sing Frankie Valli like that, you've got to give him credit," said Pitel. Blair said he honed his skills singing with an a cappella quartet for 30 years and doing singer impersonations. A first-time Idol contestant, Blair said he heard about the contest from fellow semifinalist and doo-wop singer Gregg Eso, of Grand Gorge, who sang "Why Don't You Believe Me?" by The Duprees. Both singers watched the performances with friends and family at a table directly behind the judges in the middle of the tent. Blair said he enjoyed performing in front of the Oneonta audience. "It's a wonderful crowd," he said. "Everybody supports everybody." Jeff Wood, a contestant who performed June 24, said he came to support the other singers. "When I talk about this, I get caught up," said Wood, who came in second place in the 2008 Ultimate Idol contest and was the DJ for this year's Junior Idol competition. "Hopefully I make it to the next level." He did. Wood said this year's competition is fierce, and that the audience should expect to watch top-notch performances in the semifinals. "(The performers) they're going to see in the semifinals are of the caliber of any big city," he said. Pitel said the pressure of performing at the semifinals is intense. "It's nerve-racking," she said. "It's hard enough to come up with a song that you think the judges will like." Event organizer and Central New York Radio Group Business Manager Carla Balnis said contestants who are not intimidated by the crowds in the earlier rounds get a little stage fright in the semifinals. "You'll see singers who never shook a bit getting nervous onstage," said Balnis. Although 21 singers qualified for the semifinals (one extra person qualified because of a tied score), the public will have the power to vote their favorite non-qualifying contestant to the next round. "Anyone who didn't make it can be saved," said Balnis. "So contestants can hit up friends, family and co-workers to vote for them." People will have until Wednesday at midnight to e-mail a vote for their favorite non-qualifying contestant. The contestant who receives the most e-mail votes will perform with the other 21 semifinalists on July 22. Only one vote from each e-mail account will be counted, but people with multiple accounts can use each separate account to cast a separate vote. People can vote by sending an e-mail with the name of their favorite non-qualifying contestant to ultimateidol@hotmail.com. The qualifying semifinalists are: Angela Ellwanger, Bill Blair, Bonnie Burt, Cara Eaton, Cyndee Reese, Danielle Weeks, Emily Boss, Gregg Eso, Jeff Wood, Kalendra Solat, Kyle Burch, Liz Walker, Marly Puylara, Mary Francis Perricone, Michael Grey, Mike Jacobs, Pamela West, Ron Leone, Ryan Weeks, Terri Whitney and Tyler Bassett.
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