Take thousands of superstar wannabes, a scathing judge and a few million dollars worth of high-profile sponsors, and you have a hit television series. If you take several talented locals, the not-so corporate sponsorship of Century Scholars and Alpha Phi Alpha, and mix it with some heart, you have Alpha Idol. Unlike its mainstream predecessor, Alpha Idol’s main purpose is not to find the stars of today. Rather, with the help of some creative participants, it is a fund-raising event to help the Aggies of tomorrow.�
Luis Lugo, one of Alpha Idol’s founders, is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Lugo, also a Century Scholar, said the idea for the event came after he was approached by the Century Scholars to assist in a fund-raiser.
“One of my brothers in my fraternity suggested that we incorporate the ‘American Idol’ theme into the fund-raiser to make it more interesting and appealing,” said Lugo, a sophomore chemical engineering major. “Everybody in Alpha Phi Alpha liked the idea, so we took the idea back to the Century Scholars office and decided to call it Alpha Idol.” �
Shasta Porchia, recruitment and retention co-coordinator at the Office of Honors Programs and Academic Scholarships, said the event came to form after Century Scholars decided to raise funds for future Aggie Century Scholars.
“Since we are always encouraging the Century Scholars to get involved in community service events like this, we immediately said ‘yes,'” she said
Porchia said Century Scholars wanted to have a fund-raiser to help Century Scholars who are seniors in high school and have already been accepted to Texas A&M, but do not have the money to attend new student conferences.�
The contest was open to anybody who was interested, regardless of age or location. Audition tapes and videos were taken before the event took place, Lugo said.
“We even received a lot of out-of-town contestants, and many that weren’t even students,” Lugo said. “The judges watched the videos and narrowed it down to 10 finalists, who will perform at the actual event Sunday night.”
Lugo said some audition videos will be shown at the event, as well. �
To separate the event from “American Idol”, Lugo said there will be a “Showtime at the Apollo” twist to Alpha Idol. Fully equipped with a master of ceremonies, Lugo said the Apollo theme will bring humor to the event.
“Since we aren’t going to hurt or offend anybody, we decided to add a comedic MC to take care of the humor element,” Lugo said. “We are aiming to have the MC interact with the crowd and get them involved and really in to it. “�
Winning the Alpha Idol contest could mean more than just 15 minutes of fame. The winner will receive a cash prize of $500, Lugo said. Hesfree Talents will also have scouts attending the event.
“It’s exposure and fun while helping out a good cause,” he said. “It’s basically a win-win situation for the contestants.”
At the competition, the 10 will be narrowed down to five, and from those five, one Alpha Idol performer will be selected as the winner. Porchia said aside from talent and stage presence, crowd reaction will be a major factor in choosing the winning performer.
“The audience is going to be a big indicator for us,” said Porchia, who is one of the event’s four judges. “Even in ‘American Idol’, it ultimately comes down to what the audience wants. I think that the judges get a lot of cues from the audience.”�
Porchia said Alpha Idol will have the same basic elements as Fox’s hit TV series, except for a judge everybody loves to hate, such as Simon Cowell from “American Idol.”
“I’m a fan of ‘American Idol’ myself, and I think that it’s the bluntness that makes it so appealing,” she said. “But, since Alpha Idol is for a good cause, we have no intention of being rude or even bluntly honest. Even when we were watching the taped auditions, we didn’t feel like we were in the position of criticizing anybody’s musical talents. We hope that the event will be a fun and different type of community service fund-raiser.”
Christopher Brient, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, was also a judge for the initial auditions and said he thoroughly enjoyed the judging process.
“We all took notes based on the performances,” said Brient, a senior agricultural journalism major. “I enjoyed giving the contestants some constructive criticism. Right now, I am looking forward to the battles between the finalists.”
Organizers hope to make Alpha Idol an annual event, Brient said. �
Lela Flores, a freshman general studies major, said she has been an avid follower of “American Idol” since its debut on the small screen last year and plans to attend Sunday’s competition.
“I think it was a great idea to take ‘American Idol’ and incorporate it into a good cause,” she said. “It’s also a change from all of the regular bake sale and car wash type of fund-raisers.” �
Alpha Idol will premiere on Sunday, March 30, inside Rudder Auditorium at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $7.�