Shower singers and karaoke fanatics alike will rejoice Monday when the Campus Activities Board presents MSU Idol.
The competition will start at 8 p.m. in The Colvard Union Ballroom, and admission is free.
The MSU Idol competition is a spin-off of singing competitions at other schools, but is mainly based on the hit FOX reality show “American Idol.” CAB will sponsor the event, which will premiere Monday with 10 finalists that were chosen earlier this week.
According to the CAB Web site, the second round of competition will be Feb. 28, where the contestants will dwindle to seven. The following Thursday, March 3, the seven will be eliminated to four contestants and then, down to two. The finale will be Monday, March 8, with only two contestants remaining. Three judges will decide which contestants proceed to the next rounds, and they will also choose the winner.
“We put on mic nights all the time, and students really like them,” CAB entertainment executive Jessica Fulton said. “We thought it would be a good idea to put on since ‘American Idol’ is on right now. We think it’s a way that students can feel that they represent Mississippi State.”
CAB hopes this competition will catch the interests of students at MSU, since the “American Idol” show has become such a hit.
“On March 8, we’ll even show some funnier, blooper-like moments from the competition just like the show does,” Fulton said. “We’ve got about 27 people trying out, but that will be scaled down to 10 by the time the competition starts Monday.”
“MSU Idol is basically the same as ‘American Idol,'” Dawghouse entertainment division head Jason Moore said. “There will be a grand prize winner and that will person will win, among other prizes, $250.”
The first 27 contestants will have to sing a 30-second a cappella song much like on “American Idol,” Fulton said.
“From there on out, the contestants will get to choose their first and, for the two who make it to the finals, last song. The other songs they sing will be pre-chosen and will go along to a certain theme,” she added.
Fulton also says the prizes that the contestants receive are worth making it to the Top 10.
“Lots of businesses all over Starkville are donating prizes for the winners of MSU Idol,” Fulton said. “The top eight will receive movie passes and the top two will each receive an outfit donated by a local clothier, while the overall winner will receive a cash prize as well.”
“There’re a wide variety of people who are auditioning,” Fulton said. “I think everyone, contestants and non-contestants, will have a great time.”
Fulton and Moore said they want the students at Mississippi State to be able to have programs like MSU Idol that reach out to a broad variety of students.
“MSU Idol is mainly for the students,” Moore said. “It’s a good way to get the local community involved, and it gives students a chance to participate in something on campus.”