Pro golfers look to cash in at Capital One Classic
June 12, 2007
Beverly Boudreaux
June 14, 2007
One by one, the local singers took the stage Saturday, belting out popular country, rock and hip-hop tunes in hopes of becoming Houma’s next musical star.
At the closed audition, a panel of judges put the local singers on the “hot seat” at the first weekend’s tryouts at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.
Among the first five names called to perform were Nicholls State University students Natalie Wells, 19, and Cody Morrison, 20.
The two friends and former Terrebonne High School students attended the tryouts together for moral support.
Wells, the daughter of Robert and Amanda Wells of Houma, recently moved from her parent’s home into her first apartment. For the audition, she decided to sing Carrie Underwood’s “Don’t Forget to Remember Me,” a song about a young girl striking out on her own.
“My move has taken its toll on my parents, especially my dad. He thinks that I am going to forget about him. But he has to realize that this is just another chapter in my life that I have to start. I would never forget about my parents and I don’t want them to forget about me,” Wells said.
Standing on stage with her eyes slightly closed trying to hold back her tears, Wells said she sang to her father because she will always be a daddy’s girl.
Heading to the stage shortly after Wells, Morrison nervously stood at the ballroom door. The pressure seemed to subside once the singer was on stage. He belted out a powerful rendition of South Louisiana native son Marc Broussard’s “Home.”
“Marc Broussard’s voice eludes power in that song and I wanted my voice to be soulful and powerful, too,” he said.
When the younger singers were called to the stage – the competition is open to singers age 9 and older – their parents stood idly by and watched.
Dressed as a smaller version of Alicia Keyes, Shelby Frances, 11, took the stage to show the judges that she was a true star with an attitude to match.
The miniature diva said she’s not afraid to sing in front of large crowds of people because she has star quality. Her song choice was Keyes’ “Fallen” because it’s her favorite song.
Not shy to the limelight, the 11-year-old performed Ike and Tina Turner’s “Fool in Love” at MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev., a couple of years ago.
Among the first-timers at Saturday’s first round of tryouts was Whitney Voisin, 9. According to Voisin’s father Toby, this is a big step for his nine-year-old daughter because she had never performed before in front of judges.
A fan of the Disney show “Hannah Montana,” Voisin said she was nervous at first because she didn’t know what to expect. Voisin’s song choice was Miley Cyrus’ “If We Were a Movie” because she dreams of being a movie star and starting her own rock band, which she plans to name “Starlight.”
“Whitney is coming out of her shell. I am proud of her for trying to experience new things,” Toby Voisin said.
Show creator Ann Duplantis said all the singers were on the same level in some ways. “No one singer is out shinning the rest, which makes the judges’ decisions 10 times harder, she said.
Residents have one more chance to be in the mix; the final try-out is scheduled for June 16 at the civic center from noon to 4 p.m. The closed audition is free to singers. Contestants are required to sing two minutes acappella.
After the final tryouts, the judges will select 25 locals to compete at the civic center for the title on July 14.
From the original 25, judges will choose 10 lucky – and very talented – singers to return to the stage to perform a second song. The Centerstage winner will be picked from that final panel.
“What will the winner receive?” one may ask.
Studio time at Palms Spring Studio in Houma, an appearance on the Louisiana Connection Network (LCN) and a stage performance with the South Louisiana favorite Treater at the Downtown Live after Five festivities in Houma.
The Centerstage winner will also be a featured vocalist at Tab Benoit’s 2007 Voice of the Wetlands Festival Oct. 12-14.
Louisana Cable Network has promised to air highlights and bloopers from the two tryouts, as well as the final show, so Centerstage finalist will receive plenty of exposure, Duplantis noted.
Similar to Fox network’s “American Idol,” the Centerstage airing will give viewers a look behind the scenes at the tryouts and final competition.
The singing competition is a spin-off of the now defunct Southland Mall Hometown Stars competition, Duplantis said.
Over a three-year span – 2003 to 2005, more than 200 people competed for local bragging rights as the region’s top singer.
When the mall announced that Hometown Stars was coming to an end, Duplantis, a major player in the event, was determined to see the event continue.
“It was the only way that some of our residents could showcase their talent in the community,” she said.
After a layoff in 2006, she felt it was time to bring the competition back to Houma.
“We change the name and got new sponsors,” Duplantis said. Trapp Cadillac Chevrolet and Charter funding stepped up to provide backing for the event.
And with a change in venue – from the mall to the civic center – Duplantis is hopeful that the event will attract an even bigger audience.
“We were packing more than 700 people into the mall for the competition. This time we have adequate space to accommodate even more people,” she said.
Proceeds from the final event will benefit the parish’ CASA for Kids program.
Shelby Frances, 11, belts out a song during CenterStage auditions Saturday. The second round of tryouts will be held June 16 at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.
