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It's 7:30 p.m., and as the facilitators usher in the music-craving crowds, nine talented contestants are waiting backstage for their chance to dazzle the audience and become the next BC Idol. As friends and fans alike intermingle in the impromptu VIP hallway, they fuel their engines - ballad-blasting pipes and guitar-picking, piano-playing fingers - with piles of donated pizza and soda. Then the lights flicker, signaling the end of the pre-performance party. All non-contestants disappear, the host steps onstage to greet the audience, and, as the drama mounts, the confident contestants keep their cool.
At this point, Sam Kim, A&S '07, and Ben Kelly, A&S '09, the fifth and sixth performers, respectively, still haven't decided on their songs. T-minus 45 minutes before his big moment, and Kelly calmly says, "I'm hoping to go onstage and hear someone yell, 'Freebird.'"
If leaving it up to the last minute is his style, then that's just fine with the event-coordinators, 18 members of the Emerging Leader Project (ELP). These lively leaders spent months planning the third annual BC Idol, one of their most important fundraisers of the year. Their efforts transformed Gasson's traditional Irish Hall into a true simulacrum of the actual American Idol studio, complete with an audience of over 200.
In all the glitz and glamour of the spectacle, it was easy to forget the original purpose of BC Idol: to fundraise. At the entrance and throughout the evening, organizers enthusiastically encouraged attendees to make donations and buy raffle tickets to support the Tufts New England Medical Center and Floating Hospital. By the end of the night, they successfully raised a total of $1,029 to the delight of ELP, the roaring audience, and the munificent contestants.
Of course, a few other vivacious volunteers also made BC Idol possible. A feisty Seacrest-channeling set of hosts, Mark Maglio, CSOM '09 and Jim Gordon, CSOM '09, playfully bantered with judges and willingly brainstormed hobbies of contestants that provided insufficient biographical information. The three judges - whose reactions progressively became more akin to those of Paula, Simon, and Randy - included Jenn Castillo, the Undergraduate Government of Boston College president-elect and A&S '08, Dan Sievers, the UGBC vice president-elect and A&S '08; and Pat Bittorf, and orientation leader and LSOE '09. The multi-lensed spotlight and its controller also deserve recognition for dutifully chasing the most energetic performers across the stage.
The audience of voters found it difficult to choose their favorite of the nine crooning contestants, who made the spectacle truly spectacular: Kim; Kelly; Leslie-Ann Fletcher, A&S '10; Ryan Ross, A&S '07; Anna Kim, A&S '10; Alycia Kennedy, A&S '10; Leah Gunning, CSON '10; and, last but not least, the Mike Dinet, A&S '10, and Brian McKenzie, A&S '10, as a duo.
Fletcher, the sole a capella singer, kicked off the show with a rendition of "I'm Goin' Down" that produced its own rhythm. Ross, a member of the University Chorale, represented the Clay Aiken of the clan with his upbeat version of a Garth Brooks classic that got the crowd clapping.
Awarded with third place, Kennedy gave the audience goosebumps as she played the piano and simultaneously belted out "Hurt" by Christina Aguilera. Her emotional performance prompted host Maglio to propose promptly after she finished. Similarly, the second places winner, Anna Kim, chose an Aguilera ballad and pleased the judges as well as her overwhelming fan base. "She has more fans in the house than I have friends anywhere," said Maglio.
At last, winners of this year's BC Idol: violinist Dinet and guitarist/vocalist McKenzie, stole the show with their collaborative and creative renditions of "Melt with You" and Tupac's "Life Goes On." So Ayla Brown, A&S '09, BC's own American Idol final contestant, didn't show up. But nine other BC students, whose talent has yet to be showcased on national television, performed for a packed house for one night only. And, unlike Fox's fame-hungry contestants, our humble winners could care less about their sudden shot to campus stardom. "We're just here to raise money for a good cause," said McKenzie.
And that they did. Maybe it was the inspirational music, maybe the coercion of hosts, or maybe it was the springtime magic. When the crowds found out how much they had raised by the night's end, they cheered louder than they had for any contestant. Looks like another hit for the ELP, and, until next year, "Eagle: out!" n
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