Thousands of college students spent hours in front of the tube last season following the future of 10 potential pop stars on the hit reality show, “American Idol.” As viewers stay tuned to see the success of Kelly Clarkson in show business, SMU gets a chance to create its own version.
This fall, “Mustang Idol” will be brought to life on the SMU campus through the efforts of Program Council’s Hilltop Committee. The more than 25 -year-old Program Council is one of the largest programming bodies at SMU.
“Of all the committees, Hilltop holds the tradition of putting on creative and trendy shows and they definitely saw a need for ‘Mustang Idol’.” said Promotions Director of Program Council Cynthia Perez.
The idea was born with senior DJ Pierce. Hilltop chair Elissa Berchelmann said that Pierce had an epiphany in the shower, ran to the Student Activities Fair and said, “Let’s do this.”
After several days and hours of planning the idea, the proposal for “Mustang Idol” was submitted to Student Senate and passed.
Auditions for “Mustang Idol” are open to all students and staff and will be held Oct. 9 and 10. Contestants can sign up for times in front of the Hughes-Trigg Student Center from Oct.7 to 9.
Each performer will be asked to sing at least 16 bars (about a minute) of a cappella music in front of three to five local celebrity judges. The judges will then choose 10 finalists based on vocal quality, personality and style.
The finalists’ talents will be promoted at several Mustang events throughout the semester. They may be asked to perform at football and basketball games, Talent Show, Family Weekend Barbecue and to participate in the Homecoming Parade. Hilltop also plans to create a promotional video of the finalists for showing in Hughes-Trigg.
“Our goal is to have every person know all 10 people, who they are and what they’re about,” Berchelmann said of the month-and-a-half long promotional activities. “Hilltop hopes to rally school spirit by getting everyone excited about the finalists and giving them something to look forward to.”
Students are already beginning to chatter about the creation of a Pony pop star.
“I think ‘Mustang Idol’ is a great idea because it will strengthen the SMU community,” sophomore Yvonne Bauer said,
The student body will select the winner of Mustang Idol. The winner will be announced at the final event Nov. 7.
SMU fame won’t be the only prize. One thousand dollars in cash prizes will be given away. Big-time celebrities and original “American Idol” participants are expected to judge and host the final event. Contestants can count on community and citywide recognition.
An official “Mustang Idol” Web site is in the making.
