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By Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – After seeing how successful the original Kalsu Idol competition was, the staff at the Forward Operating Base Kalsu mayor cell knew they had to have a second season.
On Feb. 13, the Kalsu Morale, Welfare and Recreation department will host the second Kalsu Idol competition. Although it will not be part of a larger, Army wide competition, it will still provide Soldiers the opportunity to compete for prizes in a format similar to the popular TV series American Idol, said 1st Lt. Andrew Shadley, MWR coordinator.
The decision for a sequel was cemented after the New Year's Day talent show, Shadley said. "We had 15 performers at the talent show, 14 of which sang. We realized there was a lot of singing talent here and a lot of interest in singing, seeing how we brought in a big crowd with that."
One of the reasons Shadley said he feels singing competitions like Kalsu Idol are so popular is it gives people a chance to see their friends perform.
"When the people they actually know, are friends with, and live with are performing they are going to want to go out," he said. "They are going to enjoy hearing their friends, enjoy their talent, enjoy something else other than what they do every other night."
Soldiers will have plenty of nights to enjoy the talent on Kalsu. Currently the competition is scheduled to take place over five weeks.
Like American Idol, contestants will be judged by a panel of three judges, with cuts occurring each week. More people will be cut each week gradually, one or two cuts per week as the field is reduced. During these weeks, when the field is more manageable, audience votes will also come into effect, with both judge and audience votes holding equal weight.
Based on participation, the contest may be extended, Shadley said.
No matter how long the contest runs, because winning will require a lot of work, prizes will be tailored to meet the work load.
Although prizes for the winners have yet to be decided, Shadley said they will be more valuable than those won at the talent show, which included an iPod, a digital camera and speaker system.
Shadley encouraged commanders to pass the word to their Soldiers and get them involved in the competition to represent themselves and their unit.
He also said that unlike American Idol, where contestants have to sing certain genres chosen by the judges, Soldiers will not be limited by music genres.
"Music will be totally up to them," he said, noting that he doesn't want to hamstring anyone by forcing them to sing an unfamiliar genre.
Soldiers can also sing without music if they choose, however, if they have music, they should give it to the competition's disk jockeys a few days prior to their performance. Doing so will help prevent any last-minute glitches and ensure a quality performance.
Soldiers are encouraged to come out and support their peers and enjoy the show. "Go out there and support your friends and give them some good morale support."
| Date Taken: | 01.28.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 01.28.2008 13:54 |
| Story ID: | 15838 |
| Location: | ISKANDARIYAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 284 |
| Downloads: | 280 |
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