O.C. ICON Announces 30 Finalists for Star-Studded Finale!

After over two months of auditions all over Southern CA, involving hundreds of talented young singers; O.C. ICON 2009 has its 30 finalists.

On Saturday, August 29th, the field of 200 semifinalists competed at The Village Theater in Orange, CA for music industry veterans and education professionals, as well as full houses of friends and family.
One winner from each of three age divisions will be chosen by a combination vote of scores from the celebrity judging panel and ballots cast by the live theater audience that evening. All audience members will cast votes for all three age divisions.

The three winners will each receive an identical prize package including: Professional Vocal Coaching, A 2-song Professional CD recorded at Studio 770 in Brea (which will include one original song written specifically for and with the young artists), a professional photography portfolio package from Lisa Renee Photography and their own music video produced by ASP Recordings.

O.C. ICON is an annual solo vocal competition open to Southern CA youth ages 7-18 and produced by WBZB Entertainment. The contest is a showcase opportunity for young singers and gives the 30 finalists a chance at a great prize package designed to help further their entertainment careers.

This year’s event will feature special guest appearances and performances by an array of International young stars, including: Malese Jow (“Bratz-The Movie” & Nickelodeon’s “Unfabulous”), The Ajuku Girls (new J-Pop bubblegum super group), Calvin Goldspink(UK Platinum recording artist, S-Club 8 and star of “Life is Wild” on The CW), Tyler Shamy (recording artist and featured Radio Disney Incubator Artist) and Sam Stone (Disney XD Channel’s Rock N Roll Superstar and actor: Nickeodeon’s “Zoey 101”).

The competition will also have celebrity judges from recording, television and theater. This year’s celebrity judging panel includes: Mark L. Walberg, host of Fox television’s “The Moment of Truth” and PBS’s “Antique Road Show”, Kye Brackett (Emmy Award-winning choreographer for Barry Manilow), Grammy-nominated singer and Orange County native, Cassie Miller and Suzy Sachs, talent development executive credited with launching the careers of Brendan Fraser and Hilary Swank.
David Sidoni, known for roles in Nickelodeon’s “Roundhouse”, Disney’s “Newsies” and hosting “Wheel of Fortune 2000” and “Bing!” will emcee the event.

WBZB Entertainment is a unique, non-profit, performing arts production company based in Southern California. Their primary mission is to create and provide exciting, professional performance opportunities for talented young people. In addition, their programs foster appreciation, participation and support for the performance arts in our communities.

Tickets go on sale Tuesday, September 1st for the O.C. ICON 2009 Final Concert Event which will take place 6:30pm on Saturday, September 19th at The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.

For more details on O.C. ICON and WBZB Entertainment, including ticketing information visit www.OCICON.com and www.WBZB.net online or call 951-371-5239. They can also be reached via email at info@wbzb.net.

O.C. ICON 2009 Finalists are:
7-10 Age Division
Justa Hoang 10 Pomona
Adrienne Caparaz 10 Walnut
Felicity Hayama 10 Corona
Melissa Diehl 10 Laguna Niguel
Hana Robinson 10 Irvine
Mary Desmond 10 Rancho Santa Margarita
Eve DeVault 9 Rancho Santa Margarita
Robynne French 8 Temecula
Wesley Ruby 9 Temecula
Samantha Murray 9 Cerritos
11-14 Age Division
Cassandra Hernandez 14 Temecula
Marisa DiCamillo 13 Santa Ana
Cole Fletcher 12 Santa Ana
Alexis Umathum 14 Temecula
Jordan Thomas 12 Bakersfield
Claudia Douge 15 Apple Valley
Eileen Mirabal 14 Santa Ana
Haleigh Bowers 14 Chino Hills
Olen Kittelsen 14 Irvine
Carson Leonti 13 Riverside
15-18 Age Division
Paterson Wolfgram 16 San Juan Capistrano
Amanda Thompson 17 Ontario
Brianna Provda 16 Santa Ana
Kadi Ellis 16 Huntington Beach
Danielle Jaen 15 Rancho Palos Verdes
Alex Geringer 16 Fullerton
Cara Borchardt 17 Rancho Cucamonga
Kaitlin Beard 16 Chatsworth
Bryana Brendis 18 San Marcos
Marna Rough 17 Newport Beach

O.C. ICON 2009 Semi-Finals Saturday in Orange!

200 Singers from 87 Southern CA Cities Face Off to Determine 30 Finalists!

After auditioning hundreds of talented young singers from all over Southern CA; O.C. ICON has narrowed the field of contestants to 225 semifinalists who will compete on August 29th at The Village Theater in Orange. The O.C. ICON 2009 Semi-Finals will take place as three ticketed events. The 7-10 Age Division will begin at 9am with the 11-14 Age Division starting at 2pm and the 15-18 Age Division at 7pm.

O.C. ICON is an annual solo vocal competition open to Southern CA youth ages 7-18. The contest is a showcase opportunity for young singers and gives the 30 finalists a chance at a great prize package designed to help further their entertainment careers. 30 Finalists chosen from the semi-final competitions will perform in an exciting concert finale to be judged by celebrities and entertainment industry veterans on Saturday, September 19th at The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, CA.

The winners of the O.C. ICON Finals event will be determined by combining the votes from the celebrity judging panel and the live theater audience in attendance that evening. “One of the coolest parts of the final event is that the audience gets to vote and help choose the three winners! It’s really exciting!” said Dan Calvillo, vice-president and technical director for WBZB Entertainment, producers of the event.

One winner from each age division will be selected and awarded trophies and a prize package including:
• A two-song, professional recording and production opportunity with Studio 770 in Brea
• One original song produced specifically for the young artist
• Professional Vocal Coaching Session
• Professional photography session with Lisa Renee Photography of South Orange County
• Professional Music Video produced for one song by ASP Recordings of Corona
The 3 qualifying auditions were held at The Village at Orange, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and The Shoppes at Chino Hills.
The O.C. ICON 2009 Final Concert Event plans to be a star-studded affair that will feature appearances and performances by International teen celebrities including: Malese Jow from Nickelodeon’s “Unfabulous” and “Bratz” movie. The guest performances are being produced by Glam Squad.

The final concert event will also feature celebrity judges from recording, television and theater industries. This year’s celebrity judging panel includes: Mark L. Walberg, host of Fox television’s “The Moment of Truth” and PBS’s “Antique Roadshow”, Kye Brackett (Emmy Award-winning choreographer for Barry Manilow), talent development extraordinaire Suzy Sachs, who is credited with launching the careers of Hillary Swank and Brendan Fraser; and Grammy-nominated recording artist and Orange County native, Cassie Miller.

David Sidoni (Disney’s “Newsies” and Nickelodeon’s “Roundhouse”) will serve as emcee for the show.

WBZB Entertainment is a unique, non-profit, performing arts organization based in Southern California. Their primary mission is to produce unique, professional performance opportunities for young people. In addition, they use the performance arts to make a difference by conducting interactive arts outreach programs that are “up-close, personal and life-changing.” www.ArtsReach.org

Tickets for The O.C. ICON 2009 Final Concert Event are scheduled to go on sale August 29th. For more details on O.C. ICON and WBZB Entertainment, visit www.OCICON.com and www.WBZB.net online or call 951-371-5239. They can also be reached via email at info@wbzb.net.

The semifinalists represent over 87 different cities in Southern CA from as far south as San Diego and reaching all the way out to Valencia and Apple Valley.

O.C. IDOL 2009 Auditions: One Down, Two To Go!

O.C. IDOL 2009 auditions come to Costa Mesa this weekend as South Coast Plaza plays host to the Southern CA youth talent contest. A few hundred people turned out to watch the first qualifying audition for O.C. Idol 2009 at The Village at Orange shopping center on Saturday, July 25^th and they were treated to some fantastic talent. A little over 100 young vocalists from all over Southern CA descended on The Village at Orange shopping center for the audition. They soon found themselves surrounded by cheering family, friends and shoppers.

“It was such a blast! Several people, including those didn’t win, came up afterward to tell us how much fun they had and to thank us for the great opportunity,” said Bruce Sampson, president of WBZB Entertainment (producers of the event.) Rick Henninger, vice president, added, “We try to create an atmosphere that’s more than a contest. It’s a great learning, networking and showcase opportunity for young talent.”

O.C. Idol is a solo vocal competition open to Southern CA youth ages 7-18. Registrations are now open online at www.OCIdol.com.

The contest is divided into three age divisions: 7-10, 11-14, and 15-18.

The remaining qualifying auditions will be held at:

• South Coast Plaza – August 8th

• The Shoppes at Chino Hills – August 15th

Roughly 225 singers will be selected from all the qualifying auditions to go on to The Semi-Finals which will take place August 29th at The Village Theater in Orange, CA. 30 Finalists chosen from the semi-final competition will compete in an exciting concert finale to be judged by celebrities and entertainment industry veterans on Saturday, September 19^th at The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, CA.

The winners of O.C. Idol will be determined by combining the votes from the celebrity judging panel and the live theater audience in attendance that evening.

One winner from each age division will be selected and awarded trophies and a prize package including:

• A two-song, professional recording and production opportunity with Studio 770 in Brea

• One original song produced specifically for the young artist

• Professional Vocal Coaching Session

• Professional photography session with Lisa Renee Photography of South Orange County

• Professional Music Video produced for one song by ASP Recordings of Corona

Contestants should register online at www.OCIdol.com as limited spots are available per age group per location. There is a one-time $35 registration and processing fee per contestant.

The O.C. IDOL 2009 Final Concert Event plans to be a star-studded affair that will feature teen celebrities from Radio Disney and Nickelodeon as well as special guest performers, The Ajuku Girls. The guest performances are being produced by Glam Squad.

The celebrity judging panel will include Mark L. Walberg (host of Fox TV’s “The Moment of Truth” and PBS’s “Antiques Road Show”); Grammy-nominated singer and O.C. native Cassie Miller; Emmy Award-winning choreographer and performer Kye Brackett; and talent development extraordinaire Suzy Sachs who is credited with launching the careers of Hillary Swank and Brendan Fraser.

David Sidoni (Disney’s “Newsies” and Nickelodeon’s “Roundhouse”) will serve as emcee for the show.

Festival of Children Foundation of Orange County has come on board in cooperation of the event and a post-Finals concert event is already being planned in conjunction with the Festival of Children in September. Festival of Children begins September 4^th and runs through the last weekend of the month at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA.

O.C. Idol is produced by WBZB Entertainment, a not-for-profit entertainment production company that produces performance and showcase opportunities for young people. Proceeds from the event will benefit WBZB’s outreach initiatives - Arts Reach and Arts Fusion. - http://ArtsReach.org

For more information, visit www.OCIdol.com or call 951-371-5239.