Karaoke for a cause
The first Superstar Columbia karaoke competition was hosted Aug. 23 at the hoppin’ Blue Note. Among the gathering of people were special guest judges Monica Senal, co-host of KPLA’s “Chris and Monica In The Morning,” Fred Parry, publisher of Inside Columbia magazine, and Neal Boyd, winner of the 2008 “America’s Got Talent.”
The trio looked like a copycat version of the original “American Idol” judges. Monica Seneal agreed and said Parry was the Simon Cowell of the group, Boyd the Randy Jackson and she was Paula Abdul.
The audience and esteemed guests were not there for the free food and entertainment alone. The proceeds from Superstar Columbia went to the Family Counseling Center of Missouri, a not-for-profit organization helping locals with any number of debilitating issues.
Susan Schopflin, director of quality improvement and marketing for the Family-Counseling Center, was impressed with the turnout.
“It was beyond my expectations,”. “The support from the community and the board of directors was amazing."
A total of $10,961.95 was raised for the Family Counseling Center, all of which will go to the Columbia Outpatient Clinic of Family Counseling Center.
"This was driven by the board of directors, couldn’t do it without them, and the community sponsorship," Schopflin said. "Together we can accomplish change and our community showed us that.”
Before Superstar Columbia began, a donation jar was labeled with the names of each contestant. One dollar placed in the jar of an audience member’s favorite performer equaled one vote.
The performer with the most money raised was awarded the People’s Choice Award before the top three were announced. The honor was given to Kylie Evans who raised more than $1000.
As for the judge’s decision, third place and the $100 prize went to Steven Thomas and the swagger he displayed on stage. Second place and the $200 prize went to Shannon Daugherty and, as Neal Boyd said, her “gorgeous” performance. First place, the $300 dollar prize money and the title of Columbia’s Superstar went to Adam McCall.
