The Grand Final

Wednesday 2nd July 2008

WoW ! What a fantastic night the grand final turned out to be. We had the singers(almost), we had the judges(just!), we had the audience(enthusiastic) and the stage at the George Hotel was set.

Before we all started, all the singers gathered round (apart from Troy Bayliss who decided not to show up!) and picked out a number 1-10 out of a hat to determine the running order.

So i started the show off by welcoming the audience and introducing the three judges. Initially, we were going to have two females and a male judging. But as it turned out we ended up with three men (all cockneys too!).

So first we had Ricky Clarke, well known for his music promoting as our 1st judge and then Paul Marazzi, former Boy band member of A1, and finally Ivan Marazzi who is the general manager at The George Hotel.

Singing first in the final was Chris Wales who opened the show with the country rock ballad Live Like We're Dying by Tim McGraw. The judges soon realised how high the standard was with Chris's performance. His second song was one that won him his heat the week before, Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel

Chris during his performance

Singing next was Crystal Walton who was dressed for the part in her goth clothing and impressing the judges with her style and make-up. Her 1st song was from Evanescence and the haunting Call Me When I'm Sober. She followed up with Music Of The Night from the musical Phantom Of The Opera.

Crystal dressed to impress

Our third singer was Toni Bulmer who walked onto the stage, as always, with her pint glass in hand. I don't know if the judges were put off or amused by this action but it's something that Toni always does when she's singing. Anyway, her 1st song choice was one from Chris Isaak and his hit Wicked Game. This was followed up with Those Were The Days by Mary Hopkin.

Toni singing her heart out

The next performer was greeted with rapturous applause when i said it was Karaoke Kris. Kris, real name Christopher Waite, blasted out the ever popular Angels by Robbie Williams for his 1st number. All the audience as expected sang along at the top of their voices too! The 38 year old followed this up with Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jnr. which had some of the audience dancing along!

Kris belting out Ghostbusters

The enthusiastic audience and judges(right handside setted) look on

Singing fifth was Leyla Pearson who at just 18 was our youngest performer. She opened up her 1st number with The Fugees cover of Killing Me Softly. She received some good comments from the judges which i think spured her on for her 2nd song which was the Candlelight mix of Heaven by DJ Sammi.

Leyla performing with confidence

Next up was Emma Foster who chose both her tracks from Shania Twain. The 1st, Love Gets Me Everytime, was met with approval from the judges and the audience alike(even though i think Emma brought along her little fan club). She followed this up with her smash single You're Still The One.

Emma sultry singing

The seventh singer in the final, and also the oldest, was Jeff Sharpe who performed to the best of his ability with his 1st song which was Try A Little Tenderness by The Commitments. His gravelly voice certainly impressed the judges with one of them commenting that if he closed his eyes, it could have been the original song! Jeff followed this up with the Elvis ballad If I Can Dream.

Jeff during his Elvis number

The penultimate singer was Vinzcente Oliver who was very well presented and certainly impressed the judges with her opening song by Oleta Adams and her classic Get Here. The judges commented on bringing the competition to another level. Her 2nd choice, which surprised me and a few others, was Breathless by The Coors.

Vinzcente who certainly wasn't Breathless

And finally we had Ed Atkinson who came to the stage to perform Gold by Spandau Ballet. Sang with good pitch and length, he impressed most of the judges with his clear voice. His 2nd song was the Lionel Richie love song Hello.

Ed during his faultless performance

So that was it and the judges went off to deliberate for about 15 mins while i played a few disco tunes to the crowds to keep them entertained while they all waited in anticipation.

THE FINAL RESULT

I was handed a piece of paper and announced the winners in reverse order from 4th place.

4th - Chris Wales who won £25

3rd - Jeff Sharpe who won £75

2nd - Vinzcente Oliver who won £100

And then with a big drum roll and a long drawn out pause i finally announced that the winner was.......

LEYLA PEARSON

Leyla's friends and family went bizurk as she made her way up to the stage to receive her prize of a brand new 32" LCD Television.

Leyla receiving her prize from (left to right) Me(Keith Wallace), Operations Manager David Bottomley, George Hotel owner Paul Clemenshaw and General Manager and Judge Ivan Marazzi.

A CD was recorded on the night and can be purchased from me or by post. Just follow the link on the left-hand side.

So a fantastic night was had by all and a lot of people, including myself, hope that this will become an annual event.

I hope to see many of you at my karaoke nights on Sundays & Wednesdays at The George Hotel if not, maybe we'll see you again next year for some more

Karaoke Fever !