WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOLLIES-THE FINALS

Well, we finally held the finals for our Sing Your Heart Out karaoke talent contest. We had 11 contestants, 2 didn't show up. All went well. Everyone was well dressed and excited. I know we were excited and nervous for the contestants. We didn't have a favorite, but wished everyone a good show.
I don't remember every song that was sung but here was the line up according to my memory:

We opened with AJ who belted out What's Up. Tom came up next and sang an unfamiliar song in his falseto. Annie really got into Jacked Up. And Rayzer thrilled us with Thriller. Babs stole the show and worked the room with Another Little Piece Of My Heart. Andre' did a wonderful job with John Legends' Ordinary People. Mary crooned OOh Baby Baby! and Ilya did his striptease with a few girations to I Believe In Miracles. Idara showed that she's a winner with I will survive. The General broke our hearts with He Stopped Lovin' Her Today. And last but certainly not least, Mida sang her operatic aria Oh Mi Babbino Caro (I think I got it right). We think opera karaoke is the wave of the future.

Our winners were: 3rd Place, Mida Lane, receiving $25 as well as an interactive C.O.R.E. vocal training CD donated by Dot Todman Vocal Studios and a gift certificate for lunch for 4 at the Agave bar & Grill. 2nd Place, Idara Udoffia, received $50 as well as Dot Todman's C.O.R.E. Vocal
Empowerment DVD and a gift certificate for lunch for 4 at the Agave Bar & Grill. Our 1st Place winner was Babs Benson who received $200 in cash as well as $300 worth of free voice lessons donated by Dot Todman and a gift certificate for lunch for 4 at the Agave Bar & Grill. All of the winners received our very own karaoke dollars in the denominations of their winnings.

Although they didn't place in first, second or third, all of the remaining contestants received consolation prizes and Rayzer took home the prize for best moves, donated by Dot Todman.

We would like to thank all of the judges that have donated their time, ears and expertise over the last 5 weeks. And a special thank you to Dot Todman for her wonderful donated prizes and her critiques and counseling of the contestants throughout the contest. After the contest, Dot even graced us with her rendition of Blues In The Night (what a performer!).

If you weren't there we forgive you, but you may not forgive yourself. You missed a great night. But do not fear, although the contest is over, karaoke lives on every wednesday night from 8pm 'til midnight at the Agave Bar & Grill. Join us next wednesday and every wednesday thereafter for karaoke, great food, drink specials, drawings, tribute nights and loads of fun.

Valerie & Barbara

Meet Our 12 Finalists

OKAY, You've met the judges for tomorrow evenings singing finals at Agave Bar & Grill starting at 8pm (if you haven't - click here) Well now it's time for you to meet our talented finalists!

TJ ENtertainment Productions is proud to present to you:

1. AJ MAREZ - AJ is a talented singer that grew up in Michigan. She spent 8 years in Las Vegas & has just recently moved to Los Angeles where she has caught the karaoke bug!

2.TOM JACKSON- is a manufacturer & brainiac of sorts, a modest man that has been singing and playing in bands for the shear enjoyment. He loves water sports, especially jet skiing. His musical preference: just about anything!

3. ANNIE RUIZ - A Los Angeles native, Annie has been singing since elementary school. She has worked for the LAPD for the last 28 years. She enjoys country music concerts & anything country. She aspires to go professional.

4. ILYA ALBERT - Originally born in Russia, Ilya speaks fluent Russian at home. He is currently a film student and has his sights on becoming a world recognized writer & filmmaker such as Alfred Hitchcock. He has been acting and singing in musicals & student films since he was a child. His favorite food is Sushi- and girls... Ilya is single!

5. Nobel - she may seem mild mannered & somewhat quiet, but when Nobel takes the stage, you know it. This ingénue loves to sing & hopes that soon singing will become her fulltime career.

6. Babs Benson - This feisty singer has been singing since the age of 6. Babs is currently in rehearsals as the lead singer for the band Flowers for Frankenstein. She is the proud mother of 2..........cats! and is in love with the greatest man in the world!

7. ANDRE CRUZ - Born in Hollywood, CA, Andre started singing in choirs & bands at age 12. He was a street performer in San Francisco & is currently a student majoring in Psychology. Andre plans to become a Psychologist whilst pursuing a career as a recording artist.

8. MARY WEIDE - Mary is a talented artist & is known for her sculptures of famous writers. She started singing karaoke to get over her shyness and has developed into the talented singer that we see today!

9. RAY “RAYZER” PORSCHIEN -Razer is a talented & very animated singer who love helping people. He enjoys sports, food, women & song. He has been singing in bands for the past 20 years & is pursuing a career as a songwriter. He wants his future to be filled with health, happiness & love.

10. IDARA UDOFFIA - Singing for as long as she can remember, Idara loves to sing a variety of songs from ballads to hard rock. She is a songwriter and plays both piano & guitar.

11. GREG "THE GENERAL" SMITH - The General has been singing for the past 30 years with country bands across the US from the infamous "Gilley's" in Texas & the "Palomino" to most recently in N. Carolina with the Lisa Price Band. He loves to eat grapes, is very religious, & is very much in love with Janet!

12. MIDA LANE - this talented singer is new in the LA music scene. With a 3-octave range, Mida can produce a clear, straight coloratura tone as high as anyone needs her to go. She has sung in the jazz choirs at Brigham Young University, as well as BYU's Women's Chorus and Concert Choir.

In the event that one of the finalist's are unable to make it, we have an alternate that will take their place. And that alternate is

VANESSA PHILLIPS: by the looks of her she can play the femme fatal, but Vanessa can belt it out. She started singing as a young child & grew up singing an array of styles and eras. Singing is such a big part of her life that she hopes to have a recording career.

Reply

Forward

Introducing our Judges for the Finals Oct 28th

Our "$ing Your Heart Out" contest finals is this Wed. Oct. 28th 8pm, at the beautiful Agave Bar & Grill in Angeles Nationals GC new clubhouse. We'd like to introduce to you our fabulous judges for the evening, all of which have donated their time to do this... because they are that passionate about the entertainment industry - discovering & helping new up & coming talent of all ages realize their dreams.

Meet our Professional Panel of Judges:

Dot Todman - Vocal Empowerment Coach

You may recognise Dot as one of the celebrity vocal coaches from American Idol. Dot’s genuine interest in each human soul, and natural intuitive ability to “tune in” has led her to achieve great success in helping people from all walks of life to discover the power and essence of their true voice in a safe and effective manner.

After overcoming a near-death experience in September of 2007, Dot's teaching gained a whole new level of awareness, expertise and depth. Currently, Dot enjoys teaching empowering lessons for the mind, soul and voice, to celebrities, record label artists and everyday people from all walks of life in and around Los Angeles.

Masahiko Kaneko - Music Recording Exec.
Masi- as he is affectionately known, is a truly successful entrepreneur. He's established many new, diverse, creative businesses starting with automobile design, international auto racing, to designing cardiovascular medical life saving devices.

Currently, he is concentrating on the music industry where Masahiko is the executive producer for a major record label. He always has his eyes and ears open, searching for new vocal talent, working with them to help develop their own unique sense of performance, sound & style...

True to his entrepreneurial nature...in 2007 Masi took on a partner & opened a clothing store on Hollywood Blvd., visit www.lallure.com

Jacues Castro

Owner of Uncut Casting, a premier Booking agency, Jacques Castro also owns a management company. He helps actors get their SAG status, as well as book them on speaking roles in feature films, commercials,etc.Projects he has worked on most recently:Meet the Parents 3 /Little Fockers; VH1, and Feature Film Other side of Shadow.

Jacques has been in casting for 7 years and has worked his way to have to one of the most exclusive booking agencies and Management Company in Los Angeles.

David Taylor - Photography

Photographing people has been a passion of David Taylor since the early '80s. He has photographed such luminaries as President George H.W. Bush, Governor Pete Wilson, President Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and well-known musicians and business people.

Along with maintaining his photography business, Taylor is a motivational speaker. He has a passion to assist people toward understanding and feeling good about themselves every day in every way. Taylor weaves amusing stories of being a "have-car-lights-and-camera and will-travel" photographer, encouraging his audiences to live their lives with a more positive outlook with a focus on self-esteem & confidence, goal-setting, peer pressure and personal success. David enjoys playing the saxophone in his spare time.

On behalf of everyone here at TJ Entertainment Productions we'd like to say THANK YOU to all the awesome people that have helped judge in the past 4 weeks. It has been GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOLLIES

Well, we had a great night last wednesday. Almost everyone observed the 2 drink minimum so the Agave Bar & Grill was happy. We had yet another increase in attendance which made everyone happy. Lots of new faces. We had 10 contestants for the contest. Babs' brother Rayzer took 1st place. He sang Michael Jackson's Thriller. You show have seem him, moon walking and pop locking. He had the audience dancing in the aisles. A lovely young lady named Idara took 2nd place with her rendition of I will always love you, and a perky girl named AJ won third place. The alternate's name was Vanessa and the guys seemed to love her. All of the winning scores were very close. Dot Todman, the celebrity vocal coach and vocal coach to the American Idols, gave her valuable critiques to the contestants. They were appreciated by all. Thanks Dot. Dot was one of our judges as well as David Taylor of David Taylor Photography.

The final round of competition is next wednesday Oct 28th at 8:00pm. It should last for about an hour and then open mic karaoke will proceed as usual. We've got lots of special events planned for the future such as; a tribute to Michael Jackson, Elvis night, Sinatra night, kamikazi karaoke, etc... We are planning a major event for next summer. Stay tuned to find out what that is, (just think starry nights).

Well, that's all for now, my chinese food just arrived. I have to go chow down now (yum).

Val

PROTECT YOUR BREAST

Hi friends, especially you ladies. My message for today isn't so much about karaoke. I want to discuss Breast Cancer Awareness month. This is it, October. Have you had your mammogram or breast exam done yet? Please do so right away. I know that it is uncomfortable and somewhat of a hassle, but the consequenses of not doing so can be disastrous.

If you would like to contribute to a worthy cause while enjoying the process, buy Yoplait yogurt with the pink lids. Yoplait will donate 10 cents for each pink lid that you send in by 12/31/09, to Susan G. Komen for the cure. This is one of the leading organizations in breast cancer research.

On a lighter note, karaoke this wednesday night at the Agave Bar & Grill at 8pm. Last week we had a bachelorette party join us. They sang and some of the guys sang to them and stripped for the guest of honor. It was a hoot!
So come on in and bring your party with you or just join ours.

Remember, 2 DRINK OR $12 MINIMUM!!! See you there.

Val
TJ Entertainment Productions

TWO DRINK MINIMUM

Hello karaoke lovers. Last night got off to a late start but turned out to be a good night considering it rained earlier in the day. We had at least twice as many people as the week before, and some good singers too. Everybody had a good time. Everybody, that is, except the bartender. Nobody was drinking or eating and he had to send the waitresses home early.

You may not know this but, anytime you are at a bar or lounge, and there is entertainment, there is a 2 drink minimum. Either that or a cover charge ( and we don't want that do we?). At the Agave Bar & Grill there is a 2 drink or $12 minimum. Now, we are not promoting alchoholism but if you want to continue to enjoy karaoke or any kind of live entertainment at these establishments, please support the bar and/or the kitchen. Their sales support the entertainment. Ergo, no sales, no entertertainment.

I hope I haven't offended anyone with this blog, we just want to see things pick up so we can have a long and happy run at the Agave Bar & Grill. Thanks and see you next wednesday.

Val

Judges for Wed Oct 14th

Adam Smith "Shots by Smitty"

is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Film Production & a minor in Music, Adam has a produced a library of indepenant films as well as a montage of photographic portraits', headshots, & special events. Having a minor in music, Adam is looking forward to being a judge for our 3rd evening of singing competition at Angeles Nationals' beautiful Agave Bar & Grill. " I'm always looking for unique undiscovered talent, and this is one of those great opportunities to mix business with pleasure"

Rick Dempsey is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1969 to 1992, best known for his years with the Baltimore Orioles. He also played for the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Milwaukee Brewers.

He was 20 years old when he broke into the big leagues in1969, with the Minnesota Twins and he has achieved the rare distinction of catching a game in four different decades. He had caught more games for the Orioles than anyone in franchise history.

His greatest moment came as MVP of the 1983 World Series.

Rick is now a baseball analyst on the MASN network.

Rick's career as a singer: On October 31, 2009, Dempsey releases his first CD, titled, "Home Run Holiday" on Vista Records. This first-time collaboration features World Series MVP/singer Rick Dempsey and two-time Blues Music Award winner/producer, Deanna Bogart

Dot Todman
Vocal Empowerment Coach

Not only is she a vocal coach to the celebrities and the contestants on American Idol, she will become the vocal coach to you...our 1st place winner...that will be chosen this coming Oct 28th in our finals starting at 8pm!

What an honor to have someone of her caliber taking time out from her hectic schedule to volunteer & spend time with us. This just goes to show you how grounded she is as a person, how passionate she is about sharing her musical knowledge & how important each & everyone of you are to her! Our hats off to an incredible women-Dot Todman

Once again we look forward to seeing you this Wednesday & every Wednesday night at Agave Bar & Grill inside the beautiful clubhouse of Angeles National Golf Club.

TJ Entertainment Productions...not your typical karaoke show

OUR SUNDAY BEST

Hey people, guess what we just found out. Our very own first place winner from week 1, Mary Weide, is an extremely talented sculptor. Be our guest and visit the link to check out her work. She has been doing this work for many years, but has switched to ceramics and more recently to female nudes.

Mary is a quiet and somewhat serious person. She told me that she started singing karaoke to get over her shyness (sound familiar?). I think she must have come out of her shell a lot because she is a good performer and seems very comfortable on stage. Her philosophy is, anyone who appreciates art,(of any kind), is an artist at heart. Come hear Mary and all of the other winners compete on wednesday Oct 28th at the Agave Bar & Grill. Check out our website tjentertainmentproductions.com.

Guess what, it is 1:10pm and I am still in my pajamas. It's Sunday, what can I say. I guess I better get cleaned up and dressed so I can pretend to be civilized. Until tomorrow,

Valerie

Recap of Wednesday Oct 7th @ Agave Bar & Grill

We started off the evening with a fantastically fun group we affectionately nicknamed "The Misfits" They sang as a group -Summer Nights and Love Shack- they had fun, we had fun watching them and singing along. The staff at Agave Barb (te-he) & Grill were even bopping along.

Finalists from last weeks contest, Mary and Annie brought along newcomers Tommy, Deanna, Matt and Babs! Remember Babs from the earlier years of TJ Entertainment? (How is it that we've aged and she hasn't?). Tom wowed the audience with his vocal talents and Babs was as entertaining and just as energetic as she was 12 years ago!

We had many newcomers last night.

Among them were Roger (who did a fantastic job and sings a vast variety of styles and genres) and Nobel (she was sitting in the back as quiet as could be), stepped onto the stage and belted out Lady Marmalade...it was Awesome!!!

Annie was ON last night. Every song she sang was like listening to a recording. We were so hoping to hear more of Mary singing Norah Jones, but she had over worked her vocal chords earlier in the week and needed to rest up....girl, you better be well by next week!

Beautiful Athena had a large group of friends come in for karaoke and boy do they know how to have fun...the Spice girls, Ashley, Christie, & Meaggan hammed it up, as did Kevin, David, Darius, & Ilya (and we can't forget Big Mike). Ryan (aka Opie) Paula & Marco were working on their liquid courage and just never quite gathered the courage to sing....this time, (but we thank them for their support).

Our contest winners this evening were: Babs in first place, Tom in second place and Nobel in third place. Ilya placed as an alternate, should one of the top 12 be unable to attend the finals Oct 28th. I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, (shhh, you can't tell a soul). So far, there have only been 3 or 4 contestants for each round of the contest. Which means, almost everyone goes to the finals. So, although the competition is stiff, there is every possibility that YOU too can make it to the finals. So join us on wednesday Oct 14 for a funfilled night and enter the contest. Remember, you will be judged on your appearance, and your moves as well as your vocal talents. So come looking nice and shake your groove thing ( if the song calls for it).

We would like to thank Dot Todman and the rest of the judges for their time, diligence and fairness. We look forward to having Dot judge again next week. It was a special treat when she gave her critique to the contestants. She does the same thing for the American Idol contestants, and she is a celebrity vocal coach, so our contestants were thrilled to have her take the time to offer advice on how to improve their performances, as well as complimenting their high points.

Well, that's all that I have to share with you for today. Until next time. Luv ya.

Val

Wed. Oct 7th Karaoke has been canceled

JUST KIDDING!!!!

We are very excited to have Ty Ritter back as one of our judges for the $ing Your Heart Out Karaoke Contest. He'll be gone for the next few weeks on a film shoot but we hope to have him back when he's finished.

Vocal coach to the celebrities Dot Todman will also be judging Oct 7th - however...We are going to have to start the contest about 20 minutes late. Dot has a celeb (that we can't mention at this time) that will cause her to arrive a little late. Not a problem...more time to warm up your vocal chords & drink up for a bit of lubrication of the joints & liquid encouragement! We want you to feel comfortable and relaxed when you sing. Remember, we're all in this together!!!

The drink special for the night is the infamous Kamikaze......ooooo yum!

And don't forget to try the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail...delicious.

We've lined up another judge for the finals Oct 28th, David - a casting agent from Background Artists.tv Background Artist is a commercial extras company providing SAG non-union performers along with principal casting, & real people casting for television. For more info visit thier website or give them a call 888-44ACTOR

Mic Tip of the day: Don't cup the mic with your hands. This will cause distortion and a muffled sound when you're singing. Just hold it about 2 inches from your mouth and let your sound mixer do the rest.
As is true of all our venues, there is a 2 drink or $12 minimum

See you all tonight at Angeles National's Avage Bar & Grill

That's all for the moment ...you karaoke krooners!

Even Oprah is having a contest!

The search is on for the best karaoke singers in America!

From now until 11:59 p.m. on October 19, 2009, you can also enter by uploading a 2-minute video of yourself singing your favorite karaoke tune. Oprah's judging team may choose you to perform on her stage in front of millions of viewers!

Click here for official rules, prize and entry information.

Good luck everyone & we'll see you this Wed. night 8pm at Agave Bar & Grill and hopefully on Oprah !!!

SING YOUR HEART OUT CONTEST

Howdy folks. We will have our second night of competition on wednesday Oct 7. We hope to have even more contestants than on the first night. Let me tell you how we judge the performances. There are three categories; vocal ability, stage presence and overall performance. The vocal ability is of course whether or not you sing on key, have a strong voice and good quality to your voice. The stage presence is how you present yourself, your attire. Whether you stand there like a lump on a log or move with the music, etc... facial expressions to fit the song. Overall performance is just that, song interpretation, a combination of the other categories as well as audience response and applause.

We have celebrity judges that have been in the entertainment industry for many years. They are vocal coaches to the stars, producers, writers, film makers, photographers, etc. One of the judges, the vocal coach will be making comments on the performances, giving advice to the finalists etc... Her name is Dot Todman of Dot's Voice Studios. She has also donated $300 worth of voice lessons to the first place winner of the finals. If you want to know more about her visit dotsviocestudios.com. Check out our website to find out more about the contest at karaoketj.com or
tjentertainmentproductions.com.

More Later,

Valerie

THE MORNING AFTER

Boy, what a night we had last night. I am bushed. It wasn't as busy as we would have liked but everyone had a great time at the Agave Bar & Grill last evening. It was our opening night and we had about 15 people. Not all of them were singers, so the singers got to sing alot. But the audience response was great which made all of the singers feel great. The contest went well, we had 3 winners. In order they were, Mary - 1st place, Andre - 2nd place, and Annie - 3rd place. These 3 will perform in the finals on wednesday, Oct 28, 2009.

In case you didn't know, we've added some prizes to the kitty. We found celebrity vocal empowerment coach Dot Todman. She has graciously consented to donate $300 worth of vocal lessons for the 1st place winner and some of her training products as prizes for 2nd and 3rd place. She will also be acting as one of our celebrity judges. She will also give short critiques to the contestants.

Oct. 14th one of our guest judges will be film producer & photographer Adam from "Shots by Smitty" If you need your headshots updated - he's the man to go to.

Well, I'm falling asleep at the keyboard so I'm gonna take a nap. Hope to see you at the Agave Bar & Grill on Oct 7. Don't forget to check out our website at tjentertainmentproductions.com or karaoketj.com. and please don't forget to sign our "Guest Book"! Write you soon.

Val