Twelve Remaining Contestants Prepare for the Big Night
By Tom Kane
Brooklyn Eagle
BAY RIDGE — The celebrity judge prevailing over the first annual Senior Idol contest of Bay Ridge has finally been revealed. We’ll give you a hint: “Don’t Stop Believin” that this judge will accept all of the contestants with “Open Arms.” Get it? It’s Steve Augeri, the former lead singer for the rock band Journey.
Augeri is a born and raised Brooklyn boy and has agreed to judge the contest along with State Senator Marty Golden, City Councilman Vincent Gentile and Xaverian High School Musical Director Joe Loposky. It will be an all-star night, as Gail Asfazadour, director of Senior Idol, told us that Joe Franklin, radio celebrity and host of the weekly radio program Memory Lane, has agreed to be the MC.
The contest, sponsored by AARP, is scheduled for Saturday, April 12, at Xaverian High School at 7 p.m. It will pit 12 singers against each other. They will all be looking for the grand prize jackpot of $250, which is being donated by Commerce Bank.
Meanwhile, the contestants are using these last few weeks to exercise those vocal cords and choose the perfect song in hopes of becoming Bay Ridge’s very first Senior Idol.
Don Coy, one of the twelve finalists, who sang “I Can’t Stop Loving You” for his audition, has it all planned out. He has gigs almost every night, calling square dances in various locations across the tri-state area. “There’s a lot of singing involved with calling a square dance,” he says. “That should keep me on my toes.” He’ll also practice his song at home, with his toughest critic, his wife, Dot, at his side. “She’s the best,” he says.
Kathie Bistreich, who sang a beautiful rendition of a country song called “Daddy’s Hands” at the audition, hasn’t decided what to sing for the final contest, but she’s leaning towards what got her to the finals. I spoke with Bistreich between masses at St. Francis Cabrini, where she sings with the choir. “I sing here and also at Saints Simon and Jude on Saturday evenings,” she explained. Bistreich also used to perform for WSOU, a South Orange radio station that could be heard here in Brooklyn. “My friends would call and say, I heard you on the radio,” she recalled.
If you missed Nancy Liatsis, who sang the Josh Groban hit, “You Raise Me Up” for her audition, you have a chance to redeem yourself. Liatsis will do an encore of that number on April 12, so you don’t want to miss it. Liatsis is the musical director of Gateway City Church (formerly New Hope) and leads their choir for Sunday services.
Margie Shore who sang “Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac, will be singing a little everyday to keep her voice in gear.
Don Deola, who sang “Mack the Knife” for his audition, will be rehearsing a few different tunes to try out for the big night. Deola is not a professional singer. “The story I like to tell,” he says, “ is when I was a child I heard some teenagers singing in the alleyway and when I tried to sing along with them, they told me ‘you’re not old enough.’ I think now I’m old enough.” Well, he is old enough, and good enough, too.
Well, we’ll be there front and center to catch all the action. Where will you be?
Brooklyn’s Senior Idol Contest, Saturday, April 12, will be at Xaverian High School, 7100 Shore Road, beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door. For more information, call (917) 476-8751.
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