June 24th, 2011
“Rhythm is something you either have or don’t have, but when you have it, you have it all over.”
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley had what it took not only to be a star but for that star to never go out. If you thought Elvis impersonators (a term not favored by them) were only in Vegas, you should have been at Mardi Gras Casino over Memorial Day Weekend where 19 Elvis Tribute Artists (“ETA’s”) battled it out for the grand prize of $4,000 and a chance to compete in the 2011 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Competition in Memphis in August. There were local ETA’s and some from as far away as Germany, Canada, and Washington State.
Kurt Brown Productions, an ETA contest promoter with licensing rights from Elvis Presley Enterprises, ran the contest with Mardi Gras Casino, and pre-qualified 16 of the ETA’s via his internet site. All of the ETA’s were seasoned and either perform as Elvis regularly or compete in similar competitions. In other words, they were all really good! There was an opportunity for walk-ins to come in and audition for a “wild card” spot. Three of the walk-ins qualified with one ETA just missing the time cut-off. But being a great promoter Kurt allowed him to open the show outside of the judging.
Three local celebrity judges were on hand for each round. The competition was non-elimination so each contestant drew a number at the beginning of each round and chose their song. The ETA could not duplicate a song that had already been chosen for the round, so luck of the draw was critical. The contestants were judged on vocals, costuming, and overall performance with vocals weighted heaviest. “An unqualified success from my perspective…great contestants,” said Rick Shaw, our local celebrity judge.
The top five contestants all took home prize money, with Gino Monopoly from Toronto, Canada taking first place.
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