Release Your Inner Karaoke Star

Our Town's Karaoke Idol is searching for Manhattan's best singers By Alex Mikoulianitch Aspiring singers who want to unleash their inner crooner or rock star will soon have a chance to do it, for the opportunity at cash and performing in front of a large crowd. Our Town is hosting Karaoke Idol this October after a one-year hiatus and is offering a total of $1,500 in prize money-thanks to a partnership with Lips, an Upper East Side club, and Absolut Vodka-for the participants who bring their A-game performance and voice talent to the stage. The competition will select six finalists to duke it out for a $1,000 grand prize going to the first-place winner and $500 to the runner-up. The contestants won't be judged solely on their singing prowess, however. While pitch, rhythm and tempo are all taken into account, the singer's stage act, and how they perform, is also a huge part of the final grade. The event starts with two preliminaries. The first will be held on Oct. 9 and the second on the 23rd. Three finalists will be selected from each event and will be given a chance to go to the Finals which will be held at Lips, a supper club on East 56th Street famous for its glamorous setting and drag entertainment. "Lips is very excited to be holding this year's Karaoke Idol," said Yvonne, co-owner and entertainment director at Lips. "Lips has been doing karaoke for many years every Tuesday night, and we have noticed each year more and more people come to sing on our stage. With so many TV shows about finding the next star, everyone wants their moment onstage-and baby, do we have a stage for you to sing on." Yvonne thinks the new venue for the competition is going to make it particularly memorable. "This will be the most unique venue yet for Karaoke Idol," she said. "First, for the simple fact that all of the waiters are drag queens. Lips also has one of the best stages in town to perform karaoke. So [people are welcome to] come in and check out our over-the-top decor that only a drag queen could design." Besides the $1,000 grand prize, the winning Karaoke Idol will be given the opportunity to record a professional CD at Jambox studios, while the runner-up will get studio time. The remaining finalists will be given gift cards. All the finalists will get a complimentary hairstyle makeover from Dramatics NYC. The competition is open to all amateurs; those looking to reserve a spot onstage should send questions to karaokeidol@manhattanmedia.com or call 212-268-0393.