The judges panel at NOVA Idol.

Everyone has dreams of fame and fortune. At one point or another, many believe that they have what it takes to perform for thousands of screaming fans. Hundreds of NOVA students have received this opportunity. NOVA Idol has been letting NOVA students have their 15 minutes of fame for several years. This year’s NOVA Idol was described by many as the best so far.

This year, under the watchful eye of six talented judges, the nine college contestants and three high school contestants gave a stunning performance. The night started with the introduction of the judges, hosted by former NFL player Brig Owens. Once the judges were introduced, the second emcee, Renee Charlow, introduced the three high school NOVA Idol finalists.

The first performance was by Laura Gatanti of Westfield High. She sang “Angels,” starting off rather shy, until she gradually crescendoed into a very powerful performance. The judges were mostly favorable, except for a comment made by Lucy Holsonbake, also known as Ms. Simon.
Following Gatanti, Christina Kidd performed “Defying Gravity,” from the popular novel-turned-Broadway-musical “Wicked.” Kidd was more energetic than Gatanti, though she did hit a couple of shrill notes, as the judges pointed out.

Finishing off the high school finalists was Ashley Williams, performing “Who’s Loving You.” She was the first performer to get the audience fully involved, and many audience members got out of their seats and danced. After Williams finished her performance, she received a standing ovation, the first, though certainly not last.

Kicking off the NOVA student finalists was Rebecca Almazar. To thunderous applause, as well as the support of many of her friends and family, Almazar sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” She received the second comment from Holsonbake, who claimed that Almazar should not have picked such an iconic song, as it is very hard to live up to the song’s reputation.

Sam Howell’s haunting performance of “Music in the Night” followed. Holsonbake piped up again at the end of his song, saying that he lost tonal quality in some places.

Laila Saine, a veteran of NOVA Idol, was up next. She sang a Beatles song named, “Let It Be,” and dedicated her performance to her grandmother. Making full use of the stage, she got the crowd involved, and there was not a dry eye in the house.

Next up, Stacy Dumas brought her version of “Footprints in the Sand” to the stage. Then Schleisinger Hall was woken up by Erika Anderson who was up next singing “Natural Woman,” originally by Aretha Franklin. Terri LaGoe performed “Summertime,” making the hall vibrate with her opera styles, followed by Samantha Riboul with “Emotional Rollercoaster.”

Next was Javad “JayJay”Jarrahi, with an upbeat classic called, “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” Once again, the audience was at their feet. Jarrahi tossed several roses into the crowd.

Finally, EJ Jung brought the performances to a close with the song “Feeling Good,” leaving the audience feeling good, and ready to vote for the winner. While the audience digested, they were entertained by last year’s winners.

After voting, the person responsible for NOVA Idol, Dr. Brenda Lewis-Holmes was called on stage. While the votes were tallied, Lewis-Holmes was presented with a plaque, honoring all she has done for the past NOVA Idol contests.

Finally, the envelopes were presented to Owens. After an impromptu drum roll, the high school winner was announced. Ashley Williams placed first, with Laura Gatanti in second, and Christina Kidd in third.

After one more drum roll, and a long process of elimination, this year’s Idol as well as the two runners up were announced. The runners up were Erika Anderson, with her soulful and saucy rendition of “Natural Woman,” and Javad Jarrahi, with his energetic performance of “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” The winner, now $4000 richer, was Laila Saine. Her heartbreaking interpretation of “Let It Be” won the audience’s heart.

Catching up with the finalists after the show showed that they had fun and enjoyed themselves. The judges also enjoyed the show. Tony Perkins, a well known weatherman local to the DC area, referred to the show as “the best in four years.” Holsenbake said that despite all she greatly enjoyed the show and meant every word.

By: Chris Pilcher

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