May 14, 2004  |  By: Brian Moylan  | COMMENTS     

TERRY MULLANE IS ONE of 12 finalists taking part in “D.C. Idol,” a karaoke contest with a $1,000 grand prize at Remingtons, a popular gay country-western bar on Capitol Hill.

“Preparing a karaoke song is a totally foreign concept to me,” he says. “Most people just get up there drunk and say, ‘Let’s sing ‘Summer Nights’ [from “Grease”].’”

The final round of D.C. Idol, which is patterned after “American Idol,” Fox’s popular reality TV program, takes place Sunday, May 16, at Remingtons.

Mullane, 32, stumbled upon the opening night of the D.C. Idol competition and emerged as one of 43 people who decided to compete for the $1,000 top prize.

“I’ve always been a big singer, but always for fun,” he says. “I used to do all the available things to me in school, but really nothing organized since college.”

Beginning in February, judges chose six contestants from each of three monthly qualifying rounds. From the 18 semi-finalists, 12 singers advanced to the finals, which take place Sunday.

But unlike Fox’s hit show, this competition has one distinct difference: Judges, instead of audience members, choose the winners.

“I want [contestants] to feel proud that they were involved in it and it wasn’t some popularity contest,” says Jim Raywalt, the emcee and coordinator of D.C. Idol.

A FORMER DANCE instructor at Remingtons, Raywalt devised a judging sheet for Idol that was based on a form used for evaluating line dancers. Using this criteria, singers are judged on musical ability, presentation and reaction from the audience.

He says he is adamant that the judges, a not-yet-identified panel of three individuals who have musical and theater backgrounds, not play favorites and treat each singer fairly. Different judges participate in different D.C. Idol competitions.

This fairness, Raywalt says, is part of the reason that the event, which marks the second edition of D.C. Idol, has become so popular with the public.

“The criticism from the judges, so far, has been really good,” says Beth Brockelman, 30, one of the finalists. “It’s a good experience for anyone who is singing a lot. If they think they want to go professional or go to ‘American Idol,’ it’s a good place to start.”

Even though Remingtons is known for country-western music, the singers are encouraged to perform a song from any genre.

Phillip Assis, 37, says he loves jazz standards, and plans to belt out “The Lady is a Tramp” for the finals. “I’m very competitive. I know that I sing well and I haven’t had many opportunities to compete at something I do well,” says Assis, who also sings in the choir at Augustana Lutheran Church in D.C.

Brockelman’s motives for competing are more pragmatic.

“I guess it was that $1,000, because I really need a new car right now,” she says, adding that she has not decided what to perform at the final event.

Mullane is going to perform “The Man with the Golden Gun,” a theme song from a James Bond movie.

“Lots of people don’t know it,” he says, “but on first listen it’s really entertaining.”

Despite the $1,000 grand prize, some finalists acknowledged that winning isn’t everything.

“It’s a been a lot of fun and I’ve enjoyed meeting the other singers,” Assis says. “Remingtons has created an atmosphere of support, rather than cut-throat competition, and I’ve enjoyed singing in front of an enthusiastic audience.”