PAX TV seeks talent

By Tim Ryan
Star-Bulletin

The national talent search for Hawaii's newest network show, "From Hawaii ... Destination Stardom," lands in Honolulu Tuesday where talented hopefuls wanting a chance at instant stardom can compete for a share of the more than $500,000 in cash. The show will be taped at the Hawai'i Convention Center.

Auditions will take place at the Ala Moana Shopping Center Centerstage from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Registration begins at 9:30 p.m. Registration forms for the auditions may be picked up from Ala Moana's Customer Service Desk today through Monday. The Customer Service Desk is next to CenterStage.

Interested performers may audition in categories including: singers (male and female 16 years and older, and 5 to 15 years); comedians; dancers (teams and couples); female models; family acts (all types); and variety acts.

"From Hawaii ... Destination Stardom" will feature some categories never seen before on a talent search show, including "Family" designed to find the next Judds or the next Jacksons.

All talent should bring any musical instruments, music or other props needed for the acts. Taped music may be provided on cassette or compact disc.

Each audition is limited to one minute. All models should wear a swimsuit under their clothing. Do not bring portfolios.

For the last month, auditions have taken place in 17 mainland cities, including New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; Seattle; Minneapolis; Washington, D.C., Nashville; San Francisco; Dallas and Miami. So far, about 3,000 people have auditioned.

The talent search is a prelude to the filming of "From Hawaii ... Destination Stardom," which begins in August as a presentation by Al Masini Productions and CF Entertainment.

Al Masini Productions will videotape 25 episodes of the show between Aug. 5 and Sept. 7. A studio audience of up to 400 people will be able to watch each taping for free. Also, 100 audience members will be selected to judge the performances.

Two shows will be staged every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, except for Aug. 5, 10 and Sept. 7 when one show will be videotaped. Show times will be 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

"From Hawaii ... Destination Stardom" will be televised on PAX TV beginning Aug. 23 and will run for a guaranteed 52 weeks, reaching an estimated 400 million U.S. viewers. The new family network is viewed on Oahu on cable channel 66 and UHF channel 57.

Ticket information is available on the "From Hawaii ... Destination Stardom" hotline at 377-5328, or on the Internet at http://home.hawaii.rr.com/almasini

Judges for the auditions will be announced on Sunday, and the name of the host sometime next week, officials said.

Al Masini's other credits include "Solid Gold," "Entertainment Tonight," "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and "Star Search."

Sam Riddle and Bruce Weinstock are supervising producers helping with casting. Riddle worked with Masini for about 12 years on "Star Search" and "Super Models of the World."

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