Bungalow Idol is back with a blast; will you be the next singer to move on? Below see the basics for belting out the beat

Perhaps the longest-running karaoke contest in the region is back at the Bungalow Inn in Lakeland — after a one-year hiatus — and this Friday is another chance to join the cast of characters who will move on to the finals in early February.
Qualifiers for Bungalow Idol are being chosen each Friday in January, and you could be among the next to join the pair who already made their mark, singing their way to success last weekend. Two qualifiers are chosen each weekend this month, and a total of eight will compete for first-through-third prizes in the last installment.
Bungalow Idol has been held for years, as those who would strive to be like it have come and gone. As one of the frequent participants both there and at other contests that haven’t stood the test of time as well, I respectfully offer a set of tips that might make you the next Kelly Clarkston, so to speak.
First of all, pick a song that’s well-known and not really “out there,” and is, to coin a term, radio friendly. You may have a one-time fave that’s in a specialty music genre, but remember that you may need to come back to the finals with something else on your plate. I learned this fact the hard way, as one time around at a karaoke contest venue, I ripped through Run To The Hills by Iron Maiden, a rendition of mine that has quite a few times literally brought the house down. The karoake-meister was really getting into it, to the point of moshing it up and tweaking the tone of my voice with his sound machine for optimum effect. I thought this was a slam dunk for me, but in the end I didn’t even move on past the initial round. The song was just not well enough known to the average judge.
Another side of that same coin is when a song is difficult enough, again often as a specialty, that you might miss-hit on an occasional word. Simon Cowell isn’t the only one to pay attention to such detail. And as far as detail, it is hard to go wrong by picking out an old school Rat Pack song. There are a lot of participants that can really do Sinatra well — and The Bungalow is no stranger to several of them — and they always seem to get past the first round.
And then, as has been often pointed out to me, there is something that would seem basic, but is frequently a rule broken: Hold the microphone right up to your mouth, and sing into it so you can be heard. This can be challenging if you are roaming around and playing to the crowd — like I once strived to do, while engaging some of the women in the audience to Satisfaction by The Stones. And a flip side to that: Always be sure to finish off your notes.
Lastly, make sure you don’t speak into the microphone to assess your performance if it still might be on. A friend of mine ruined her chances by saying, she thought to herself, “gee I butchered that.” It was audible, to the judges and the audience, and needless to say she didn’t move on to the next round either.
So, I hope that helps you scope out your selections and style, and maybe see you at The Bungalow so I can tell if you followed my primer, or took things in your own direction. (That’s all right too, as the best I’ve ever finished is third). Its also worthy of note that all during the competitions, there are cocktail specials made with Absolut and Grey Goose vodkas. Its OK if you need a bit of calming before getting up the courage to really rock out.
The events each Friday start at 9 p.m., with registration needing to be done by 9:30 p.m. Hope to see you at the finals on Feb. 2.
— Another Friday night option is at the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt, with the band Lady Luck, led by the luscious Leisha, who is said to be perhaps the hottest lead singer in the area. You can tell by her online bio, which references “pearls and lace.” And oh, about the music, the band has updated their set list to include creative choices such as Velvet Revolver and Flyleaf.
— Don’t forget that having it being the new year — its here already? — there is the annual One Block Run to benefit charity at noon on Saturday, starting underneath the “Hudson, Wis.” sign leading up the dike road. (It currently has all the letters lit, which is not always the case, in order to light your way). Then after this less than one percent of a marathon to run or walk, be sure to stick around at Dick’s Bar and Grill for all kinds of fun stuff.