AP Panther Fan
02-12-2007, 01:15 PM
I didn't watch American Idol last week, but just saw this article on the Texas State website.:clap: :clap: :clap:
School of Music senior 'Idolized' on Fox
Posted by: Jayme Blaschke
Date: 2007-02-10
Jimmy McNeal
By Marc Speir
Currents Online Staff Writer
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Jimmy McNeal has made news at Texas State University-San Marcos before, winning first place in the solo performer category at the Student Association for Campus Activities annual homecoming talent show in the fall of 2004, also winning best overall act for a total cash prize of $500.
Impressive as that sounds, it pales in comparison to leaving San Antonio as one of the 22 out of 11,000 contestants from the city that were given a "golden ticket" to go to Hollywood and showcase for the smash-hit television show American Idol. The show made its final stop for nationwide auditions in the Alamo City after visiting Minneapolis, Seattle, Memphis, New York City, Birmingham and Los Angeles.
McNeal, a 23-year-old sound recording technology senior and resident assistant at Bobcat Village, blew away all three judges by singing a medley of the Sam Cooke songs "Another Saturday Night" and "Cupid."
Simon Cowell said, "You're like a little fun Ruben, aren't you?" Simon turned to a grinning Randy Jackson and added, "Remember when we first met Ruben? You know, that was when he used to smile," in another reference to second-season winner Ruben Studdard.
Paula Abdul danced in her seat as she exclaimed, "Mmm-hmm, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh!" The judges responded with a unanimous "yes," giving the Waxahachie native the last "golden ticket" of the day, and of the season.
The School of Music and fellow students have been throwing their support behind McNeal by reserving the teaching theatre at the LBJ Student Center for American Idol broadcasts, setting up the Facebook group Vote for Jimmy! (1,714 members so far) and encouraging everyone to call in votes. McNeal's MySpace page has also seen a surge in popularity.
"We've put flyers all around the building to vote for him and he's got the support of all his peers here. Jimmy is one of the kindest, funniest and most considerate students we have. We are so proud of him," said Lucy Bloor, assistant to the director and academic advisor for the School of Music.
McNeal is actively involved in choir and vocal jazz group when not working at the fire station recording studio, a multipurpose recording facility for musicians, vocalists, television and film.
"We give him a chance to make up his work when he's away and look at it as an internship with real world experience. The students are all very excited," said Mark Erickson, associate professor of music and director of the fire station recording studio.
American Idol has a strict policy against contestants discussing the show publicly while they're still competing, so McNeal has been keeping a low profile in the wake of Tuesday's broadcast. Contenders are forbidden by contract to discuss their advancement in the competition before they are eliminated on the air. The show is pre-recorded until the final rounds, when viewers are allowed to vote for their favorites. For now, all the Texas State community knows is that McNeil has made the trip to Hollywood, along with the 172 other hopefuls that were hand-picked across the nation from over 100,000 auditions.
His initial performance left Texas State spellbound and had host Ryan Seacrest wondering out loud, "Will we have another 'Idol' from the South?"
The competition heats up next week, as the singers try to prove they're worthy of the top 24. Fans of McNeal can follow his progress on the next two episodes of American Idol scheduled to air Tuesday, Feb.13 and Wednesday, Feb.14 on the Fox network.
School of Music senior 'Idolized' on Fox
Posted by: Jayme Blaschke
Date: 2007-02-10
Jimmy McNeal
By Marc Speir
Currents Online Staff Writer
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Jimmy McNeal has made news at Texas State University-San Marcos before, winning first place in the solo performer category at the Student Association for Campus Activities annual homecoming talent show in the fall of 2004, also winning best overall act for a total cash prize of $500.
Impressive as that sounds, it pales in comparison to leaving San Antonio as one of the 22 out of 11,000 contestants from the city that were given a "golden ticket" to go to Hollywood and showcase for the smash-hit television show American Idol. The show made its final stop for nationwide auditions in the Alamo City after visiting Minneapolis, Seattle, Memphis, New York City, Birmingham and Los Angeles.
McNeal, a 23-year-old sound recording technology senior and resident assistant at Bobcat Village, blew away all three judges by singing a medley of the Sam Cooke songs "Another Saturday Night" and "Cupid."
Simon Cowell said, "You're like a little fun Ruben, aren't you?" Simon turned to a grinning Randy Jackson and added, "Remember when we first met Ruben? You know, that was when he used to smile," in another reference to second-season winner Ruben Studdard.
Paula Abdul danced in her seat as she exclaimed, "Mmm-hmm, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh!" The judges responded with a unanimous "yes," giving the Waxahachie native the last "golden ticket" of the day, and of the season.
The School of Music and fellow students have been throwing their support behind McNeal by reserving the teaching theatre at the LBJ Student Center for American Idol broadcasts, setting up the Facebook group Vote for Jimmy! (1,714 members so far) and encouraging everyone to call in votes. McNeal's MySpace page has also seen a surge in popularity.
"We've put flyers all around the building to vote for him and he's got the support of all his peers here. Jimmy is one of the kindest, funniest and most considerate students we have. We are so proud of him," said Lucy Bloor, assistant to the director and academic advisor for the School of Music.
McNeal is actively involved in choir and vocal jazz group when not working at the fire station recording studio, a multipurpose recording facility for musicians, vocalists, television and film.
"We give him a chance to make up his work when he's away and look at it as an internship with real world experience. The students are all very excited," said Mark Erickson, associate professor of music and director of the fire station recording studio.
American Idol has a strict policy against contestants discussing the show publicly while they're still competing, so McNeal has been keeping a low profile in the wake of Tuesday's broadcast. Contenders are forbidden by contract to discuss their advancement in the competition before they are eliminated on the air. The show is pre-recorded until the final rounds, when viewers are allowed to vote for their favorites. For now, all the Texas State community knows is that McNeil has made the trip to Hollywood, along with the 172 other hopefuls that were hand-picked across the nation from over 100,000 auditions.
His initial performance left Texas State spellbound and had host Ryan Seacrest wondering out loud, "Will we have another 'Idol' from the South?"
The competition heats up next week, as the singers try to prove they're worthy of the top 24. Fans of McNeal can follow his progress on the next two episodes of American Idol scheduled to air Tuesday, Feb.13 and Wednesday, Feb.14 on the Fox network.