By Tim Hipps, Public Affairs
FORT BELVOIR, VA -- Sgt. Aaron Talley came all the way from Vicenza, Italy, to sing Harry Connick Jr.'s "Recipe for Love," which won him best-of-show honors in the U.S. Army's 2003 Margaret "Skippy" Lynn Stars of Tomorrow Entertainment Contest Nov. 22 at Wallace Theater here.
"This is a great honor," said Talley, 29, son of a music teacher from Clinton Township, Mich., who added dance to his repertoire. "It means a lot to compete against the best in the Army and be recognized. It's really fulfilling to have a judge look at your talent and say: 'Yeah, you're pretty good.'"
A six-year Army veteran, Talley plans to leave the military in the next couple months and will forfeit his guaranteed slot in the 2004 U.S. Army Soldier Show live auditions. He did, however, proudly collect a $5,000 equipment gift certificate for his installation's recreation center or Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program.
After waiting tables and working as a disc jockey for five years, Talley joined the military in 1997 and landed his dream gig as an Army broadcast journalist. He knew nothing, however, about Stars of Tomorrow.
Upon his arrival at Vicenza, Talley, who began singing at age 4, was cast into a show within a week. The rest, as they say, is Army showbiz history.
"My girlfriend is a choreographer and she choreographed this act for me," Talley said of his winning song-and-dance routine.
Pfc. Jeanna Kilbane of Kaiserslautern, Germany, took runner-up honors for her performance of "Walking on Sunshine."
Stars of Tomorrow judge Debra Byrd, a vocal coach for FOX television's "American Idol," said Talley and Kilbane could pursue futures on stage.
"Aaron would do well, and the young lady who sang 'Walking on Sunshine,' she would do very well," Byrd said. "The two winners are that; they are winners. Picking them was easy. It was pretty crystal clear.
"The number one female had showmanship. She was a crowd-pleaser. It was a great song. Her outfit was perfect. She brought the whole package."
The other two judges were Andrea Williams, project manager for the Academy of Recording Arts and Science's Grammy Awards, and Carlos Guillen, chief executive officer for LaCima Music.
Sgt. Rodrig Olestry of Bamberg, Germany, finished third overall with an original song. He also finished runner-up to Talley in the male vocal solo division, followed by Pfc. Jeramie Kramer of Camp Carroll, Korea.
Kilbane won the female solo vocal category, followed by Sgt. Daphne Cooper of Fort McPherson, Ga., and Sgt. Melissa Gomez of Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Sgt. Tonia Jackson of Fort Hood, Texas, took vocal solo self-accompanied honors, followed by Sgt. 1st Class David Roark of Fort Gordon, Ga., and Pfc. James Hall of Hohenfels, Germany.
First Sgt. Wilford Velez and Spc. Christopher Webb of Hohenfels won the specialty division, followed by Olesty and Spc. Perry Martin of Bamberg, Germany.
Pfc. Cyriac Alencheril of Fort Lewis, Wash., was first in the instrumental solo category, followed by Hall and Sgt. Dathan Boyd of Okinawa, Japan.
Honorary awards were issued to Command Sgt. Maj. William Brown of Vicenza, Pfc. Sarah Ockuly of Presidio of Monterey, Calif., and Boyd.
Byrd applauded the efforts of lighting engineer Brian Essad of Army Entertainment Division at Fort Belvoir.
"He brought to each contestant a personality, so I have to find him and congratulate him," she said. "He gave great lighting elements to each and every one of them. That surprised me, the lighting guy, more than anything because he was sensitive to everyone's needs and everyone's talents."
Byrd said she was honored to judge the 23 contestants in the four-hour show.
"I'm glad to be involved with the Stars of Tomorrow because being with 'American Idol' I am involved with the stars of tomorrow constantly," she said. "Kelly Clarkson, Ruben (Studdard), Clay (Aiken), Kimberly (Locke) - all these people come past me."
So, too, have an Army of talented Soldiers, thanks to Stars of Tomorrow, one of more than 50 Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs offered to Soldiers and families worldwide by the U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center in Alexandria, Va.
The contest is open to Army active duty personnel and exceptions can be made for Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers. Each contestant, who advanced here through Installation Management Agency or Department of the Army levels, is allowed seven minutes to perform.
The other services run similar programs. For example, each year the Air Force holds a service-wide talent show to select members for their Tops in Blue Performance Team.
