
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, June 27, 1994                    TAG: 9406270131 
SECTION: LOCAL                     PAGE: B3    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: BY JIMMY GNASS, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: 940627                                 LENGTH: VIRGINIA BEACH

MTV FINDS FEW LOCALS LONGING FOR LIP-SYNC FAME \

{LEAD} It was a hot afternoon Saturday when the crew from MTV pulled up at the Indian River YMCA in a shiny rented car. Their goal was to find lip-syncers worthy of Music Television status.

Here was the opportunity for Hampton Roads to show off its dance and karaoke talent to the eager producers of MTV's ``Lip Service'' show.

{REST} They had no idea how large the crowd would be. Would the horde of fans compare to their recent auditions in Petersburg, where 700 people besieged them?

MTV host John Ales stormed into the lobby of the YMCA and bellowed: ``Where are the contestants?''

The big room was empty. Large banners from local radio station Z-104 hung on the wall. Bewildered YMCA employees had no response.

The event had been heavily promoted.

Ales paced the premises. So did MTV scouts Rich Korson and Todd Warner. Then they sat and waited.

``Lip Service'' is karaoke MTV-style. Teams lip-sync and dance to the song of their choice for a cash award or prize.

The crew is on the hunt for contestants. Lots of contestants. They plan to shoot 50 shows in the next three weeks. They need 150 amateur acts by the middle of next month. Contestants must perform in groups of three or five and be between the ages of 18 and 25.

``As we say back in New York,'' shouted Ales, staring blankly at nothing in particular, ``contestants, contestants, contestants - why don't we go to Virginia?'' The crew laughed.

``This is really bad,'' Korson said. ``This trip has been the hardest time we've ever had getting teams together.''

Ales passed the time by talking about food.

``Pastrami is a healthy snack as long as it's taken in moderation. I recommend it for `Lip Service' contestants between the ages of 18 and 25, right before performing because that will inspire healthy lip-syncing.''

Ales added: ``I would be more inclined to put them on the show if they brought pastrami sandwiches.''

After 90 minutes of waiting, someone called from Newport News, asking if it was too late to audition. So the crew waited an extra hour. Still, no one showed up.

Their next stop was the Nsect Club, Hampton's alternative nightclub.

This pit stop proved to be more successful. Here, one team awaited them, but one worth the trip.

``I think it's really cool,'' said Cheryl Marcello, a student at Tidewater Community College and one of the three contestants in the team. ``I see those people on MTV trying to do this, and I think, `Hey, we can do that!' ''

The three women, Marcello, Ranee Rubio and Lori Schroede, performed a dance routine to ``100% Pure Love'' by Crystal Waters. They stomped and twirled about on center stage in front of a moderate-sized crowd and an MTV camcorder.

The next step for the trio is to wait for their tape to be delivered to the ``Lip Service'' producer. If the producer likes it, the women will be flown to New York City.

Considering their recent Petersburg appearance, the MTV scouts were left wondering what was wrong with Hampton Roads.

``This area seems pretty apathetic about all this,'' Korson said. ``We may seem like we're having a good time, but we're really stressed out about getting these shows done.''

by CNB