Operation Rising Star

Each year for the past several years the Army has conducted what it used to call "Army Idol" but which it now calls "Operation Rising Star." (I guess the nice people from "American Idol" sued them or otherwise convinced them they couldn't use the former name anymore.

In any event, Active Duty posts around the world hold this singing competition each year. Winners from each place travel to Washington, DC, to the finals. Evidently the overall winner is guaranteed a look by some major recording studio or other.

The woman who runs the MWR program here (Morale, Welfare, Recreation) convinced me, after hearing me sing karaoke for the past few weekends, that I should sign up for the competition.

So I did.

Now, one needs to put this into its proper context: One of my friends who sings karaoke is a voice student from Juilliard School of Music in New York. A couple of the others have been performing publically (but not professionally) for years, singing the kind of music that goes over well at this kind of thing.

One of the questions on the application form was the following: "Which American Idol is your favorite, and why?"

I've never watched "American Idol," so I'm sure I got that question wrong.

We're supposed to sing in the following genres: Rock, Rhythm & Blues, Broadway, Oldies, Country, and whatever we'd like (assuming one lasts that long). This is not very good news to one such as myself.

I sing opera arias in foreign languages.

Therefore, we'll see how long it is before I'm "voted off the island."

Or is that a mixing of metaphors? (I haven't seen that one, either.)

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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