Kris Allen Set to Judge Kidz Bop Talent Contest

Kris Allen tweeted over the weekend that he “did some blurps for Kidz Bop today and it got me all tuckered out. #whatsablurp”

What’s a blurp indeed! As it turns out, it has something to do with the Kidz Bop Second Annual Kidz Star USA, for which Kris will serve as a judge and mentor.

He’ll be teaming up with Jive Records’ Candece Campbell. The two will “offer their talents and advice to aspiring singers ages 15 and under, one of which will walk away with a record deal from Jive.”

“I’ll be looking for obviously a great voice but also someone original and unique, ” said Kris. “Someone who stands out among the other contestants and grabs my attention.”

Young hopefuls will be featured in a series of webisodes. Fans can follow the competition on the Kidz Bop social networking site, view audition tapes and vote for their favorites.

In September, the Top 4 will be announced and flown to New York City, where they will receive makeovers and mentoring from the celebrity judges.

The series wraps in October, when the winner is broadcast live during the finale, which will be broadcast on the web.

Via The Hollywood Reporter

Press Release:

NEW YORK, NY (July 22, 2011) — KIDZ BOP, the #1 kids’ music brand in the U.S., today announces that American Idol 2009 winner Kris Allen has been named an official celebrity judge and mentor for the second annual KIDZ Star USA Talent Search, the premier national talent competition for kids and teens ages 15 and under. In this role, Kris will offer expert advice and tips to contestants and help select the contest’s four semi finalists. Comments Kris Allen: “I’ll be looking for obviously a great voice but also someone original and unique — someone who stands out among the other contestants and grabs my attention.”

Also joining Kris on the celebrity mentor and judge panel is Candece Campbell, Jive Records’ Vice President of A&R who will help guide contestants. Candece has worked on hit projects for Jordin Sparks, Hot Chelle Ray and has managed and worked with some of the top producers and songwriters in pop music. Fans can log on and vote online for their favorites to help determine the semi-finalists and Grand Prize Winner. Check out current contestant highlight videos here:  http://www.kidzbop.com/kidzstarusa/2011/video/1150819/Picks-of-the-week-2

With the contest launching only 3 weeks ago, already over 20, 0000 entries have been received, far surpassing last year’s number of entries at this point in the process. The online talent search is hosted on KIDZ BOP’s leading safe social networking and video sharing website, KIDZBOP.com, and gives aspiring young singers a shot at fame, right from home. Now until August 15th, kids can upload a :90 second performance video to KIDZBOP.com to compete for a chance to win a recording contract with the RCA/JIVE Label Group, a starring role in the next KIDZ BOP TV commercial and music video, and much more.  Endemol, the largest independent television and digital production company in the world, is producing a series of webisodes following the musical journey of the top KIDZ Star USA contestants.

Fans can follow the contestants’ audition videos and progress online at KIDZBOP.com and watch weekly KIDZ Star USA clips and webisodes, including contestant highlights, audition tips and celebrity judge comments. The top four KIDZ Star USA finalists will be announced in September and will then be flown to New York City where they’ll receive the red carpet treatment, including a superstar makeover and mentoring from the celebrity judges. The final fan voting period runs this September and helps determine the winner of the recording contract.  A special finale web event featuring the four finalists and celebrity judges will be broadcast online this October. In 2010, more than 35, 000 kids entered and over a half a million people voted in the inaugural KIDZ Star USA Talent Search competition.

About Kris Allen:

Since skyrocketing to stardom as the winner of the 2009 season of American Idol, Kris Allen has enjoyed success with 5 singles on the Billboard Charts. His self-titled debut album for 19 Recordings/Jive features his hit single “Live Like We’re Dying” which has a combined digital sales of over 1.7 million.  Since the release of his album he has toured with Keith Urban, Maroon 5, Barenaked Ladies, Lifehouse as well as headlining his own club tour.   He is currently in the studio recording his sophomore album.

About KIDZBOP.com

KIDZBOP.com is the leading safe social network and video sharing site for kids and tweens with one million registered members. The website provides a completely safe and moderated environment where kids can express themselves—as themselves—through unique online applications and proprietary functionality. The site’s popular “My Channel” feature lets members safely communicate with friends via our Safe Text Messaging System, which averages more than one million status updates per month. Kids can also safely produce their own Web shows, create and run their own “Super Contests, ” upload videos and photos, and make music. To date, KIDZ BOP’s team of expert moderators have screened more than 23, 000 hours of video content and nearly half a million photos before they were uploaded to KIDZBOP.com.

About KIDZ BOP LLC

KIDZ BOP is the #1 music brand for kids ages 5-12 in the U.S., featuring today’s most popular songs, sung by kids for kids. KIDZ BOP celebrates the authentic voice of kids across the entire brand—through music, videos, live appearances, licensed merchandise and its popular social networking and content sharing website, KIDZBOP.com. In 2011, the brand is celebrating its 10th anniversary. KIDZ BOP CD titles have earned one Platinum® and nine Gold® certifications since their debut in 2001. KIDZ BOP’s most recent release, KIDZ BOP 19 debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 chart where it spent three consecutive weeks in the Top 10.  KIDZ BOP LLC is a division of New York-based independent entertainment company Razor & Tie Entertainment, a vertically-integrated company that encompasses a music company with major label distribution, a home video company, a media buying company, a music publishing business, a direct marketing operation and a growing database of entertainment consumers.

About RCA/JIVE Label Group

RCA/JIVE Label Group comprises RCA Music Group (J Records, Arista Records, RCA Records, Polo Grounds) and JIVE Label Group (Jive Records, LaFace Records, Volcano Entertainment, Hitz Committee Entertainment, Battery Records, Verity Gospel Music Group).  RCA/JIVE Label Group consists of a diverse roster of internationally renowned artists including Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Britney Spears, Ke$ha, OutKast, Kings of Leon, Leona Lewis, Chris Brown, Kelly Clarkson, P!nk, Christina Aguilera, Usher, Dave Matthews Band, Jamie Foxx, Buddy Guy, Daughtry, Foo Fighters, Three Days Grace,   Whitney Houston, Tool, Ciara, Sarah McLachlan, Kirk Franklin, Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Hudson, Donnie McClurkin, and many more.  RCA/JIVE is a label group of Sony Music Entertainment.

About Endemol

Endemol USA is a leading producer of television and digital programming specializing in unscripted and scripted genres. The company produces the hit TV shows “Wipeout, ” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ” “Jerseylicious, ” and “Big Brother, ” and digital hits, “Married on MySpace, ” “MLB Fan Cave” and “Vidas Cruzadas.”  Endemol USA is a division of the Endemol Group, a leading international content developer, producer and distributor of television and online programming. The company, headquartered in the Netherlands and the UK, has subsidiaries and joint ventures in 26 countries, including the major European markets, the U.S., South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. Endemol is owned by a consortium consisting of Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, Mediaset Group and Cyrte Group. For more information, please visit http://www.endemolusa.tv. Endemol is a privately held company.

About mj santilli 34859 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!