The event, fittingly held in Sinatra Park, brought together 13 dashing men from around the world—outfitted in tuxedos and fedoras, of course—as they vied for the title of top crooner.Cultural Affairs head Geri Fallo explained that the idea for the contest originally came about when she was approached by so many Sinatra-style singers wanting to perform at the bi-annual Arts and Music Fest. She said the first Sinatra Idol, a smaller affair held at the Hoboken Historical Museum, "went over so well that I thought we should do this again at the waterfront."This year's judges included Glenn Morrow of Bar None Records, Dale Monaco (who is actually a second cousin to the late Mr. Sinatra), City Clerk Jimmy Farina, Marie Wall of The Shannon and Jim Kosic of The Burgiss Group. Each contestant was scored on a scale of 1-5.
Host and emcee Gary "Simpsinatra" Simpson warmed up the event with a few tunes, before Fallo officially kicked things off.
Joe Cofone, who also performed last year, opened the show with "Lady is a Tramp." Though always tough to go on first, Cofone still earned respectable scores from the judges.
Rick Valiant came all the way from Vancouver, Canada, to perform "My Kind of Town," which of course he called Hoboken. Gotta butter up the judges, right?
James Dempsey also came from out of town, Virginia, that is, to sing "Nice 'n' Easy."
"I had the chance to see him when I was very young," said Dempsey, though he lamented that he was too young to appreciate the legend at the time.
One of the surprises of the night was Alex Grigato, who traveled all the way from Italy in order to compete. Grigato had just arrived the day before, and said this was his first live performance and that onstage he was "all sweat." Originally planning to sing "Blue Moon," he changed his mind at the last minute after he says: "Last night I had a dream, Frank appeared and said, 'You have to sing "All The Way.'"
Rory Alyward returned for his second year in the competition, singing "You Make Me Feel So Young" ("Some of the best notes of the night," said Morrow). Michael Simone slowed things down with "Night and Day" ("I gave him a "3" because he looks like my cousin Jerome," said Farina, who provided most of the night's comedy).
But the competition really heated up when David Arellano, a three-time Sinatra Idol contestant from Staten Isand sang a truly beautiful rendition of "My Way," earning him a standing ovation and whistles from the crowd. The performance brought Wall to tears and Kosic tried to give him a score of "6."
The final performance, Greg Meyers crooning "Luck Be a Lady," was a stellar end to some fierce competition. Meyers, a singer and performer by trade, captured Sinatra's voice and attitude perfectly. Morrow called it "One of the best all around performances of the night." Before the winner was crowned, Fallo announced that there was a tie for second place, so Sinatra fans got an extra treat as Meyers and Alyward performed a duet of "I've Got You Under My Skin." Basing the results upon the crowd's applause, Meyers was awarded the second place trophy.
But the big winner of the night was, as most guessed, Arellano. He won not only the first prize trophy, but also a hefty array of gift certificates to local restaurants and shops.
The other contestants joined Arellano in the spotlight, as they sang one last classic Sinatra rendition: "New York, New York," against a backdrop of the glittering Manhattan skyline at dusk.Arellano, a retired New York City detective, said he's dedicated the last five years of his life to singing Sinatra, and this win meant a lot to him.
"It's just an honor to be a part of Sinatra's legacy," he said. check out the video @ http://hoboken.patch.com/articles/video-hoboken-chooses-its-newest-sinatra-idol#video-480864
