The Houston Pride Idol competition is judged by a panel of 3 judges and a fourth "judge" that consists of the cumulative votes from the audience sent in via text messaging. The judges give "constructive criticism" along side "not-so constructive criticism" in an effort to push the contestants to better develop and expose their talent and stage presence.
The 2008 Houston Pride Idol Judges
Ernie Manouse
“(Ernie is) among the best interviewers I had ever experienced. His intellect, charm and charisma make for television that is informative and entertaining. In the course of conducting a superb interview, he conveys his talent, humor, intelligence, compassion, understanding and wit." -Walter Cronkite
Our very own "Simon", Emmy nominated Ernie Manouse has a name synonymous
with entertainment - be it as an anchor, talk show host, interviewer,
presenter or judge - Ernie has seen it all and know what works and what doesn't. He is a three time recipient of Outsmart Magazine's Gayest &
Greatest "Best TV Guy" honor. His friends and co-workers are a "who's
who" of the entertainment world, and his views and opinions on art and entertainment are respected across the board.
A fixture for the last 12 years at HoustonPBS, Manouse is the host & producer of the nationally syndicated series "InnerVIEWS with Ernie Manouse" seen on over 80 television stations across the country (the 24th most viewed interview program on all of American television). Ernie's fan club ("Friends of Ernie" or FoE for short), has members across the globe, publishes a monthly newsletter, runs the ErnieOnTV.com web site, and gets involved in many charitable causes.
2008
marks the 10th year Manouse has MCed Houston's Pride Parade, and looks
forward to introducing this year's Pride Idol to the crowd!For more information on Ernie, visit the web site ErnieOnTV.com
Joey Guerra
I'm the staff music critic/writer for the Houston Chronicle, one of the
country's largest newspapers. It's the busiest, most stressful, most
maddening, most rewarding job I've ever had. Concert and CD reviews, deadlines and music at every turn. It's also afforded me the opportunity to
meet and interview some incredible people, including Cher, Bette Midler,
Faith Hill, Donna Summer, Enrique Iglesias, kd lang, Jessica Simpson,
Britney Spears (when she was normal), Taylor Swift, Kelly Rowland and
Beyonce. I also co-author a popular Houston music blog at blogs.chron.com/handstamp/.
I was a judge for the inaugural Pride Idol in 2007 and was amazed at the
diversity of talent, the enthusiasm and the promise that it gave to make
this year's a bigger, better competition. I'm an avid American Idol watcher
and have blogged each show for the Houston Chronicle -- at blogs.chron.com/tubular -- for the past few years.
Through my work, I've been able to interview Idols Kelly Clarkson, Jim Verraros, Clay Aiken, Kimberly Caldwell, Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Elliott Yamin, Chris Daughtry, Melinda Doolittle, Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks. I've also written about my quest to become an MTV VJ in New York, spent a day following the spiked heels of Latin superstar Paulina Rubio, and crafted an award-winning piece on slain Tejano goddess Selena, which included family interviews and on-location flavor from Corpus Christi.
Alan Lett
Alan is a native Houstonian who has turned his childhood passion for music creation into a career. Owner of and Full-Time Producer at Letthead Productions, Alan has crafted a unique style and approach to recording. Alan was featured on the cover of OutSmart Magazine in February 2006, and later that year featured in the Houston Chronicle as Houston's "Ultimate Undiscovered Producer."
Alan has made a name for himself working with international duo Jason & deMarco, and was featured in their upcoming documentary "We're All Angels," set to air on television this summer. Alan has released four full length self-produced albums of his own music and is about to release an album of remixes. Alan's seasoned ear for polished vocals will prove an invaluable addition to the competition.
