Woodbridge Idol Winner Kelly Peterson is All Smiles

The auditorium was full of excitement at Woodbridge High School Friday night as the contestants got ready for the semi-finals of this year’s Woodbridge Idol contest.

The eleven semi-finalists who performed were Alex Cammy, Frank Catena, Joe Ciampi, Andrew Czochanski, Rebecca Fenderson, Vincent Legaspi, April Liwanag, Kelly Peterson, Morissa Schwartz, Marcelle Simpson, and Esha Vaed.  Two of the eleven - Morissa Schwartz and Esha Vaed - participated last year and were chosen as finalists.

Some of the song selections included in the semi-final round were from the musical “Cats”, the television program “Glee”, and some favorites of Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, and Faith Hill.  Each contestant was introduced by Mayor John McCormac, who also played emcee for the evening.  The panel of three judges, who acted in a manner similar to those on “American Idol” (except kinder and with only constructive criticism), consisted of Michael Ciuffo, Khy Garner, and Amy Stephenson.

After round one, while the judges made their decisions, the crowd was entertained by Woodbridge Idol winners of 2008 and 2009, Patty Romano and Caitlin Meehan. The young women performed a very professional rendition of “Alone” by Heart as a duet.  

A short time later, the four finalists - Frank Catena, Katy Perry, Vincent Legaspi, and Kelly Peterson - were announced. Each then performed another selection of their choice. The audience was then asked to cast their votes to determine this year’s winner. It was obvious the contestants each had their own following of family and friends to cheer them on.

The popular vote chose Kelly Peterson as this year’s “Idol".  The tall, thin blonde, who looked and sounded older than her years, sang “Many the Miles” with gusto.  Although there was only one winner for the evening, all the finalists will get to perform for assorted events throughout the year in the township.