Astoria Resident To Be Interviewed On WOR May 9

Adrian Simpson, a 17-year-old young man from Astoria and Lilly Torres, also 17, of Rosedale, will be interviewed on the WOR Morning Show with Joe Bartlett and Donna Hanover. Simpson's day on the airwaves is on Friday, May 9, at 7:20 a.m. Torres' time to shine is Wednesday, May 14, also at 7:20 a.m. They have both entered the fourth annual WOR Shining Star Talent Search, and their interviews will be about their love of music, their musical education, and their competition entries. Simpson is singing Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up" and Torres is singing "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers. The interviews do not imply that they are winners or finalists, but both will be interviewed and a part of their songs will be played on the air.

WOR Radio 710 HD is holding its fourth annual "Shining Star Talent Search", which benefits tri-state area schools and students by supporting arts curriculums and providing cash prizes to winning students. $10,000 goes to the school attended by the Shining Star winner. Students in grades seven through 12 across the area have been invited to sing a song of their choice and to submit their recording to WOR Radio. The deadline for entries is May 14. Finalists will be notified on May 22.

Throughout the competition, students will be interviewed and their entries will be played on the WOR Morning Show with Joe Bartlett and Donna Hanover. After a rigorous internal judging process, the top 25 semi-finalists will each win $100 and perform live in front of their families, friends and a judging panel of entertainment industry professionals at WOR's Shining Star Sing-Off at the New York Downtown Marriott Grand Ballroom on Sunday, June 8. The judges will choose their top six finalists whose performances will be aired on WOR and voted on by the listeners. The winner and first and second runners-up will perform before thousands of attendees at WOR's Get Healthy Expo to be held at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center on June 21.

The cash prizes to students are as follows: the Shining Star Winner gets $2,500 and a professional recording session with Kamen Entertainment Group NYC. The first runner-up gets $1,500, and the second runner-up gets $750.

WOR Radio has a long tradition of supporting education and giving back to communities. Pop icon and Broadway performer Deborah Gibson credits WOR with helping to get her career started when she won a WOR songwriting competition. Last year's winner of WOR's Shining Star Talent Search was Blair Goldberg from the Long Island H.S. for the Arts. Previous winners have been from New Jersey, including Alexandra Hausner from Fair Lawn H.S. and Jonathan Schwartz from Cranford H.S.

This year's Shining Star Talent Search is made possible by J&R Music and Computer World. For entry information, visit www.wor710.com.