Brandon Osmond Makes the Semi-Finals

The voters have spoken.

Shaun Barrowes, Due West, Brandon Osmond and Amy Van Wagenen have emerged as the first four semifinalists in MormonTimes.com's "Showcase," the free online music video contest.

They were the top four in the voting that began Nov. 15 and ended at midnight Monday.

"The talent is incredible," said Bob Wood, Mormon Times' marketing director. He said there were 52 entries in "Showcase," and 108 artists have uploaded music to the site so far.

Barrowes, of Spanish Fork, made it to the final 48 in the seventh season of "American Idol" and has released a jazz/pop CD titled "Big Bang Theory."

Due West, a country trio, is made up of Matt Lopez of Wyoming, Tim Gates of Utah and Brad Hull of Arizona. They have been part of the Nashville club scene since 2004.

Brandon Osmond, of Orem, is the son of Donny Osmond and has been writing songs since high school, He served an LDS mission to Scotland.

Amy Van Wagenen, of Salt Lake City, is the mother of four children and just recently returned to making music now that her children are older.

Their videos will be on the Showcase Web site through the next rounds of voting.

The second round of voting, which began Tuesday, will run through Jan. 15, and the third round will run from Jan. 16 through Feb. 15. The four semifinalists from those rounds will join Barrowes, Due West, Osmond and Van Wagenen for the final voting, which will run Feb. 16 through March 1.

Musicians who have the top six videos at the end of final voting will be featured at a live concert in March 19 at 7:30 at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo. The top vote-getter, who will win a $5,000 first prize, will be announced at the concert. Second prize will be $2,000 and third prize will be $1,000.

Wood said musicians can enter the contest at any time and that the interpretation of a music video is lenient. It can be a full-fledged video or photos and music, he said.

Videos may be of any musical genre -- not limited to spiritual -- but must be five minutes or fewer and conform to standards of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in both lyrics and appearance.

There is no cost to enter, and musicians who don't want to compete in "Showcase" may upload their music as well.

Voters must register as users on the site, Wood said, but it's an easy process. Once registered, people can vote once a day.

For more information on entering or voting, visit MormonTimes.com and click on "Showcase."
MORMON TIMES