ORLANDO, FL--(Marketwire - April 20, 2010) - McDonald's owner/operators from around the world were wowed by the performance of the 12 semi-finalists in the Voice of McDonald's singing competition. The audience was also treated to an impromptu acoustic performance by Grammy-award winning recording artist Richard Marx. After months of preparation, a journey of thousands of miles and a week-long music bootcamp, the fate of three talented McDonald's restaurant employees now rests on one final performance each.
On Thursday, McDonald's brightest singing star will be awarded the $25,000 grand prize and the coveted title of the new Voice of McDonald's. Following today's semi-finals, the top three finalists moving on to the grand finale are: Chenee Capuyan, Davao Del Sur, Philippines; Jin Hur, Goyang City, South Korea; and Jesus Molinares, Lima, Peru.
Today's contestants were scored by a panel of eight renowned judges, including Marx, world-famous salsa singer Tito Nieves, GM for Geffen Records Jeff Norskog, and Talent Casting Director for Disney Parks Ray DeChiara. Actress Jill Wagner, current host of ABC's popular TV show, "Wipeout," hosted the event.
"These McDonald's employees demonstrated amazing talent on stage tonight," said Marx. "It was tough to pick just three to advance to the final competition. They are all so good -- as good as any singers on TV shows."
Voice of McDonald's is a worldwide contest to discover, recognize and reward the most talented singers among McDonald's 1.6 million restaurant employees. More than 10,400 employees entered this third edition of the competition before the field was narrowed down to just 12 final contestants who were awarded a world-class opportunity to achieve their dreams.
"This global singing competition is all about opportunity for our employees," said Rich Floersch, McDonald's executive vice president and global chief human resources officer. "It's just one of the ways we showcase our employees' many talents."
The Voice of McDonald's contestants arrived in Orlando last week to start their all-expenses-paid trip with a glimpse into the life of a music industry professional, including vocal coaching and hair, makeup, wardrobe and choreography consultations. They also had time to bond and have fun with their international colleagues during this once-in-a-lifetime experience. This morning, they performed as a group in front of more than 14,000 McDonald's owners/operators attending McDonald's 2010 Worldwide Convention.
The top three contestants are competing for the Voice of McDonald's grand prize, which includes $25,000, two VIP tickets to the Lady Gaga "Monster Ball Tour" concert in Los Angeles in August 2010 courtesy of Troy Carter and the Atom Factory, and a new MacBook courtesy of the Coca-Cola Company.
Second place takes home $10,000; third place receives $5,000 and runners-up receive $3,000. McDonald's executives upped the prize amount from $1,500 to $3,000 after an extraordinary performance by all contestants.
All finalists will also receive an iPod touch from the Coca-Cola Company, karaoke kit from The Karaoke Channel, Beats from Dr. Dre headphones from Universal Music Group and Voice of McDonald's attire. In addition, all 12 will receive $500 for a celebration party with co-workers at their restaurants and a $1,000 donation in their names for their local Ronald McDonald House Charities or other children's charity. Disney's DeChiara also surprised them by announcing he had scheduled a rare, private audition at the Disney casting offices in Orlando later in the week.
To read more about the Voice of McDonald's finalists, download hi-res photos and videos from Orlando and view a live webcast of the final competition on Thursday, visit www.mcdonalds.com/voice. For real-time news updates from Orlando, follow @voicemcdonalds on Twitter. Also, share your thoughts on the competition on our Voice of McDonald's Facebook page: http://bit.ly/vomfbk.
About Voice of McDonald's
Voice of McDonald's is the largest global singing competition of its kind, open to the 1.6 million McDonald's restaurant employees around the world. More than 2,500 employees entered the inaugural competition, which kicked off in 2005. In 2007, more than 3,600 singers entered Voice of McDonald's II, and more than 10,400 employees entered Voice of McDonald's III when the competition kicked off in 2009.
About McDonald's
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©2010 McDonald's, McDonald's Corp., Voice of McDonald's, Ronald McDonald House Charities, MacBook, iPod, Coca-Cola Company, Disney, The Karaoke Channel, Beats from Dr. Dre, and Universal Music Group are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Contact Information:
For More Information
Lisa McComb, McDonald's
lisa.mccomb@us.mcd.com, 630-484-1158
Soraya Garcia, McDonald's
soraya.garcia@us.mcd.com, 630-400-4014
Hannah Schroder, JSH&A
hannah@jsha.com, 630-247-6957
