Little Rock TV, radio personalities to put lips in motion for Make-A-Wish

A celebrity lip-syncing through a performance may be cause for scandal, but when it's local celebrities engaged in a Lip Sync Battle, that's what's expected -- along with costumes, props and choreography.

Little Rock's Lip Sync Battle, to be held Saturday, is based on the series Lip Sync Battle on Spike TV and a running segment on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in which celebrities perform elaborate lip sync routines to popular songs. Event organizer Danny-Joe Crofford adapted the idea for central Arkansas, recruiting local celebrities to get crazy and creative for a cause.

Crofford says, "It's really an excuse to have all us TV and radio folks. We were like, 'This would be fun if we could all get together and do something and do some good.'"

Now in its third year, the Little Rock Lip Sync Battle is bigger than ever, with a new venue, new awards and even a new charity.

This will be the first time the Lip Sync Battle has been held in Robinson Center Performance Hall after performances at the Argenta Community Theater, which seats 218 people, and the Ron Robinson Theater, which has room for 315. Robinson Center holds more than 2,000.

"Hopefully this is the home until it gets so big we have to move it to Verizon," Crofford says, although he says it's highly unlikely this year's show will be a sellout. That's a goal for the future.

Aside from more audience capacity, the new venue also gives them a much larger performance- and spectacle-ready stage with state-of-the-art lighting, sound, video capabilities and backstage space.

While the 2015 and 2016 versions were fundraisers for the American Cancer Society, this year's proceeds will benefit Make-A-Wish Mid-South, and all the money raised will make wishes come true for Arkansas children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Make-A-Wish is the beneficiary but it's not the only charity involved. The Optimist Club of Greater Little Rock has signed on as the presenting sponsor and North Little Rock Police Officer Tommy Norman's Mission Give Foundation is sponsoring a wish that will be revealed at the event.

Norman is performing for the second year in a row and he'll join a lineup of talent including radio personalities Poolboy, Chris Counts, Bob Robbins and Angry Patrick; TV station notables Melinda Mayo and Jason Pederson of KATV; Dawn Scott and Meredith Mitchell of KTHV; D.J. Williams of KARK; Wess Moore of Fox 16; and Amanda Copley of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Last year's champion, KATV's Alyson Courtney, will defend her title.

"I've got a pretty good roster of folks," Crofford says.

Crofford points out that, because the event is not sponsored by or affiliated with any particular station, it's open to all the radio and TV stations in town. Most events that feature radio and TV personalities have a particular affiliation.

In all, there will be 20 performances, 18 of them in actual competition, with Crofford and master of ceremonies Craig O'Neill performing ineligible, but likely epic, opening numbers.

"The 18 judgeable acts will have to put on something very big to top the opening number," Crofford says. "Do not miss the first eight minutes."

Because this is no ordinary event, the grand prize isn't an ordinary trophy. Instead, it's a WWE championship belt awarded by a panel of celebrity judges including Tom Wood of radio station KHKN-FM, 94.9; Lisa Fischer of KURB-FM, B98.5; and Jana DeGeorge of Verizon Arena.

The belt won't be the only award handed out this year. The audience will be able to text-vote for the People's Choice Award, and some of the Make-A-Wish children will decide on the Wish Kids Choice Award.

There will also be awards for choreography, costumes and use of props.

And with the move to the much larger, more spectacle-friendly Robinson Center, there should be plenty of opportunities for the celebrities to show off.

"The patrons there will get a very, very enjoyable show," Crofford says. "They'll get to laugh. They'll see some of their favorite personalities perform and really act like fools."

Weekend on 08/24/2017