Karaoke Rules
This page contains rules for both the main Karaoke Contest and Gong Show.
Contest Overview
The Fanime Con 2008 Karaoke Contest will take place on Friday, May 23. Up to 30 Individuals and Groups will vie for the right to be crowned the best singing act of Fanime Con! The Preliminary (qualifying) round will begin at 7PM, and the top eight acts will sing in the finals immediately thereafter. Contestants do not need to be present for the entire contest.
Pre-convention signups are now closed. If you are still interested in being in the contest, we will take 5 people at the convention. Please come to the Karaoke room between 4PM and 6:30PM on Friday, the day of the convention, to sign up.
Eligibility
You must have a valid Fanime Con badge for Friday. Fanime Con Karaoke staff, Guests of Honor, and Industry members are not eligible.
If you compete as a group, all members of the group must perform in both rounds to be eligible for a prize. You may not add or change group members between rounds. All members of the group must sing during both songs, either as lead or as backup.Signing Up
Online signups for the contest will start on Sunday, May 4. Stay tuned to the Fanime Con Live Programming forum and this page for more information on online pre-registration for the Karaoke Contest.
To keep the length of the contest reasonable, the number of acts is limited to 30. Signups are first come, first served.
We will accept up to 25 spots before the convention. An additional five spots will be reserved for at-con sign-ups. Any at-con sign-ups in excess of the five allotted spots will be placed on a waiting list. Note that every year, we get some cancellations and no-shows, so even if you are on the waiting list, your chances of being in the contest are excellent.
Contestants who pre-register for the convention must check in no later than 30 minutes before the start of the qualifying round. Once the contest starts, the MC will only call the names of those who have checked in.
To check-in for the contest, bring your Fanime Con badge and your contest music (see below for more detail). Check-in and at-con sign-ups for the contest will be taken in the Karaoke room (Hall C in the San Jose Convention Center), starting when the Karaoke room opens on Friday late afternoon. To sign up, please bring your Fanime Con badge and your contest music CD.
Selecting Your Songs
Songs must be from the following categories: Anime, video game, or J-rock/J-pop.
English songs which were not originally created for an anime series or video game, or straight covers of such songs (for example, Fly Me To The Moon) are not allowed.
English songs which are significantly changed or adapted from the original version (for example, rearranged and has Japanese verses) are okay. If you are in doubt as to whether a song is acceptable for the contest, please ask us before signing up, and we will make a ruling.
Original English or other non-Japanese songs from the dubbed version of an anime series or game are okay. (For example, the American version of Sailor Moon, or songs from Robotech.)
No a cappella singing.
You should follow the song's original lyrics- This is not a "filk" contest. "Filkers" are welcome to perform during the Gong Show or Open Mic.
If contestants bring their own music, they must provide their own songs on an audio CD or in mp3 format. No MDs or cassettes.
We will make a reasonable effort to return your CD to you, but are ultimately not responsible for lost or forgotten items. If your CD is expensive or hard to replace we strongly suggest that you leave it at home and bring a backup instead.
Contestants who sign up at the convention may choose songs from our open mic library if they cannot provide their own music. However, this is done at the contestant's own risk. We are not responsible if the song sounds different from what the contestant was expecting, and we do not guarantee the availability of any particular song.Contestants must provide their own song lyrics, if needed, except for contestants who use our song open mic library.
Songs must be in their original format as on the released CD and may not be edited, altered, or remixed by the contestant or other party in any way. Remixes which have appeared on an official released CD (for example, one of the many different remixes by Ayumi Hamasaki) are okay.
All contestants who do not have karaoke versions of their songs must perform with vocal dampening turned on. We want to hear you, not the original vocal track. Vocal dampening has been known to have unexpected effects with some songs, so if you don t have the karaoke version of a song, we strongly suggest that you test out the song first at home.
You may not use the same song in both rounds of the contest.
Songs are limited to two and a half minutes (TV version, or one verse and chorus) for the Preliminary round, and five minutes for final round songs. Songs longer than these limits will be faded out when the limit is reached.
Scoring
Contestants will be scored on singing merit (67%), and presentation/showmanship (33%).
In addition, "Coolness Points" can be earned. Coolness Points can be earned for anything which, simply, in the judge's determination, is cool, and can add up to an additional 10% bonus to the score.
All decisions made by the judges are final.
Conduct
As a convention for anime fans of all ages, Fanime Con has certain standards of behavior which all convention attendees should abide by at all times. Karaoke is no exception. All aspects of the act, including, but not limited to: costume, conduct on stage, and song lyrics, are to abide by no worse than a PG-13 standard. If you re in doubt as to whether something is suitable, just ask yourself: Would you do this in front of your mother? If you're still in doubt, please email or post and tell us what you have in mind, and we'll make a decision.
If any violations of this policy occur, Fanime Con Karaoke staff reserves the right to disqualify offenders from the contest and/or terminate the act in mid-song. In extreme cases, offenders may also be subject to convention penalties including loss of badge and removal from the convention.
During the contest, no interaction with the judges or the MC is allowed. Contestants may not touch or approach the judge's table. Contestants may not go into the audience or use a audience member in their act. Actions that encourage general audience participation as a whole (such as asking the crowd to clap or sing along to the song) are okay.
The only persons allowed in the performing area are the MC, Fanime Con Karaoke staff and guests, judges, and contestants.
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GONG SHOW
Overview
The contest will take
place Sunday night (May 25) at 10 PM. To sign up for this contest, come to
the Karaoke room (Ballroom C SJCC) any time during Karaoke
is open on Saturday or Sunday. You can bring your own music, or choose a song from our song
library.
The goal of this contest is simple: the most uniquely terrible, yet entertaining, karaoke performances.
Format
Contestants will compete in single or group karaoke
acts with the aim of being both unique and absolutely awful. They will be allowed to perform for at least 30 seconds. After that, when the
judges can take no more, the gong may be struck and the contestant escorted off the stage. (Although the gong is employed to end the act in question, unlike the actual Gong Show
prizes are not awarded specifically for staying onstage.)
Judging
Contestants are encouraged to be creative, unique, and absolutely awful - they should not only satirize the act of singing itself, but do so in a manner which is interesting enough to prevent their being gonged. This includes, but is not limited to, costumes, dances, group configurations, horrifying vocals, general concept, etc.
Contestants are strongly advised that they will be laughed at by the audience and subject to possibly scathing judge commentary. Thick skin, a good sense of humor, and a strong sense of self-parody are all highly recommended for this event.
Prizes
Awards will be given for Worst of Show, Worst Vocal Performance, and anything else the Judges may deem appropriate.
Restrictions/Rules
Contestants may not behave in any inappropriate
manner that otherwise violates Fanime Con conduct policies, including
(but not limited to) the following: nudity, inappropriate costumes, weapons, etc.
Contestant must stop performing and leave the stage when the fateful gong has been delivered.
