'Soul Man' from OBHS named Old Bridge Star

Old Bridge Star Michael Rogers does his best Blues Brothers impersonation during the recent competition at the Old Bridge Public Library.

OLD BRIDGE - Step aside, Taylor Hicks. There's a new soul man on the move, and his name is Michael Rogers.

The Old Bridge High School student was crowned Old Bridge Star following this year's weeklong American Idol-like competition of teens in the Summer Reading Club at the township's public library.

"It was just like the TV program," said Theresa Wordlemann, teen librarian. "We started with tryouts, then one elimination, followed by the big competition. The judges tried to provide input and advice for the teens, but nothing in comparison to Simon Cowell."

An overflow crowd of all ages attended the final day of competition for the grades six through 12 participants.

Each of the five finalists - one boy, four girls - had an opportunity to choose a song, and the final song was picked for them by the judges. A ballot was handed out to all those who attended, and the library staff counted the ballots in secret.

In the end, Michael Rogers' rendition of The Blues Brothers' "Soul Man," along with his version of Billy Joel's "The Piano Man," made him the easy winner.

Rogers is an active participant in the library's teen programming, including the Teen Advisory Board. He is interested in looking for other stars too and plans on doing some local theater in the fall.

"This event proved much larger and had a broader appeal to the community than we thought," noted Allan M. Kleiman, assistant library director. "The teens all want us to try another auditionlike competition event again, and we are planning a comedy one in October for Teen Read Week."

For a listing of teen events, pick up a monthly calendar at the Old Bridge Public Library; view the calendar online on the library's Web site at www.oldbridgelibrary. org; or call (732) 721-5600, ext. 5033.