Bright lights and applause keep karaoke going strong.

Byline: Serena Markstrom The Register-Guard

Secretly, everyone wants to be a star. For some, the desire is strong enough to pursue it. The rest of us glean approval from our loved ones and fortune cookies.

Once out of school, most of us get few moments to shine. No one's clapping after your book report or giving you a gold star. Performance reviews at work are generally not exciting events. (Note to bosses: Gold stars wouldn't hurt).

Then there are the ordinary people who aren't chasing dreams of celebrity, but who do like to feel like one, even for four minutes at a time, in a dark bar with neon lights dashing across a wooden dance floor during a karaoke version of "I Will Survive."

"A lot of people have never been applauded for in their whole life," says Dan Henson, 55, who runs karaoke four nights a week at the Red Lion lounge. "They get fixated by that applause, that acceptance. They don't have that anywhere else. ...

`Karaoke makes them feel good. It's positive influence on their ego and psyche."

Heather Nichols-Smith can vouch for that. Karaoke may not be the only place in her life she finds acceptance, but she says since she finally got brave enough to sing in public three years ago, she's become a more confident person.

"It just kind of makes you a little bit more outgoing, takes you out of your shell," Nichols-Smith says. "When you are making yourself vulnerable like that in front of a large group of people, it kind of does carry over.

`It gives you a different way of looking at things. Even if you don't sing good, at least you get the applause."

That's karaoke etiquette. Most hosts will try to get the crowd involved and supporting the singers, and they discourage rude or heckling patrons.

Nichols-Smith, a 32-year-old mother of two, is one of Henson's regulars. Each Thursday, she and a group of friends get dressed up, order a few cocktails and cheer each other on as they perform what have come to be signature songs.

Henson keeps all his regulars' songs on little cards with titles and keys to sing them in.

"At first I didn't like it. I didn't like how it went and I was nervous," says Nichols-Smith, who eventually found her groove in the Tracy Chapman song "Give Me One Reason." She found her husband, too, while doing karaoke.

"I know that I am not a super, super great singer, but if I get up there and I mess up I will start laughing and the crowd will laugh, too."

`American Idol' credited

New Mexico-based Barb Tomlin, who founded the American Karaoke Guild with her husband, Gary, says there have been three waves of karaoke popularity. She believes the latest, the one America is in now, is the strongest.

Karaoke debuted in the early 1970s in Japan, according to Wikipedia. Tomlin says it was used in the late '70s in nightclubs after business hours as a stress reliever for workers in high-demand technology jobs.

She says the second wave started when personal computers came into the home. It started to cross the ocean to the United States in the mid-1980s, through the mobile karaoke box.

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks made many people reluctant to leave their homes as often and distrustful of computers and the Internet, Tomlin says.

"I believe 'American Idol' is the driving force behind this latest round of popularity," Tomlin says.

Local karaoke hosts say they haven't noticed much of an increase in attendance at karaoke nights since "American Idol" and "Rock Star Supernova" hit the air. But it's hard to deny karaoke's place in popular culture as it pops up more often on television shows such as "The Simpsons" and movies such as "Duet."

With computer and cable technology allowing for home karaoke, children also have gotten on board.

There's "Karaoke Revolution Party," the video game, and creative teachers use it as a tool. Imagine learning biology by singing, "My oh my, mitosis/ When chromosomes divide ...' set to the Monkees' "Daydream Believer."

Some people take their karaoke very seriously. They bring their own CDs, ideas for key selection and specific other requests to the karaoke jockey, such as how much echo to have in a song.

Often, the winners of kar- aoke contests are more than good singers. They have costumes and choreography in their routines.

Henson, from the Red Lion, says karaoke has stayed popular since he first brought it to Eugene in 1991. He believes he was the first to have karaoke in town after seeing shows in Seattle and investing $12,000 in equipment.

Within months, the same club owners who told him he was making a mistake bought their own equipment, he re- calls.

"I figured out right away that you couldn't listen to a whole night of karaoke," he says of when he started to incorporate pop and dance music into the mix.

Henson's not the only karaoke jockey, or KJ, who prides himself on reading a crowd.

Jared Ritzer owns Caught-In-The-Act DJs and Karaoke, and you can find him or one of his employees every night of the week at clubs such as the O Bar, the Black Forest and El Dorado.

"Making everybody feel like they are the star, even if they are the worst singer, is the KJ's job," he says.

Like Henson, he mixes in dance music and tries to keep the energy high with humor and enthusiastic praise for the singers.

"One thing that draws people to one show versus another is the personality of the host and what they have to offer," Ritzer says.

Ritzer, 39, says his 15,000 tunes are the largest catalog in the area. Country and top 40 hits are most popular to sing.

He sometimes plays games with the audience, such as name that tune and kamikaze karaoke, where contestants choose a song number at random and try to out-perform an opponent without the benefit of practice.

A couple of weeks ago, Ritzer hosted the first of what will be an ongoing gig at the City, formerly Club Tsunami. The outdoor karaoke event was a big success because it combined people's desire to be outside in summer with their all-weather craving to get up there and sing.

"Eighty percent (of the success of a night) has to do with what the crowd wants. A bad singer does not kill the show," says Ritzer who's been hosting karaoke in Eugene and Spring- field for 10 years.

"It's kind of like a support group. If you have a problem you go to AA or NA or a counselor who has a group of people who have your same problem. They are there to support you and you support them. It would be rude not to clap."

Karaoke regular Nichols-Smith says she enjoys just about everything about her weekly ritual of hanging out and singing with friends.

"The only downside is to be hit on by old grampa men," she says.

"But you just shrug them off and they go away."

KARAOKE OVERVIEW

Karaoke comes from Japanese words that when combined translate to "empty orchestra"

What: Ordinary folks singing vocal parts to popular music When: On any given week there are a couple of dozen clubs offering karaoke nights. Ticket publishes a list of offerings in the calendar Cost: It's almost always free; some places have a drink minimum

TIPS FOR BEGINNERS Becoming a decent karaoke performer is all about repetition. Some people who are good do not have naturally brilliant voices, but they try to put on a show. Here are a few ideas from singers and hosts to help you get started:

Go on an off night when the crowd is smaller. Many hosts are willing to work with you, and you can build confidence by practicing in front of fewer people. Don't drink too much; you'll have less vocal control. Stand to either side of the speakers to avoid microphone feedback. Practice what you want to sing before you go out to perform. You can practice online or through video-on-demand; check with your cable company. Hold a private karaoke party with friends before going out. Check out how at www.microsoft.com/ athome/morefun/karaoke .mspx. Pretend you are already a star with the clothes you opt to wear and how you carry yourself. Your appearance also will help with your confidence. Remember, it's not about being perfect but being comfortable and engaging the audience. If you mess up the lyrics, laugh and improvise to get back on track. Bring your own fan club. Thank your audience and your karaoke jockey when you are done.

- Local KJs and Barb Tomlin, founder of the American Karaoke Guild