SINGERS FINDING A VOICE IN NIGHTCLUB.

Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer

At Dimples nightclub, a TV and film industry hangout along Olive Avenue, the silent screen has made a comeback.

Beginning at 10:30 most nights, a 9-by-12-foot screen outside the club projects images of amateur singers inside the club as they belt out their karaoke favorites.

Out of respect for the club's neighbors, the stars-for-the-moment appear without sound, silently mouthing their selections and dancing to the beat of an unheard drummer. The big-screen treatment is a kick for those who love the limelight and a diversion for passing motorists.

``It should be on Sunset Boulevard, anyone who's got a live show,'' said club owner Sal Ferraro, a pioneer of the Southland's karaoke scene.

The club, located at 3413 W. Olive Ave., near NBC studios and across from several record companies, caters to those trying to make their mark in Hollywood. One glimpse from a passing record company exec could seal their success.

``These people, they got such high hopes that they think they can be discovered just by (someone) looking at them,'' Ferraro said.

Even Ferraro's staff members are all ``in the business,'' with side careers as actors, models, singers and artists, he said.

Few Dimples singers show inhibitions about performing; some don an available Viking helmet or a fuzzy hat before taking the stage. Pictures displayed of past nights at Dimples show that some performers have shed more than just their stage fright at the club.

For first-time performers, Ferraro goes to the kitchen and prints a digital picture of them, cuts off the edges and brings it back with an audio tape of their performance.

Others, like patron Tim, need no incentive to offer up his rendition of AC/DC's ``You Shook Me All Night Long.'' A Dimples hostess, wearing a ``Brat to the Core'' T-shirt, welcomed him on stage with the words, ``You know what? You're live on the street outside.''

The screen is less of a draw for club patrons who have already been discovered. That was the case for actor Seth Green, who has appeared in ``The Italian Job'' and two ``Austin Powers'' films. Along with actor Freddie Prinze Jr., Green was one of several celebrities at the club on a recent weeknight.

``I'm going to ask them to turn it off when we get on,'' Green said. ``We just came here to sing, not to be seen.''

Peter Harris, 37, of Burbank sees the outside screen as a useful addition to the club, for another reason.

``You drive by slowly, and, if it's a bunch of guys singing,'' then that means that few girls are in the club. And ``you keep driving,'' said Harris, who stopped at the club last week.

``People are friendly, and there's no attitude here. Even the beautiful women will talk to you; it's not like Hollywood,'' Harris said.

Club patron Andrew Bentter, 26, of Glendale, a production assistant in the talent department on the show ``On Air With Ryan Seacrest,'' said the club's attractions are very basic.

``I just come here because the beer is cheap, and I don't like to be where there's nothing to do,'' he said. ``So I come here to watch people sing.''

Alex Dobuzinskis, [phone]

alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Pat McWorter, standing outside of Dimples in Burbank, takes in the big-screen karaoke singers who are inside the club.

(2) Sal Ferraro, owner of Dimples, prints out photos of karaoke singers on a computer in the kitchen.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News