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ALLENTOWN: Cream of the crop

Allentown High’s Half & Half singers win televised talent show

By Joanne Degnan, Managing Editor
   ALLENTOWN — Allentown High School’s a cappella group, Half & Half, rode a wave of hometown support to help clinch the crown in the vocal ensemble category of the televised “MSG Varsity Talent Show” on Sunday night.
   During the May 27 finals, the group went head-to-head with the B-Sharps from Plainview-Old Bethpage High School in Bethpage, New York, in a contest that was decided by TV viewers who voted online. Thousands of votes were cast over a three-day period before the website closed, and when the votes were counted (producers won’t disclose the official tally), Half & Half had won.
   ”Everyone is just so excited,” said Ariana Albarella, one of the singers in Half & Half, so named because half the singers are male and half are female.
   ”The support we have received from everyone in our school and in the community has been fantastic — that’s how we won,” Ariana said Monday.
   While the hundreds of votes cast by friends, family, classmates and teachers surely helped (under the contest rules no more than 5,000 votes a day could be emailed from any single IP address), ultimately, it was raw talent that propelled Half & Half past the seven other tri-state area teams.
   Led by AHS vocal music teacher Mark Megill, the a cappella group had to work with musical accompaniment and incorporate dance into its routines for the competition. The students selected their own songs, which included the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic, “Sweet Home Alabama,” and their performances were filmed at SUNY Westbrook on Long Island in advance of their May 6 TV debut.
   ”We’re so proud of them and grateful to the community for its support,” said AHS Principal Connie Embley on Monday night.
   Mrs. Embley said the honor is particularly sweet for Mr. Megill, who is retiring this month after 30 years of teaching.
   ”It certainly is a testament to him and shows how everything Mark Megill touches turns to gold,” Mrs. Embley said.
   Mr. Megill said winning the talent show was a “thrill of a lifetime.”
   He noted the students chose the songs, helped arrange and choreograph them and “gladly rehearsed a lot more than usual to get it right.”
   Although the singers in Half & Half had gathered for TV viewing parties to watch the show throughout the season, that was not the case for Sunday’s finale because it was the weekend of the senior prom, Ariana said.
   ”We were scattered all over the place,” Ariana said, “but we were still watching.”
   Half & Half will be reunited June 27, a week after its high school graduation, to enjoy its prize — tickets to the Broadway show “Memphis.” The students also will participate in a singing workshop with one of the show’s performers and be treated to lunch in New York City’s theater district.
   The “MSG Varsity Talent Show,” which was hosted by former “American Idol” semifinalist Jared Cotter, featured a total of 32 acts — 16 performers in the individual vocalist category and eight school ensembles in both the vocal and dance categories.
   Commack High School (Long Island) senior Matthew Mayer took the title in the individual vocalist category, and Piscataway High School won the dance ensemble category.
   ”MSG Varsity’s Talent Show” episodes are available to Cablevision subscribers on demand on Channel 614 and online at www.msgvarsity.com.