During the last week, I was asked to judge the semi-finals and finals of the Fox Icon karaoke competition being held at various Fox and Hound locations in North and South Carolina. For the semis, there were 19 competitors. For the finals, there were 9.

I won't name names or make many specific comments regarding the competitions, but I will make some general statements about how it all went — and some of these could easily apply to Battle of the Bands competitions, as well.

* Song choice is incredibly important. It was amazing how some people were fantastic on one song and, well, mediocre on the next song. Or even great one day and bad the next. Because it's karaoke and not a live band like you'd see on American Idol, you have to keep tone in mind — sure, you may be able to hit the notes in a song, but if you're not on the right key, it's going to sound pretty awful.

* Go with what you know. Another part of song choice — don't pick mellow or obscure tunes that the majority of people (and perhaps judges) won't know. Maybe the reason people don't know the song is because it sucks. Sorry...

* Audience members will scream for any big note that's held for a long time — even if the note is off key. It's bad if you're trying to find out if you can sing, it's good if you're looking for big crowd participation.

* With any competition, listen to the criteria that are being judged. With Fox Icon, it wasn't just singing. Singing was half the score, but the other half was stage presence and crowd reaction. If you sang great and had great presence but the crowd didn't care, it definitely hurt your score. At the same time, if you can't sing incredibly well, but don't stand in one spot and get the entire place to scream their asses off for you, your score will soar. We have to judge based on the criteria and be consistent about what we see and hear.

* Family and friends are great indicators that you have talent, but don't let them be the only ones you listen to. Of course mom and your girlfriend/boyfriend are going to say you're the best one to ever sing — you'd be crushed if they didn't. But listen to the other people in the place — are they clapping? Are they cheering? Look for honest opinions that don't come from relatives.

* A karaoke contest isn't Idol, but that doesn't mean you can't change things up. At the finals, one contestant chose to sing "New York, New York" — the judges cringed when the music started thinking that his voice would never pull it off. HOWEVER, the guy sang his ass off and put his own lyrical twist on the song — that's damn near impossible in karaoke, but he showed it can be done. Same music, different style.

* Only you will be judged. It doesn't matter if you changed your outfit or brought backup dancers — the judges are judging your performance... not your style, wardrobe or friends.

What would I change? I will say this — the competitors that were from North Carolina had an advantage over those from South Carolina because they weren't able to get as many friends and family to travel up to the competition. At the same time, those from Birkdale, competing in Birkdale, had familiarity on their side. Next time a competition like this is run, I'd hold the finals in a neutral location or give less weight to the crowd reaction.

It's interesting, ever since the lineup for the 2010 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival were released yesterday, there have been as many "awesome" comments as "fail" ones.

I figured I'd offer up some thoughts of my own on the lineup. Let's start with the biggest one, right at the top — Dave Matthews Band. There are cries of pain from some that heard DMB would be headlining... some want him to play Sunday night so they can go home early. Other people are worried he's going to bring the wrong crowd, i.e. frat boys, to the 'Roo. But, guess what? Dave's been there before. He was there in 2004 and he was there in 2005. So, sit down and relax...

The next complaint is usually about Kings of Leon. Guess what? They've been there before, too, and on the main stage. They played an afternoon set back in 2007 (they were also there in 2004). Since then, they released a couple more albums and won something called the Grammy. Yeah, settle down on this one, too.

There are cries that the festival is not like it used to be. You know who was there in 2002 and 2003 when the festival started? The Disco Biscuits, Les Claypool, John Butler Trio, The Flaming Lips, Medeski Martin & Wood, Michael Franti... Guess who's there this year — all of those bands. (It should be noted that JBT has the date on his tour schedule, but Bonnaroo has not listed him on the official artist list, yet.)

During this year's Grammy Awards, Taylor Swift sang a duet with Stevie Nicks and critics and fans alike came out saying Swift was off-key and not the best singer they've heard. The youngster went on to win four Grammys, but people were questioning those after her performance.

Now her label has come out in her defense... by admitting she's not a great singer?

“Maybe she’s not the best technical singer, but she’s probably the best emotional singer because everybody else who gets up there and is technically perfect, people don’t seem to want more of it,” Scott (Borchetta of Big Machine Records) told The Tennessean.

Odd defense, if you ask me.

It never fails, as soon as one Bonnaroo ends, rumors start for who will play the next one. With an official announcement expected on Feb. 2, the rumor mill is flying off the handle as to who will perform at this year's 'Roo.

Dave Matthews Band just released its summer tour schedule, and there's a big gap between June 8 and June 15, leading to the obvious guess he'll be at Bonnaroo between June 10 and 14.

You can also guess a few based on bands that played two years ago — bands rarely play two years in a row, with the exception of Ben Harper and Les Claypool who seem to be there all the time. So, judging by 2008, I'd throw in Vampire Weekend, The Dead Weather and The Avett Brothers. Going back to return performers from 2007, I'd love to see The Black Keys, The Flaming Lips, Regina Spektor...

I'm guessing one of the Marley's will be there... some form of The Dead - probably Further. John Butler Trio has a new album coming out, so that's a guess. As for rock bands, I'd be interested in seeing Alice in Chains, Them Crooked Vultures or perhaps a reunited Soundgarden or Faith No More. GWAR has apparently confirmed, though that seems like an odd fit.

Online rumors throw around Kings of Leon, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, The Rolling Stones and The Who.

Perhaps the Pavement reunion will also stop by. Corinne Baily Rae is heading out on tour. Mayer Hawthorne and Florence and the Machine have been getting a lot of press.

Sly and the Family Stone is playing Coachella - could they make it to Bonnaroo? I guess we'll have to wait until Tuesday to have a better idea.

Back in October, we held a CD release party at the Neighborhood Theatre for the latest edition of the Homebrew compilation series. As part of that event, we had a one-hour panel where a group discussed the state of Charlotte's music scene.

Some of the biggest applause of the night came from a statement basically saying, "Maybe the music scene is bad because we keep telling people it is... Maybe we should tell people it's great!" Applause followed and the panel ended on a high note.

Yeah, it was a good theory, but let's face facts — the music scene in Charlotte is in trouble. Earlier this week, the Neighborhood Theatre announced it will likely close in March. Tremont Music Hall is in the process of finalizing a deal to sell it and keep it going. Roger freakin' Daltrey couldn't sell 2,000 tickets to The Fillmore, yet it's not for a lack of population. FREE shows at the Neighborhood Theatre don't fill the place. We held our event for free with seven bands AND gave away CDs and only got 350 people there.

We are living in the largest city in the state, and 18th largest in the country. There are more than 1.7 million people in the metro area. So why doesn't anyone give a shit about live music in this town?

OK, I could sit here and complain all day that MTV no longer plays music so they should change their name to RTV - "Reality" Television. I could do the same for VH1, although they actually play music a lot of the time.

Here's my main question — and I'm sorry if I offend any club and bar owners — who the hell is going to these "events" where some wannabe famous "reality" star is there to "host" a party?

Some of these people are getting paid thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars to show up at a random nightlife hotspot in town and sit there like a rat in a cage while nightlifers stare, maybe exchange a few words and get on with their lives.

While I think it's ridiculous that someone like Tommy Lee or Dave Navarro would be in town to host a party — and I'm a huge Jane's Addiction fan — I like the music and am not going to a bar so I can say I was "in the same room" as a celebrity.

Musicians aside, why the hell do people want to go out and see these "reality" stars? Bars and clubs are paying thousands so that they show up... thinking that tons of people will come out to the place to see them. Seriously? I'm sure people are going, so who are you? Why are you going to see the cast of "The Hills"? Do you want to beat the beat down with "The Situation" — what kind of nickname is that anyway?