Rejoice! Senior Idol to keep its name

It’s all in the name.

After being told that Bay Ridge’s annual singing competition, Senior Idol, would have to be renamed to avoid infringing on the American Idol trademark, State Senator Marty Golden has announced that an agreement has been reached, allowing the local event to retain its name.

On Tuesday, August 8, the legal team for FremantleMedia that represents the FOX hit show “American Idol,” which enters its 15^th and final season next year, gave Golden the good news, leading the local pol to announce, “The Southwest Brooklyn community is looking forward to the October show and although we have received many suggestions for new show titles, we have decided that we will continue to call our talent show Brooklyn Senior Idol.”

In June, Golden issued a general call to the community for ideas for renaming the show after receiving a letter from Holmes Weinberg PC, stating, “While our client appreciates your enthusiasm for the American Idol and Idol brands, as a federal trademark owner, FremantleMedia cannot allow the unauthorized use of the Brooklyn Senior Idol Mark in connection with talent competition service.”

Though the talent show would have still taken place under a different name, Golden, as sponsor, is delighted.

“I thank ‘American Idol’ for reaching out to my office in light of the attention we brought to the issue of the name of our highly regarded Brooklyn Senior Idol talent show,” Golden said. “This show has become a very special annual community event, and now the show and the name will be a tradition that is together kept alive.”

“We are very pleased that this agreement was reached and we are looking forward to another great show,” Golden’s Deputy Chief of Staff John Quaglione told The Home Reporter. “The community looks forward to Senior Idol, a great source of local entertainment featuring great talent, and now we encourage folks to audition.”

Auditions for Brooklyn’s eighth annual Senior Idol are scheduled for early September and the finals will take place on Friday, October 2, at Xaverian High School. Tickets are $10 and are available only for purchase at the door.

“Get ready for a great show in partnership with Xaverian High School, with the proceeds benefitting the school’s music program. So sign up today to be among those who audition to be this year’s winner,” said Golden.

For more information, contact Golden’s office at golden@nysenate.gov or 718-238-6044.

Additional reporting by Meaghan McGoldrick