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This is Alyssa Wray, our local ‘American Idol’ top 10 contestant Chris Varias Special to Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
Editor’s note: Information included refl ects this article’s original publication date – April 29. Visit Cincinnati. com for possible updates. Like a college basketball star good enough to play in the NBA, Alyssa Wray might be one-and-done in the best kind of way. The Northern Kentucky University freshman continues to advance through the rounds of “American Idol.” The 19year-old enters Sunday’s episode as one of 10 remaining contestants with hopes of surviving to the end of the show. Whether she wins the whole thing or gets cut this weekend, Wray – a native of Perryville, Kentucky, two hours south of Cincinnati – is unsure of her next move. Wray and the other nine contestants will each be singing one song from the following list: “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” (“Cinderella”); “Remember Me” (“Coco”); “Real Gone” (“Cars”); “When She Loved Me” (“Toy Story 2”); “Go the Distance” (“Hercules”); “Baby Mine” (“Dumbo”); “When You Wish Upon a Star” (“Pinocchio”); “Into the Unknown” (“Frozen II”); “You’ll Be In My Heart” (“Tarzan”); and “Circle of Life” (“The Lion King”). Which contestant will be singing which song has not been revealed. Viewer voting will decide the winners. The show airs 8 p.m. on ABC. Wray hopped on a phone call before her next “Idol” hurdle. Question: Why did you choose NKU to pursue a musical-theater degree? Answer: I completed this program the summer after my junior year called Governor’s School for the Arts, and one of the scholarships that you could have when completing the program was basically full tuition at NKU, so that’s what introduced me to the school. I went and visited, and I really liked it. Q: What’s Perryville like? A: Super small. A little bit under 800 people in it. There’s a Dollar Store, two gas stations and a lot of churches. There’s an elementary school, too. Q: Were you introduced to music through the internet, since there wasn’t a thriving arts community
Alyssa Wray on "American Idol." ERIC MCCANDLESS, ABC/PROVIDED
there? A: Sort of. I really got into music through church. I started singing at church. But you’re right about how being in a small town there’s not a lot of arts and culture. I always struggled with fi nding community theaters. There’s one in the county that I live in and there’s one in the county over. But other than that I didn’t have opportunities that a lot of kids had. I had to do a lot of it at home and at school and at church. Q: Did your brief time at school, being away from home for the fi rst time
and going to a bigger metropolitan area prepare you for going to Los Angeles? I imagine it might have been more diffi cult going straight from Perryville to LA without fi rst spending a little time here. A: It totally prepared me. When I came to the auditions in California back in November, I had my mom with me. I was so attached to her. I hadn’t been in school that long. After being at school until about the beginning of March, I don’t want to say I got used to being alone, because I hate being alone, but
being alone as far as making decisions and buying groceries and doing all that, because I have to do all that here. Q: Do you choose a song because you like it or is it more important that the song suits your talents? A: I have two decisions that go into it. I always like the song. I’m pretty versatile because of musical theater, so I love all kinds of music. The two things that go into it are if I have a moment in there that I can showcase what I can do, beSee ALYSSA, Page 2A
Levee to roll out slate of new bars, eateries Randy Tucker Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
Beeline, a cocktail bar with an outdoor patio, will open this fall at Newport on the Levee, according to North American Properties (NAP), which is redeveloping the town-center-style shopping center on the banks of the Ohio River. Beeline will occupy a 2,800-squarefoot space at the Levee with garagedoor style entries that open to panoramic views of the Ohio River and Cincinnati skyline, NAP recently announced. Beeline’s fi rst location opened at Easton Town Center in Columbus last year. It's operated by Cincinnati-based hospitality company, Four Entertainment Group (4EG), which has more than a dozen other bars and restaurants in Chicago and Cincinnati, including Igby’s, Mount Adams Pavilion and The Roosevelt Room. Beeline will join forces with four new
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local vendors scheduled to open at the Levee's Bridgeview Box Park open-air dining and shopping area next month. They include: h The Buzz, a sister concept to Beeline from 4EG that serves a variety of craft cocktails and frozen drinks. h West Sixth Brewing, a Kentuckybased craft brewery with locations in Lexington, Louisville and Frankfort. h Blackmarket Saloon, a locally owned business serving spiked lemonades and specialty cocktails in addition to Chuy's chips and salsas. h CrepeGuys, a crepes restaurant that serves savory and dessert crepes as well as cold brew coff ee. “As the redevelopment of the Levee nears completion, we’re excited to introduce four concepts that perfectly align with our vision for the new Newport, bringing an undeniable energy to the street-level experience,” says Regan Noppenberger, leasing representative for NAP.
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Patrons sit at Bridgeview Box Park, which provides a new type of open-air dining and shopping at Newport on the Levee in 2020. GRACE PRITCHETT/ENQUIRER
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