Two young North-East hopefuls have joined the 40 acts attempting to win the Stars In Their Eyes: Kids 2004 title... and its a Tyne-Wear clash.

Aiden Salter from Sunderland and Megan Connelly from Newcastle talk to Viv Hardwick about their dream date with TV.

PUTTING on a show featuring Shakira, Alicia Keys, Will Young and Dolly Parton looks expensive until you enter the dry ice world of Stars In Their Eyes: Kids 2004. With the whole of the entertainment industry available to imitate, this is the third year of the Stars In Their Eyes offspring. The current series features two North-East youngsters, who are hoping to reach the final in eight weeks time.

On Saturday, 14-year-old Aiden Salter from Cleadon Village, Sunderland, will be aiming to join last Saturday's winner, 14-year-old Katie Salt (singing as Norah Jones) from Bridgend, in the final eight by singing Leave Right Now as Pop Idol winner Will Young.

In another two week's time 16-year-old Megan Connelly, from Westerhope, Newcastle, will be singing as Amy Lee from the US girl band Evenescence. The pair are already friends after joining the queue of children now attending the region's stage schools.

Aiden's proud mum made a video of him singing when he was 11 and sent it off to Granada TV, who make the popular Saturday night series, but he didn't hear anything for over a year.

"It was a big surprise when they actually called up and I ended up filming in Manchester three weeks ago. It was nerve-wracking but worth every minute," says Aiden who six months ago won BBC1's The Saturday Show karaoke challenge to appear with S Club 8 on Top Of The Pops.

"I went to London to record my own video which was really good. The first time I ever entered a competition was at a holiday park in Great Yarmouth and I won it. I was waiting an hour for the prize, hoping it was a Playstation, and it turned out to be a watch from the one pound shop.

"After that I entered different competitions and I was asked to do shows. I just love the rush of adrenaline you get when people clap for you, it's an amazing feeling," explains the pupil of St Wilfred's RC School, South Shields.

He admits he doesn't shine in Performing Arts at school because studies lean towards more formal music. "I think they'd be happier if I was Pavarotti rather than Will Young," jokes Aiden.

He takes singing lessons with Wearside's Linda Craig and attends Byker's Sage Academy of Performing Arts every Sunday where drama and dance are among the subjects taught.

To make Aiden feel as much like Will Young as possible, Stars In Their Eyes host Cat Deeley gave him an identical charm bracelet to wear.

"I decided to give it back afterwards because I'd have felt awful about walking off with it," adds the young performer who was watched by his proud parents, Shirley and Martin, and grandparents Margaret and Charles.

Aiden has two older sisters - Jody, 21, and Jemma, 19 - who are very proud of his efforts, particularly as he's the first one of the three to pluck up enough courage of perform on stage.

Wisely, Aiden wants to be a lawyer if his hopes of becoming the next Will Young don't turn evergreen.

Forty new acts, featuring youngsters who are 16 and under, are being presented during the series.

Young Megan Connelly admits she was so determined to mirror Amy Lee's performance for Stars In Their Eyes that "I didn't notice my mum and dad - Susan and Tom - were in the audience until I stopped singing."

The All Saints' College, West Denton, pupil also survived accidentally cutting off her radio mike during the rehearsals.

"I picked out Amy Lee to send in on an audio tape because all my friends said I sounded just like her when I sang along to the record. Now I'm hoping to study singing and creative writing at Newcastle College of Performing Arts," explains Megan, who has already had a short story and a poem published.

She's already attended the Sage School after first showing all the signs of being a potential performer from the age of two and competing for attention with older sister Louise, 24.

Currently, Megan is trying to persuade fellow pupils at All Saints' to form a gothic rock band, but is currently finding little interest in the project.

All that may change when she appears on TV and, like many of the other contestants, she admits: "I've always wanted to appear on TV and now I'm living my dream. Who knows what will happen next?"

* Stars In Their Eyes: Kids 2004, ITV1, Saturday, 6.10pm

Published: 25/03/2004