You’ve been asking for it and now 101.1 The Wiz is about to give you a special insider’s glimpse into the red carpet affair that was Princeton High School’s 2010 prom, but of course, through the eyes of all those watching and the eyes of our “Prom Night Out with a Celebrity Crush” winner Miss Lidia Agustin.
For weeks, hundreds of contest entries flooded our emails and voicemails from students across the city in hopes of their chance to win big for both themselves and their high schools. Winton Woods, Lakota, Fairfield and more all tried their best to snag the special night out with their celebrity crush, but the best part of it all was watching the comments pour in online with the listening community’s guesses and choice picks for who the celebrity might be.
Lidia Agustin’s acknowledgement as the winner came with a bit of an emotional undercurrent for our staff as we looked for the most compelling story or reason as to why the winner and their high school deserved to experience “Prom Night Out” in style.
Agustin’s personal account of how the Vikings at Princeton High School have been dealing with the back to back untimely deaths of two of their senior classmates this year accompanied by her previous conscious decision to not attend her own senior prom struck a chord with our staff and we knew then that this night could really change quite a few lives.
And so, the element of surprise was definitely there from the beginning and it actually lasted past the official announcement all the way up until this past Friday evening around 8:30PM. Kudos to the team at 101.1 The Wiz for being able to keep a secret for that long.
By now you’ve most likely heard and seen who the celebrity is who came all the way to town just to surprise his first ever prom date. If not, be sure to catch up to the rest of the city and discover R&B music’s perfect gentleman – Marques Houston. Marques also informed us that he’d never been to a real prom before so the weekend was just exciting for him as it was for the winner and his belle at the ball – Lidia Agustin.
Prom weekend for both our winner, our celebrity guest and the winner’s high school began with quite a blast off. First to roll out, on Friday night during 101.1 The Wiz’s live “8 at 8” countdown, was the initial introduction between a young man and a young woman – an R&B prince and a local princess. A shy, quiet and nervous Lidia sat in our studios live before the on-air/online community waiting and watching in order to find out who her prom date would be.
She had of course no clue what was in store for her. Be sure to check out the live video stream we captured for all of you who might’ve missed it. Check out the in-studio photo gallery and the behind-the-sceneslook at how we pulled it all off.
View the start of Lidia Agustin’s rare moments in time with her celebrity crush Marques Houston live from the 101.1 The Wiz studios as we reveal Lidia’s reaction to the star-studded news on-air. More video footage here.
Post your comments in the comments section beneath the video and tell us what you think of this special moment between artist and fan, from one prom date to another.
Check out what else the city had to say about Lidia’s special moment with her new celebrity date by clicking on the link that’s soon to come right here. Such a sweet start to the prom weekend fairytale! We’ll have more on that later. So stay tuned!
From there, the two conversed live on the air, had a chance to mix and mingle and get to know one another while listening to the tunes of Marques Houston’s forthcoming album. Just as night fell, the two prom dates were whisked away to separate destinations for the evening in their chariots (a luxury limousine). The star and his starlet were later reunited on a chilly Saturday afternoon and escorted up the highways by limousine in preparation for the big night. Wearing fashionable combinations of black satin, silver jewels and weather-appropriate denim and corduroy blends, both Marques and Lidia stepped up the fashion game in the perfect way. Simply put, it was urban contemporary fashions mixed quite with a red carpet sensibility. They looked amazing as you can see in the photo gallery below. After a relaxed fine dining experience at West Chester’s noted Jag’s Steak & Seafood Restaurant, both Lidia and Marques traveled to the Savannah Center where just over 300 students awaited their arrival inside the banquet hall.
The party was officially on and poppin’ as the stars of the night strolled from their white stretch limo straight out into the ballroom, but of course with the security guards’ and PTA volunteers’ camera phones and digital photography lights flashing all the way down the banquet center’s adjacent corridor. With a quick pit stop long enough for the professional photographer to come capture Marques and Lidia together in front an elegant backdrop, the mood of the evening was set in motion as the official announcement to all of the prom attendees present that their celebrity guest and their classmate had arrived. Backstage, the anticipation was enough to make you (and both Marques and Lidia) sweat bullets.
The energy was there as soon as the double doors in the front of the building burst open. The high school crowd, all decked out in the finest garb, went absolutely nuts! The lights, the cameras, the screams, the loud music – it was definitely a Hollywood moment, but right here in Cincinnati. When the screams finally did die down (which quite frankly they never really did), Marques seamlessly switched from prince charming to his stance as one of R&B music’s best young entertainers. Offering a quick three-song performance of his classic, age-appropriate hits and a snippet or two from his forthcoming album, Marques showed the students, staff and faculty of PHS why this celebrity is worthing crushing over.
He gave the audience time to get their photos in, shook a few hands, signed a few autographs and gave away advance copies of his new album sampler. He even acknowledge how beautiful Lidia was Saturday and called her up to join him onstage for a slow dance and a special serenade – definitely a moment we know Lidia will never ever forget. Before Marques left the stage, he even launched a dance-off in the middle of the dance floor for those Vikings who had more than a two-step to show off that night. 101.1 The Wiz’s own DJ Diamond held it down like only he can do on the turntables for the hundreds of students in attendance.
The star-studded affair continued with more dancing, more photos, more screams and more music. As the PHS 2010 Prom Court was officially announced, our two superstars for the night were once again whisked away by their chariot and you guessed it, yes, it was all just before the clock struck midnight.
Cincinnati, don’t forget to post your comments below on the related articles, the video clips, photo galleries and our official “Prom Night Out” recap. Be sure to tell all of your friends at Princeton High School congratulations once again and make sure they know that 101.1 The Wiz is still representing just for them with this picture perfect conclusion to a weekend’s worth of dreams that actually came true thanks in part to our sponsor Crush.
