Musicians and other performers aspiring to be famous can show what they are made of at the Bar Bleu Open Mic Talent Contests on Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. at Bar Bleu, 114 S. Garner St.

This open mic night, which began last week, accepts any kind of performance and time slots run on a first come, first serve basis.

Participants must be at least 21 years old and can register in advance for a 25-minute time slot anytime between 9:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. by contacting coordinator Jeff Sabarese.

"This is one of the few places in State College where new performers can test their skills and have a paying gig," Sabarese said.

Along with showing off their material, performers could have the opportunity to be noticed by someone who could boost their career.

"Someone from a record company in New York could be stopping by and hear something they like," Sabarese said.

Performers can compete to be the critical winner or the popular winner.

The staff at Bar Bleu judges the critical winner, and the audience judges the popular winner by filling out ballots they receive upon arrival.

The prize is made up of a percentage of the cover charge the audience pays to get in.

Win or lose, performers can return week after week.

The popular winner cannot win two weeks in a row, but repeated critical winners have the possibility of winning a grand prize. Details about the grand prize are still pending.

Jeff Kornberg (freshman-advertising) performed an act of original acoustic comedy songs at last week's performance and said that the audience also plays an important role other than judging.

"You are performing and the audience is right there, literally two feet in front of you," Kornberg said.

"Being this close allows me to see the crowd's reactions, and it is awesome getting a direct reaction to my songs," he added.

Non-musical acts are also encouraged to participate in the open mic night.

"That is sure to bring change to the traditional structure of the open mic kingdom," Kornberg said.

Walk-in performers are accepted in the case of an act canceling or an open time slot, however for the most part the entertainers have to sign up prior to the night's performance, which can be done online at http://www.alleycatmusic.net/openmic/coming.htm.

Jackie Pelliccio, an employee at Bar Bleu, felt the show was worth coming out for.

"The performers were talented, and the turnout was good, and both will get even better with time," she said.