Meet the Elizabethan Idol 2 Contestants and Winners!

The winners of Elizabethan Idol 2 were (L to R)                                   Fr. Schlegel performing his winning monologue from KING LEAR

Ryann Woods (2nd Place), Fr. John Schlegel (1st Place),

and Mary Maxwell (3rd Place).

Contestants listed below as pictured left to right. 

Vote with your dollars.  Every dollar equals one vote.  The winner is the person with the largest "purse." 

Houston Alexander

Power 106.9 DJ, Hip-hop & Mixed Martial Artist Extraordinaire

A.k.a. Strong Arm, Houston is an ambassador for Omaha hip-hop, seeking to project the positive nature and true essence of the culture.  An artist since age 14, he developed his interest in graffiti art and became one of the best graffiti artists in town, honing his skills on abandoned buildings and trains.  Soon afterhe helped form the Scribble Cru who were responsible for many of the most-recognized murals in North Omaha, including murals for Leola's and Mad Dads.

Strong Arm became hooked on B-boying, a form of hip-hop dancing popularly known as "breaking," and formed the Alliance All-Stars, a dance group that performed on street corners in the Old Market and around the city.  The group went on to open for a number of national acts on their stops in Omaha, including Salt-N-Pepa and Tone Loc.

He is proud of his work with youth, giving positive speeches about staying in school and away from drugs and gangs.  He teaches B-boying at Butler-Gast YMCA, and he visits schools and organizations with the Culture Shock School Tour.

In 2002 he co-created Fresh Fest, an annual hip-hop competition and showcase.  He developed a radio program on Hot 107.7/97.3 called "Saturday Night Heat," that focused on local and indepentent artists.  That commitment continues with his program, "Sunday Nite Heat," on Power 106.9 every Sunday night from 8-10 pm.

For the past seven years he has participated in mix martial arts, and recently he joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the largest mix martial arts organization in the world.  Houston ranks as one of the top fighters in his weight class in the world.  As a headliner in the UFC he fights a few times a year in the Octagon as The Assassin.

Houston Alexander is teacher, an artist, a fighter, and, most importantly, a proud single parent raising six children on his own.

Elizabethan Idol vote for - Houston Alexander

Dave Webber 
WOWT Sport Director (channel 6) 
One of the most familiar faces and voices in the Omaha community is that of Sports Director Dave Webber. In demand as a speaker, emcee, and genial host, he's been a popular television figure in the area since 1978.

Dave started his broadcast career as a disc jockey for KLNG Radio and has also performed professionally as a folk singer.  He joined KFAB Radio in 1970 then moved to Sioux City in 1973 to cover sports news for KMEG-TV.  He returned to Omaha in 1977 to do the same for KMTV. 
After serving in the U.S. Air Force, Dave attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He was born in Evanston, Illinois, is married with three children, David, Marcie, and Joel, and enjoys singing, acting, and golf.

Dave has been Sports Director for WOWT since 1978. He thinks sports reporting is "fun," and that sense of fun comes through when he anchors the sports on the Channel 6 News at 6 and 10PM.

Elizabethan Idol vote for - Dave Webber

Todd Andrews
KETV 7 News Team 
Todd claims Nebraska as his home. He grew up in Sidney before moving to Omaha, where he graduated from Creighton University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Todd admits to getting a late start in television. "My immediate post-undergrad years jumped straight out of a Bob Seger tune," he said.  "Basically, I wanted life experience before work experience." He got it by living everywhere from Arizona to New York while studying and doing volunteer work. 
Soon after his return home for graduate school, Todd landed a job as an anchor-reporter for KNOP-TV in North Platte.  "It was either a lot more TV or little more school," he said. "I think I made the right decision."  Todd spent some time in North Platte before his latest homecoming, when he moved to KETV in December 2004. 
Todd enjoys travel, reading, playing basketball and continuing to work on his private pilot ratings.

Elizabethan Idol vote for - Todd Andrews

Mary Maxwell 
Humorist 
The dry humor and quick wit of Mary Maxwell has made her a popular speaker for over 30 years. A descendent of Omaha's Creighton family, Maxwell is a native-born Omahan and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Rosary College (now known as Dominican University) in River  
Forest, Illinois, where she majored in philosophy and Latin and minored in Greek. She can't remember why.

Professionally, she was vice-president of Clark Eide, Inc., a financial services company until she retired in June 2000. But it is her less serious side that has earned her speaking invitations from  
around the country.

She is passionately devoted to Nebraska football and has been a long-time season ticket holder. She was placed under a doctor's care after the 2002 season.

Over the years, she has been active in a number of organizations with a focus on education and the arts, and has also completed two terms on the nominating commission for the juvenile court in Omaha's Douglas County.

Elizabethan Idol vote for - Mary Maxwell

Ryann Erika Woods 
Mercy High Student 
A freshman at Mercy High School, her favorite activities are drawing, singing, dance and speech. Her favorite school subjects include science, English and art.

Ryann is very excited to be a contestant in Elizabethan Idol 2.

Elizabethan Idol vote for - Ryann Erika Woods

John P. Schlegel, S.J. 
President of Creighton University 
Since returning to Creighton to serve as the universitys president, the Rev. John Schlegel, S.J has led the University through a period of historic growth built on the pillars of academic excellence, life-enhancing research, community, spiritual formation and the promotion of justice.

Fr. Schlegel initiated changes that have enhanced the nationally recognized academic quality of the University and the beauty of the campus.  Creighton's investment in redevelopment and east campus expansion has been part of the renaissance of downtown Omaha.  The changes are evident:  new junior/senior town homes in Davis Square and Opus Hall, one of the nation's top collegiate soccer venues in Morrison Stadium, a redesigned campus mall radiant with colors and  
convenient new parking garages.  Add to that a remodeling of the venerable St. John's Church, the construction of the Mike and Josie Harper Center for Student Life and Learning, and the redevelopment of a historic five-story building on the eastern edge of campus for University Relations and Creighton Medical Associates.

In 2002, Fr. Schlegel inaugurated the Creighton University Medical Center as an umbrella for all of Creightons century-old health care institutions.  As a champion of diversity in the workplace Fr.  
Schlegel established, in 2001, what has become an annual citywide diversity summit and CEO breakfast for corporate Omaha.

For his promotion of understanding and respect among all races, religions and cultures, Fr. Schlegel received the Otto Swanson Spirit of Service Award from the National Conference for Community Justice (NCCJ) in 2003, the Champion of Greatness Award from Special Olympics  
Nebraska (2003), the Honored Citizen Award from the Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society (2004), the Award for Vision from Downtown Omaha Inc. (2005), and the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America (2007).

Fr. Schlegel serves on numerous local boards in the arts, education and not-for-profit areas.  A former high school and college thespian, he was also the voice of Paul Bunyan in Opera Omaha's 2005 production.

Elizabethan Idol vote for - John P. Schlegel, S.J.

Anne C. Boyle 
Commissioner of the Nebraska Public Service Commission & City Weekly columnist 
A fourth generation Omahan, Anne Boyle is from a politically active family. Her great grandfather, Edward E. Howell, was first elected as a Nebraska State Senator in 1896.

In 1996, a century later, Anne was elected as the first woman to serve on the Nebraska Public Service Commission and was elected Chairwoman of the Commission in 2008.   She has a national reputation as a consumer advocate regarding wireless phone matters within regulatory circles.

Anne has been a real estate and insurance agent, served on the campaign staffs of U.S. Senators Ed Zorinsky and Bob Kerrey; and was on the Senate staff of U.S. Senator Jim Exon.  Currently, she owns a small business and is a bi-monthly contributing writer to the City Weekly.

She serves on the Boards of Directors for the Omaha Summer Arts Festival, the River City Mixed Chorus and the Neighborhood Center for Greater Omaha and the Advisory Board for Omaha By Design.   She co-chaired the Nebraska AIDS Project Night of a Thousand Stars Gala in 2005.

Anne and her husband, Mike, a former mayor of Omaha, feel their greatest gifts in life are their five children, their spouses and 12 grandchildren (and adding)!

Elizabethan Idol vote for - Anne C. Boyle

Michelle Zacharia
Actress/Translator 
After earning her BFA in visual arts from SUNY Purchase in 1989, Michelle came out to join the fine folks at the Blue Barn Theatre.  This last Holiday season, she designed Blue Barn's highly celebrated run of The Santaland Diaries. Her fondest memories come from performing in wild, broad comedies like Go Go Boys from Planet X, Reform School Timmy, Psychobilly Jamboree and Fuddy Meers.

Michelle's mainstay is her bi-lingual recording and translation work for Telephony systems, radio, internet and TV. Don't forget to check her out as Angora the crabby kitty, Saturday mornings on CBS's new animated series, Horseland!

Elizabethan Idol vote for - Michelle Zacharia