Mission Beach resident Shawn Burke, a father of four, needs votes to enter Oprah’s latest contest attempting to find a new TV star. If Burke’s audition video on Oprah.com can get enough votes to stay in the top five, he will be selected to appear on a reality show that will launch one lucky winner into the world of talk-show hosting. Oprah and TV producer Mark Burnett, who has produced “Survivor” and “The Apprentice,” are working together on the project. “I’ve always wanted to be a talk-show host,” Burke said. Burke moved to San Diego with his wife and four children two years ago. Before that, he and his family lived in Arizona. Burke worked in the mortgage industry until he and his family lost everything and moved to San Diego into what they once referred to as only their vacation home. Now, Shawn and his wife, Kristi, live with their four children in a 1,200-square-foot Mission Beach home. Since moving to San Diego, Burke and his family have been reaching out to the homeless and others less fortunate. They own a Flip camera and a handheld video recorder and film their interactions for people to view on YouTube in order to bring attention to the faces of the homeless. His entry video shows Burke and his family throwing a birthday party for “Dreadlock Mike,” a local homeless man who serves meals to fellow homeless. The Burkes threw him a birthday party, purchasing balloons and cake. “Dreadlock Mike” graduated from Mission Bay High School in 1973. He has never had a sip of alcohol or used drugs in his life, and Burke said he hopes the video will help break the stereotypes placed on homeless people. “I am constantly trying to convince people to vote for me,” Burke said. Voting ends at midnight on July 3. “You can vote as many times as you want,” he said. Burke and his family have a YouTube channel called “Burke Life,” where the videos they make together can be viewed. To view his audition video and vote, visit http://myown.oprah.com/audition/index.html and look for “Shawn Burke.” PB resident hopes Oprah will select her Pacific Beach resident Lindsay Haakenson, 23, hopes to be Oprah’s next big find as well. Haakenson, at age 12, lost her father to kidney failure. When she was 17, she too had kidney failure but thanks to her mother’s recognition of the symptoms was able to survive. At age 18, she worked as a researcher for the Mayo Clinic. Now a health writer and vice president of an Internet marketing firm in the health industry, Haakenson understands the need to inject society with the most up-to-date information about healthcare and technology. In her audition video she interviews Dr. Scott Miller, a board certified plastic surgeon, and Dr. Jason Lupton, board certified dermatologist about the importance of verifying whether a physician is in fact board certified. As a talk show host, she wants to inform people of the readily available medical technology that remains unknown to many. To vote for Haakenson visit http://myown.oprah.com/audition/index.html and search for Lindsay Haakenson.
