By Jonathan Turner, jturner@qconline.com

Photo: Submitted Kathleen Walter of Bettendorf, aka Regan, sings in Hollywood last fall.

Kathleen Walter of Bettendorf was just another teenager with big dreams and a MySpace page.

But a year ago, her online song "Superstar" caught the attention of Hollywood producers. Using her middle name, Regan, last fall Ms. Walter spent a week in L.A., filming a pilot episode for a planned new reality series about making it in the music biz.

"It was really fun, pretty crazy," the 18-year-old Pleasant Valley High School senior said recently. "The whole thing is basically showing the growth -- you see me auditioning and, at the end, see me performing on stage. It's pretty cool."

The show -- "Crash Course to Stardom," with the tag line, "Seven days, seven experts, one chance" -- is a behind-the-scenes look at star-making. Regan sees what goes on behind the glitz and glamour as she works during band rehearsals and meetings with writers, producers, stage coaches, fashion stylists, life coaches, celebrity fitness trainers, fashion stylists, hairdressers and choreographers.

Her week included writing and recording with some top industry pros and performing at Universal Studios' CityWalk at a radio-station-sponsored concert.

Jonnie Forster, series creator and executive producer, said he and his staff were sent "thousands of submissions" from industry friends across the country recommending new talent to be featured. They chose Regan because she "was very fresh."

"We saw the raw talent," Mr. Forster said. "We didn't want something extremely polished. We wanted to help someone in the show who has natural abilities and has a good back story. She's very active in the arts. It's an aspirational and transformational type of show. We wanted someone serious about this and who could use the help from the team we assembled."

"She has that natural ability," he said. "I come from a record background, and I can tell when someone has it.

"I think she's going to have a very successful career as a recording artist and performer, because she writes and sings very catchy, yet very professionally done songs. Her music is something I think the Taylor Swift fan will fall in love with."

Regan said superstar Swift (all of two years older) is a big influence, as is the rock band Paramore. "If those two meshed together, that would be my writing style," she said.

Regan recorded six of her own songs for the EP "My Kinda Beautiful," which is available online. Copies will be available at a benefit concert she'll do at PVHS on Saturday.

Regan first got interested in singing when she was 7 and saw Charlotte Church perform on TV. "Right then and there, I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do," she said. "She was also very young then and made me realize, no matter how old you are, where you come from, dreams really can come true."

By the time she was 9, Regan took part in summer musical-theater camp at Alleman High School, started voice lessons, and sang at competitions. At PV, she is an avid member of the drama club and choir (all four years), jazz choir and student council.

This past year, Regan played Gertrude McFuzz in "Seussical," and she recently was in the play "Almost, Maine."

"I just love performing, any way," she said. "I really do like performing with my band. When you're in a play, a musical, putting yourself into it, you're playing someone else. But when I'm onstage with my band, I get to be me."

The "craziest thing"about her Hollywood experience was getting to work with Rob Hoffman, a producer for one of her musical heroes, Christina Aguilera. Other top-tier producers she worked with were Dave Aude (Pussycat Dolls) and Eddie Galan ("High School Musical").

"It was so much fun, I couldn't imagine doing anything else," she said.

"Regan is a vocalist phenom," said Mr. Aude, who produced one of the EP's songs, "Sick of Boys." "You literally hit 'record,' and what comes out of her mouth is magic -- every take."

Mr. Galan agreed. "I have worked with a lot of artists in my 11 years in the music business, and Regan is the real deal,"he said. "She can sing, perform, write and dance."

The show -- which a "major cable network" is interested in broadcasting -- has just filmed two one-hour episodes. The band in the other episode already got a record deal with Universal, Mr. Forster said.

Starting last February, Regan has missed about 3-1/2 weeks of school altogether. "My school was very, very supportive of it, helped me work out a plan to stay on track," she said.

The guys in her band include fellow students Ryan Haney, John Guberud and Winston Jividen. Lead guitarist is her guitar teacher, Doug Hart, head of the Quad-Cities Music Education Coalition.

Regan plans to continue her musical education next fall at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.

In keeping with the message of her songs, she is using her newfound platform to launch ReganPlanet.com, a destination for young kids "to shift from negative surroundings and empower change through music, fashion, environmental issues and a sense of helping others," according to her press material.

While she already has 30,000-plus friends on MySpace (www.myspace.com/reganplanet) and her own publicist, Regan hopes her EP and "Crash Course" will set her on the path to stardom.

"I'm from Iowa, and not a whole lot of people know about me," she said. "Hopefully, word will spread and I'll have bigger a chance of success."