16°c Light rain
12°c Rain
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Winnipeg kids show off their talent at YTV audition
Arianna Castellano, 10, cheers for the camera prior to auditions for The Next Star, a YTV reality talent show for kids age 15 and under. Hundreds of kids lined up for hours at the Winnipeg Convention Centre on Saturday to audition. (MELISSA TAIT / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
Host Adamo Ruggiero, of Degrassi the Next Generation fame, and judge Mark Spicoluk get the crowd pumped during registration for YTV's The Next Star, a reality talent show for kids age 15 and younger. Hundreds of kids lined up for hours at the Winnipeg Convention Centre on Saturday to audition. (MELISSA TAIT / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
One was a 12-year-old girl who’s taller than other girls in her grade and wants to be a comedian.
Another was an eight-year-old boy who really wanted to beat his big sister.
Each kid who turned out at an audition Saturday for YTV reality series The Next Star had a different reason to want to shine.
About 450 kids showed up at the Winnipeg Convention Centre to tackle the usually terrifying prospect of singing and public... and being judged for it.
Twelve kids from across Canada will ultimately be selected to go to Toronto and be part of the series, with the winner signed to a two-song deal by Sony Music.
Brasen Lang, a grade two student, said he planned to sing a cover of Count on Me, by pop star Bruno Mars, a song he said is about friendship.
"(Friends) help you in math," said Lang. "If you get hurt, they’ll tell a teacher."
He smiled at the prospect of beating his older sister at singing, because she normally beats him at tag and gets to play board games first.
Lang said he’s been singing before he started talking — a fact confirmed by his father Robert Lang.
"He’s normally a shy person and for him to step up to this level and say, ‘I want to do this,’ I back him 110 per cent," said Robert Lang.
Shania Geldart, 12, didn’t make it past the first round. She went to bed early Friday, then got up at 4:45 a.m. Saturday to curl her hair and get to the casting call early.
"I just want people to know who I am and stuff," said Geldart, who said she dreams of being a comedian and wants "people to see" her.
Marc Kell Whitehead, a producer with Tricon Films and Television, the production company that makes the show for YTV, said the show focuses on being positive, and leaving kids with useful advice.
The show is hosted by Adamo Ruggiero, and judged by pop singer Keshia Chante, country singer Tara Oram, and Mark Spicoluk, who’s with Universal Music Canada.
The stop in Winnipeg is one of six cities judges will visit in their hunt for talent.
"We can’t take them into a dark place, we can’t reject them, so it’s always a no with words of wisdom, words of encouragement," said Kell Whitehead.
Gabrielle.giroday@freepress.mb.ca
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 27 articles for today)
Harper to be on hot seat at Tuesday caucus after chief of staff quits
3:31 PM 0View Related
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Head-on collision kills pickup driver
- Police make grow-op bust
- Manitoba's changing spiritual landscape
- Province announces service for Elijah Harper
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Accused in alleged smartphone scam charged
- 'It's a beautiful story': There's not always a tomorrow to say you're sorry or make things right
- Country music goes to pot
- The end of the credit card?
- Two charged in golf course burglary
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Flood victim gets six years for shotgun threat, attack
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- Driver crashes into tree near golf course
- Arrests made after raids on local head shops
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Susan Griffiths dies in Switzerland
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Marsh Madness: Photographers Fred Greenslade and Joe Bryksa capture spring migration's grandeur at Delta Marsh
- Manitoba's changing spiritual landscape
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Two charged in golf course burglary
- Province announces service for Elijah Harper
- The end of the credit card?
- Katz bogeys again
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Marsh Madness: Photographers Fred Greenslade and Joe Bryksa capture spring migration's grandeur at Delta Marsh
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- U.S. bill would give Canadian snowbirds more time to spend in the sun
- Guitar-playing astronaut bows out of space station with music video of Bowie's 'Space Oddity'
- Microsoft update to address Windows 8 complaints, confusion will be free; to be called 8.1
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Uganda: Blessed are the children
- Winning 6/49 ticket purchased in Winnipeg
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Dogs can experience separation anxiety and depression just like humans
- Paul McCartney to play Winnipeg Aug. 12
- Ontario steps in to help save ELA
- Saskatchewan professor wants to test the health benefits of nose-picking
- 'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration
- An uncommon phenomenon
- RCMP charge man with double-homicide in Ethelbert
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.