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Winnipeg student takes Today Show by storm
Michael Moloney made his American network television debut this morning, doing what he does best — mimicking animal noises.
Michael, the Grade 9 student from John Henderson Junior High, appeared on NBC’s The Today Show, America’s top-rated morning news and talk show.
In a brief — under two minutes — appearance, Michael, 14, sat on the set couch and fielded questions from the show’s four hosts.
When asked if his talent came naturally, Michael admitted it was an acquired skill: "I sort of worked at it. I always liked animals and the noises they make."
Michael was nattily dressed, wearing a dark blazer and dress pants, with an open-collar dress shirt over a black T.
Michael’s first animal sound on network television was the one that got him discovered while up in a tree at the Brandon Folk Festival this summer — monkey sounds.
He admitted that his new-found skills weren’t initially encouraged by his mother. "I was very loud so, more often than not, I was discouraged."
Michael also did a squirrel and his interpretation of a velociraptor, a dinosaur from the Jurassic Park movie series.
Michael flew to New York City with his mother, Susie, on Sunday.
Son and mother spent Monday acting as tourists.
Michaels’ amazing mimicry skills attracted the attention of producers at daCapo Productions Inc., a local audio production company that is doing the sounds for the French-produced The Green Squad, an environmentally-themed adventure show where the human characters solve man-made ecological disasters.
Michael will be the voice to a wide variety of animals that come into contact with the human characters in the series.
While he did only three animal sounds for The Today Show this morning, Michael can also do baboons, a variety of birds, dogs, and gorillas.
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