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BY ANNETTE ARNOLD
Times Community Coordinator | Sunday, March 16, 2003 | (No comments posted.)
Carolina Carattini was only 8 years old when she decided to sing in her school's talent contest. She hasn't stopped performing since.
In fact, Carolina soon will be on NBC's new reality show, "The Most Talented Kid in America."
Now 13 years old and a seventh-grader at Willowcreek Middle School, the Portage teen loves to sing and dance. She only recently started taking singing lessons, since she possesses natural ability.
Her mother, Guadalupe Grazette, is proud of her. "She is just a natural," said Carolina's mom, who is her daughter's biggest fan.
Grazette put her in a pageant when she was much younger but quickly decided that wasn't for her. After her school talent show contest, her mom signed her up for Sears Taste of Talent where she performed "My Heart Will Go On."
After Carolina started winning talent contests she got an agent. She now does modeling jobs and commercials and recently did a voice-over for a commercial. "I mostly sing and I love it," the young teen said. During summer she performs at Taste of Chicago on the Sears Funtime stage and does her own 45-minute concert. Twice a week she goes to Chicago and plays Addie at American Girl Theater, which she has done for two years. With all her various activities she still manages to keep up her grades at Willowcreek and rarely misses school.
Carolina was excited when her agent Arlene Wilson told her about the NBC show. Chicago was one of the cities where auditions were held for the show. Carolina went and sang "Greatest Love of All" and was picked for a second audition. During the second one, she was interviewed and a few weeks later received a call from a representative of the show. She was picked out of thousands of kids who auditioned in Chicago to come out to Burbank, Calif., to tape the show.
"I remember getting the call saying I made it and I was really shocked," she said. There were a lot of talented kids there but Carolina believes she won partly because she picked the right song. She was hoping to sing that same Whitney Houston song while in California but someone else is singing it so she will be performing "My One True Friend" by Bette Midler.
The show will have talented kids from all over the United States from ages 5 to 15; during the first round, the performers will compete against their own age group.
In the final round, however, all ages compete -- a 5-year-old could possibly be up against a 12-year-old. The winner will receive $50,000 with $25,000 going to second place and $10,000 for third place.
Aric Laferriere, casting assistant for NBC, said there will be Hollywood stars judging the young stars who will show off their talents whether it be singing or dancing.
"We had a nationwide open call in 12 cities and thousands came out for the casting call," said Laferriere.
"I am not nervous about this at all," said Carolina. "I don't get nervous. I get focused."
Being on television is not new to Carolina. She has been on the Apollo talent show and performed on the Jenny Jones show.
"I want to do everything," Carolina said. "I want to be like Jennifer Lopez." Her mom, on the other hand, said she's nervous about the trip because she might have to be on camera and do interviews and she (the mom) is not used to that.
"I really am very happy for her," said Grazette. "It's amazing. She is my little girl but she sure is growing up. I always try to give her positive feedback."
"I think my attitude and my performance will help me," said Carolina. "I have to be positive."
The show will air every Friday beginning March 21. There will be four episodes and then a finale.
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