LaLa's Got Talent!
Well, we finally did it! My television debut on National television came on April 14th, when my audition segment for Italia's Got Talent was broadcast on Channel 5. I had auditioned for the writers of the show a little less than a year ago, in July 2010. The producers called a few days after to say we had been chosen to tape our audition before the actual judges of the show in September. Since then they kept calling more or less every couple of months to tell us that the taping had been postponed, and that they were going to do it a little later. We had all but lost faith it would ever happen when they finally called in March to tell us to report to Rome for the show. Unlike its American or British counterparts Italia's got talent runs for six episodes in total, each lasting about 2,5 hours on TV. While the run is shorter its relevance is somewhat bigger, owing to the presence among the judges of the most popular TV personalities in the Country. Imagine what would happen if America's Got Talent was judged by Oprah and Jay Leno or Regis and you get the Idea. Each episode won the ratings battle with a share varying from 24% to a staggering 44% for the finale, that was watched by a peak of 7.6 million viewers.
We approached this experience full of doubts and terrified of what the outcome may be. Contestants can be helped by the final editing, or they can be totally trashed and made fun of. While our theatrical success gave us confidence, we could not be sure of what the writers had decided to make with us until we saw the first show. We were thrilled to see that the kindness they showed us in person had been genuine, and that they fully understood who and what LaLa is. I'm not going to go into details about the rest as you can see the result for yourself in the videos below. I loved how Rudy Zerbi (our version of Simon Cowell) didn't quite get me at the beginning, then turned into my biggest fan. I was shocked to be selected for the semi finals, and even more elated to be voted into the final episode, one of 12 finalists chosen among 10,000 applicants. I was a bit disappointed at the writer's choice for my final performance. I wanted to do something based on vocal skills and that would allow me to connect emotionally with the audience, but I was given the "glamour spot" instead. Still, I adored the dancers and the staging, and was delighted to have Stuart on stage with me.
Television is of course an incredible medium, and while some fans of my theater show would think this a weird choice, the fact remains that the "Got Talent" format is the only one allowing an artist who doesn't fit any mold to show what they can do without prejudice. These videos were uploaded on Vimeo because of copyright issues existing with YouTube. They are all subtitled in English, so you can follow what was said. Do feel free to drop us a line and let us know what you think!

Je Vous Adore,
LaLa.
 

LaLa McCallan Italia's Got Talent - A "Natural" Woman - Audtion Song

LaLa McCallan Italia's Got Talent 2011 Semi-Final / Semifinale

LaLa McCallan Italia's Got Talent 2011 Finale 11/06/2011

>