Performance at Planet Hollywood
Each Contestant made their way back out of the PLanet Hollywood theater with a smile on their face and tears of joy forming from the corner of each of their eyes. My hands were still shaking from the news of making it to the top 80. It was an amazing feeling.
As we walked into the theater lobby there was a glass window with multiple pieces of paper on it. On each sheet of paper there was a category and about six or seven names on it. The first piece of paper it said…”Child Singers”…and there was my name fourth or fifth on the list. I figured the just wanted to break down the performers, but little did I know they had more tricks up their sleeves.
I grabbed my mom’s hand, gave her a hug, and walked back up into the holding room. Once we got up the hall, a producer was reading off a list of performers. He started…
“List of Performances TODAY… Child singers… Adult female singers… Adult Male Singers… Opera Singers….”
what? We were going to perform? TODAY!? Oh my goodness. He continued to talk, and the we were pulled into a separate holding room where there was musical equipment set up like a practice room. A few camera men surrounded us, catching our every habitual practice routine. This was the first time I had touched a piano since I was in Vegas. So I used every second of the practice time to run through my song. To prepare myself for the performance that we were going to put on in a few hours.
Once they were done filming, they pulled us into individual interviews and asked us about the stress levels for a young teenager. I was completely honest. “it’s horrifying”.
Once our interviews finished up we were pulled back down to the theater. My hands started to sweat again, and I was so scared. I never thought one minute and a half performance could make me shake. But this was a tv show, in front a the country. I had no room for error. Everyone lined up in order of age. Katelyn went first, and not understanding the importance of the show, stepped out onto the stage. She was asked a single question. She started to sing her song and the rest of us watched anxiously in the monitors backstage. She was so cute. America would definitely love her. Which makes her extremely marketable. I was kind of an overweight 15 year old, not exactly as marketable, It made me nervous.
After Katelyn came back, David walked out , followed him was Rachel, then Cafidia. After Cafidia however it was my turn. “The time has come the walrus said” I said in a whisper as I headed out to the stage. I looked out into the planet hollywood theater and my eyes were glued. Thousands of empty chairs stared back at me. There were beautiful lights paneling the sides of the theater. I imagined performing on that stage if I ever “make it.” It would go on my list of things I wanted to do before I die.
“Hello” Piers said. Shyly I said hi back. I was a nervous wreck. My shoulders were tense and my eyes were already beginning to tear up. They asked me the same question the asked Katelyn “Why do you want to win this competition” I stood there like a stature for only a second then pulled my mic close to my lips and said “Well, I would like to be a role model for younger women who may not exactly be the American Image. I know I’m not exactly a “stick” skinny girl , but a lot of people have regardless of what they look like.” Piers being the rebutting type he is snapped back saying- “Well Terry Fator is not stick thin”. I didn’t know what to say, I felt like he just stood up and stamped a giant X on my face for failure.
He told me to begin my song. I turned back to the baby grand piano behind my back and sat down. I placed each of my fingers on the starting keys carefully. I started. I began singing though if I ain’t got you by Alicia Keys, scared and nervous as hell.
I finished and grabbed the mic and headed back out onto the center X in the middle of the stage. Piers asked me how I thought I did and I simply said ” I think I did alright”. Before I walked off the stage. He had one last thing to say to me.
“Well, personally, I don’t think your strong enough to last in this Competition”
Ouch. I walked off in shame, crying backstage.
