BC News

Hamagrael student, YouTube sensation to appear on Ellen Show, Today Show!
Release Date: Dec. 6, 2007

Next year, Anthony Gargiula will join his elementary school choir. But tomorrow, the 8 year old Hamagrael Elementary School student will make his national television debut on the Ellen DeGeneres show from Los Angeles. He'll follow that up with a live performance on the Today Show on Tuesday in New York.

Anthony - as an intrepid 5 year old singing "Midnight Train to Georgia - first performed in front of an audience at a Radio Disney competition at Crossgates Mall. Since then, the Albany Music Studio student has appeared at many Radio Disney events locally.

And lately, the big breaks have come in succession, according to his mother, Jude-Ann Gargiula.

A year ago this month, he began his national ascent when he was selected as the best of the CBS Early Show's "Living Room Live," in which talented viewers submitted videos of themselves singing. Months later - doing karaoke in the Times Union Center concourse during the American Idol tour - he caught they eye of promoters, who invited him backstage. There, his vocals won over Idol finalist Melinda Doolittle, who dropped Anthony's name - and a video of his YouTube performance - on her MySpace page. That connection led to 2.5 million YouTube hits for Anthony.

A few weeks later, Ellen called, and before he knew it, he had gigs in LA and New York. He flew into LA on Wednesday, awaiting his performance of the Stevie Wonder classic, "Signed, sealed, delivered," on Ellen.

"He is just the happiest little boy," Jude-Ann said.

And, how about mom? Well, she's a little bit nervous.

"My stomach is in knots," Jude-Ann said. "But, he'll do great. I know it. That's just who he is."

The Ellen Show airs locally on Channel 6 at 4 p.m. Jude-Ann said she expects her son to perform on the Today Show, which airs on Channel 13 locally, between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Tuesday.