Alison Jutzi Talks Amongst Herself

Congratulations, Elicia! I look forward to seeing you on stage as Maria this fall. Ooh, Monday night was dramatic. Simon wasn't there again. It turns out he was arrested on assault charges on Sunday, which makes me sad. I would really liked to have said goodbye to him because his presence was one of the most positive parts of my Maria experience. In other dramatic news, there were many disappointed Janna fans in the audience and at home our final night. I have to say, though, if you're going to have to give up the role to someone, Elicia's your girl. She is genuine, selfless and a fabulous performer, so I'm sure Janna and the rest of the Marias are very happy for her. Yes, it was a competition, and all 9 of us runner-ups wanted to make it farther than we did...but I think for the most part we handled ourselves with grace, and were respectful of our fellow competitors. I'm happy to have enjoyed one final appearance on Maria , but I'm really ready now to mov...

I'll be at the studio tonight, cheering on the final three Marias: Janna, Elicia and Jayme. Rumour has it they'll be singing some Andrew Lloyd Webber songs. Glad to hear it, as I much prefer when they incorporate musical theatre numbers into this musical theatre competition.  So. I have 15 pages of notes that I plan to morph into a one-woman show about my experience. I write comedic songs  and I'm thinking of incorporating several tunes into the piece. It remains to be seen, though, exactly what shape the show will take. Perhaps interpretive dance? Wait. No. That's a horrible idea. Must keep brainstorming... It's been fun being back at the CBC with the girls*. Rehearsal has been replete with microphone jokes, which I love. We all have that thing that people will remember about us. I'm Mic-less Maria. Not the nickname I was expecting, but I suppose it could have been worse. It can always be worse. *Mom, I promise one day I will see the error of my ways, and start...

I just finished recording a musical theatre demo and will likely be posting the songs from that on my site soon. My good friends Mark Selby and Noel Webb helped me greatly with this recording, Mark on the keys and Noel doing sound engineering. I am so thankful to have such helpful and talented friends. Thanks guys! Oh, and while I'm thanking people I can't forget the incredible Mike Reid, my boyfriend and webmaster. Did you ever see my free bravehost site? That thing was appalling. This one is so much slicker.   Tomorrow I'm going in with the other 9 Marias to rehearse for the final show this Monday. I'm not sure what we'll be doing, but I heard a rumour that it will involve fight choreography. I'm no stage combat pro, but I  have some great suggestions. I want to do lots of hair pulls and aikido rolls, hopefully down the balcony. Maybe we could do a neck crack in there (you know, where you use an empty water bottle to make the sound?). But I'm just talkin...

A lot of people have asked me about buying my CD online, and now it's possible. Just go to my website  and click "Buy Now" to have my CD sent to your door for $10. I find that they sell really well at gigs, but not everyone is able to make it out to those because I usually only perform in Toronto. I'm very excited about this new feature on my website!  I went to the Maria taping last night where, sadly, Marisa was voted off. She seems to be taking it well though. Today we're having a barbecue for all 10 of us plus Gavin, and we are so stoked! I can't wait to hang out with all the girls (sorry, is that derogatory?). This experience has been so monumental for all of us, and I can't wait to chat with everyone else and find out how their personal experience has been.  Janna, Elicia and Jayme are the only Marias left in the competition. Next Sunday one of them will be sent home, and then on Monday the winner will be announced. How exciting! All ten of us will ...

Last night Tamara was saved after a three-person sing-off, while Kyla and Katie were sent home. It's sad to see them go, as much as I joke about wanting more people in my special little "club" of former Marias.  I wish Canada had had a chance to hear Kyla's beautiful, clear soprano voice. She has had a lot of classical training, and I think if she'd been given a chance to show that off the judges wouldn't have pegged her as a belter or an alto, which I think they have. I hope great things will come out of this experience for her, because she deserves to be working. Always. A couple days ago I told Katie that I never could have done this show at her age. She's 19, and has already gained a lot of notoriety through "Maria". She has a killer voice. I remember standing next to her in Maria School when we were working on some group harmonies. She was always perfectly in tune and sounded flawless. I can't wait to follow her career. As for me, I have...

I went to see the live taping of Maria  last night. Finally, the girls are performing musical theatre numbers, and it was definitely the best show yet. I hope they won't go back to pop songs next week, but I think it's inevitable. The gossip of the evening was that Elaine criticized Donna for having a diva-like attitude during rehearsals. I have worked with divas. I do not count Donna among them. The comment by Elaine was coupled with a carefully edited segment that made Donna look mean, when she was just being frank. After showing a few of the Marias commenting on how it was hard to lose people every week, they had Donna saying she knew that when people left, it only meant she was closer to winning.  This is called honesty.  I'll be at the taping again tonight, and I will no doubt be squirming in my seat. Having been on stage and in the audience, I have to say that the latter is more difficult. Two girls will be going home tonight, so it's sure to be a dramatic show. H...

Yikes, I can't believe Allie was voted off last night. What a bummer. Simon was clearly troubled by having to pick between Jayme and Allie, which I can understand. That's a toughie. I was shocked they were in the bottom two. Here's hoping Canada picks a great Maria in the end.

Okay, I think I'm over it. I'm not in the show anymore, it's over, life moves on, que sera sera, c'est la vie and what have you. So, what's next for me? Probably a one-woman show. I'm also excited to get out there and start gigging again, and would love to get cast in a show somewhere. I had to turn down a few summer contracts because of Maria, but the experience I had was well worth it. For the first time ever I will be spending the summer in Toronto instead of doing summerstock theatre out of town. I hear the summer smog is lovely, and can't wait to experience it firsthand. Would you like to hear the "exit interview" I did on EZ Rock the morning after I left the show? Click here .

Well, that was short-lived. I guess I should change the name of my blog? For anyone who didn't catch the show on Monday, Marisa and I were the ones who received the least amount of votes on Sunday night so we had to do a sing-off. After singing "Take That Look Off Your Face" Simon decided to eliminate me.  It's too bad I wasn't given a second chance to prove myself to the public after the microphone issue, but I have no control over the situation. I would have liked to have shown the country that I really do have what it takes to play that role.  Onwards and upwards...

So. If you saw the show tonight you'll know that my head mic was not feeding to the viewers at home. The studio audience heard me, and I heard myself fine...so when I felt someone handing me a microphone in the middle of the number I was quite surprised. I'm hoping that the viewers will take this into account, and give me points for handling the situation professionally. The sound guy feels awful, but what can you do? These things happen. Because I was handed a mic during my performance, the home audience heard the second half of my song. I felt quite disappointed about it, but hopefully I'll be there next week and, if I am, I know the sound people will probably check my feed dozens of times, just to be sure it's working. So there you have it. Drama. What would a reality show be without it?

Tonight we'll be doing our first live Maria show! Please tune in to CBC at 8pm. And don't forget to vote! You can see my last post for voting instructions. I am excited, nervous, anxious, thrilled and lots of other things right now. Most of all, I feel lucky to be here.

Hello everyone. Sunday fast approaches and I want to make sure you all know how to vote for me. Here are the details: HOW TO VOTE FOR ALISON The voting lines are open from 7pm to 3am every Sunday night. From landlines and pay phones: call 1.866.610.3566  Texting: Text "Alison" to 777 111 (make sure you spell my name right because there is another girl in the competition with a similar name) Internet: vote online at cbc.ca/maria Please note that for some reason you can't call in your votes from mobile phones, only landlines and pay phones, so only text from mobiles.  For more information, please visit this link to the Maria voting info page . Thank you so much for your support! I can't do this without you!

This week we're rehearsing for our first live show, airing this Sunday at 8pm EST on CBC.  It has been an intense week. The song I had initially been given was replaced with another, so I've been spending the last couple of days getting used to the new song. Today we have some time off, so I intend to take my voice and choreography notes and really get them in my body. I want to feel like I own the song before I step on the stage this Sunday. Yesterday we attended the "Meet the Marias" event in the CBC Atrium and we had an incredible turnout. It's heartwarming to see how excited everyone is about the show. They have put up huge banners of our faces in the atrium, and posters outside the Royal Alex.  People keep asking me why there wasn't more footage of me in the first two episodes, but if you want to see more of my clips from Maria School you can check out the widget on www.cbc.ca/maria and click on my face, and then my video bio. Also, don't forget to c...

Finally I can tell you all that I made it to the top 10! If you watched the show tonight, you'll know that my jaw dropped to the ground when Andrew Lloyd Webber gave me the good news. I'm somewhat over the shock, as we came back from London two months ago, but this whole experience still feels quite surreal.  The other 9 girls and I have moved into a gorgeous mansion in Toronto, and are in intense rehearsals for our first live show. We are growing closer to one another by the day, and can't quite imagine what it will be like when the eliminations begin. Whether I'm leaving or not, it will be difficult.  I am lots of things right now. Nervous. Excited. Terrified. Overjoyed.  I want to soak up every moment and enjoy it the best I can. I know this is a unique experience that I am very fortunate to share with 9 other very talented girls. Please tune in every Sunday and Monday night for the next six weeks and don't forget to vote!

I keep seeing ads for "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" on CBC and I'm getting really excited to see the first show, airing this Sunday. I have just launched my website, www.alisonjutzi.com and I will be posting news and information about the show on there, as well as other things that I've got going on. Wish me luck!

Hello everyone! My name is Alison Jutzi and I am an actor and singer in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Recently I was lucky enough to take part in the new CBC reality show, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? , which is going to start airing on Sunday, June 15th. Please tune in to see how far I got in the competition! I am nervous and excited to see the footage, but more than anything I am very happy for the experience I had at "Maria School". If you want to see the photo and video gallery from Maria School, or find out more information about the show, you can go to www.cbc.ca/maria .