‘Gong Show’ rejection didn’t hurt optimism of ‘WorldWide’ composer

Friday, Feb. 1, 2002 | 4:12 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

In the late 1980s Anita-Christine Marcom began her entertainment career on a sour note after being plucked from "The Gong Show" studio audience to perform. She was gonged.

Trained in modern jazz dance, the Saudi Arabian-born Henderson resident had to hoof it to the wrong song -- a mistake she said was made by the show's staff -- with results that got the giggling, bubbly Marcom bounced from the stage.

Today, about a dozen years wiser but still full of optimism, Marcom is trying to ring a bell of another kind as a singer-songwriter.

She has for 10 years pedaled her cassette of the song "WorldWide" to disc jockeys in California and Nevada and, in troubled times, actually has gotten it on the air. Her successes came during the Persian Gulf War and Somalia conflict, and, most recently, in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America.

"I think the world can benefit from an anthem that promotes togetherness and healing -- it's perfect for today's world," Marcom said. "This song is a patriotic poem and a prayer for world peace."

Locally, "WorldWide" has been played on KLAV 1230-AM and on KSHP 1400-AM. Marcom's website, www.anitanewworldsmile.com, also features the song.

The song says, in part: "For the world let us give support. To have each other is our last resort. Let's have a worldwide prayer. Come together. Know we're all there."

Marcom is the daughter of American oil company executive Steven Marcom and Lebanese-Armenian singer Nora Marcom. She is the sister of writer Micheline Aharonian Marcom, author of the novel "Three Apples Fell From Heaven," depicting the suffering of Armenians during World War I (Riverhead, $23.95).

While her family members have found much success in their endeavors, Anita-Christine has struggled through an entertainment career that has included sporadic appearances in movies and a music video.

After being gonged, Marcom had walk-on parts in the major motion pictures "Beaches" and "Welcome Home Roxy Carmicheal." She also had the lead role in the independent comedy short "Dream Girl" and appeared as a Mexican immigrant in the Santana music video "Right On."

As the Persian Gulf war broke out, Marcom wrote "WorldWide" in just five minutes. However, unable to find a babysitter for her 2-year-old son, she had to take him to the California recording studio and hold the toddler's hand while she recorded the number in one take.

Since then Marcom has struggled to get the song heard.

"The problem I have run into is not that radio stations don't like my song, it is that I only have it on tape cassette and they need it on CD," Marcom said. "Still, I am not going to give up. I want to share this song with the world.""