Dave Matthews Band

Laurieann "Boomkack" Gibson is host of Born to Dance, a reality show for those who love to dance (or just watch great dancers get their start). An "America's Got Talent" just for dancers, this new eight episode series provides a good opportunity for those who are passionate about dancing. And a prize of $50,000 won't hurt the competitive spirit of these talented young people either. Presented on BET (Black Entertainment Television), Born to Dance: Laurieann Gibson will take 20 aspiring hopefuls through a process of elimination each week, where someone will leave the show and the rest compete for the final winning spot. A musical video style competition is one weeks challenge while others include making a TV commercial, and even the opportunity to perform, live with the one and only, Lady Gaga and do it before a full house on the Monster's Ball Tour. Dancers can show off their fancy footwork and their ability to choreograph their dance steps and style each week of the competition until only one is left standing. Not for the shy or bashful, this contest is all about having a passion for dance.

Combine musical talent along with sex appeal, then put it on video for the world to see and you come up with a string of successful music videos that enthrall viewers. The group Paramore was formed in 2004 with lead vocals performed by Hayley Williams, who was sixteen at the time. She met up with a couple of brothers Josh and Zac Farro while she attended private school in Franklin, Tennessee. One thing they each had in common was a passion for music. While Hayley took singing lessons with Brett Manning she continued her schooling and learned about making music. The talented group has been successful ever since and with an assortment of music videos to their credit they now are becoming well known around the world. Watch for their top voted music videos like Careful, Playing God, The Only Exception, and Brick by Boring Brick to see their talents performed exceptionally well. Their recent successes include the song "Decode" which became the leading single in the popular movie Twilight.

Watching CeCe Jones and Rocky Blue fulfilling their dream of becoming dancers shows the rest of us that all things are possible. The two girls get the opportunity to become background dancers in the locally presented show Shake It Up, Chicago and begin on an adventure filled with misadventures, troubles, and plenty of fun along the way. A buddy and dance concept has been used previously by Disney (Sonny With A Chance & The Famous Jett Jackson), and this time around it's about dreams coming true. Family trials and tribulation are included as well as competition among siblings. The series even spun off an album titled Shake It Up: Break It Down with the title song performed by Selena Gomez. Stars include 14 year old Bella Thorne as CeCe Jones (Forget Me Not, Craw Lake), 15 year old Zendaya Coleman (Kidz Bop "˜Hot n Cold') as Rocky Blue, and Adam Irigoyen as the girls best buddy, Deuce Martinez. Also starring are Roshon Fegen, Caroline Sunshine, Kenton Duty, and Davis Cleveland. Great music and enjoyable dancing make this Disney Channel series well worth watching!

From its first Sunday night back on June 20, 1948 continuously until June 6 of 1971, the Ed Sullivan Show was THE place to debut new talent or see the old and proven make a comeback. In between the various acts was the man himself, Ed Sullivan. Ed was uniquely talented as a master of ceremonies who could get the biggest stars to appear on his show. That first Sunday night he welcomed Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis as well as Rodgers and Hammerstein who performed music from their new Broadway show "South Pacific". This early programming was live TV and the occasional error was to be anticipated which made such show all the more inviting to watch. Previously titled Toast of the Town, The Ed Sullivan Show showcased new talent such as Elvis Presley along with show regulars like Topo, Ed's Little Italian Mouse (a sidekick puppet) and Senor Wences who was a comical ventriloquist. Elvis performed live on Ed Sullivan three times for a reported fifty thousand dollars (an enormous amount back in the 1950's). In 1963 Ed hosted the latest style in music when he invited the Beatles to perform.

With all the music and talent competitions floating around now days it was a wise decision to include some school pride and a cappella style singers. Each episode there are eliminations as expected, and a culmination at the end when the winners are announced. This season the competitors include Howard University, Dartmouth College, The University of Delaware, and Brigham Young University. In the first episode we see that The Cat's Pajamas (from Branson, MO) and the Fannin Family from Hortonville, WI were the first two groups to be eliminated. Hosted by Nick Lachey (former member of 98 Degrees, a boy band) and talented judges including Shawn Stockman (from Boyz II Men), Ben Folds (singer, songwriter) and Sara Bareilles (pianist, singer, songwriter) who replaces Nicole Scherzinger (lead singer of Pussycat Dolls) who moved to judge on The X Factor. Some super stars of the musical world will make appearances including Neil Diamond, Bobby McFerrin, Smokey Robinson, and Boyz II Men. For those who like pop music and anyone who appreciates talent when they see it this show insures a definite good time viewing.

The Best Dance Crew in America today announcements come with a price. Someone must lose and that means some really talented people must give way to those who are perhaps just a bit luckier on that particular day. Or they're just flat out more talented! Each week of the competition we see the show begin with auditions from multiple areas of the country. Most recently they were Los Angeles, California, New York, Huston, Texas, and Chicago, Illinois. From that diverse mixture judges must select the best and most promising. Celebrity judges include Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Katy Perry, and The Black Eyed Peas. Each crew must perform music from a specific artist for the weekly showdown. It may be the work of Lil Wayne or Rihanna or other talents who allow their performances to be mimicked by the contenders. Winners of each season will receive a prize of $100,000 so the competition is taken quite seriously by all. Audience (including home viewers) can vote for their favorites and as the competition narrows it becomes tense and those who survive each week are more determined than ever to win.