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Twelve new stars will shine on the 5th season of the most popular ballroom dancing competition, Dancing with the Stars. The celebrities picked for the televised dancing competition vary in age, and often come from different professional backgrounds. They range from starlets to Hollywood legends, boy band stars to rappers, and even female wrestlers to professional athletes. On the fifth season of this hit show, the celebrities who will attempt to outshine one another are: Melanie Brown a.k.a. “Scary Spice”, Sabrina Bryan, Helio Castroneves, Mark Cuban, Jennie Garth, Josie Maran, Cameron Mathison, Floyd Mayweather, Wayne Newton, Marie Osmond, Albert Reed, and Jane Seymour.

In Dancing with the Stars, each celebrity is paired with a professional dancer who will teach them some fancy footwork in preparation for their weekly performance. After the performance, there are three judges who usually give brief critiques and cast their votes. Viewer participation is highly encouraged as viewers are allowed to cast their votes for their favorite star online or by phone.

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American Idol became an instant success when it launched in the United States in 2002. With millions of viewers tuning in each week to show their support, American Idol has quickly become one of the most popular shows in America. American Idol has launched several successful music careers for American Idol winners and contestants. Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks are all successful musicians who won the crown of American Idol. Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have both won several awards for their songs and albums. Runners-up Justin Guarini, Clay Aiken, Diana DeGarmo, Bo Bice, and Katharine McPhee are also launching successful careers in the music industry. Season Five’s, Chris Daughtry is currently the best-selling American Idol contestant who was neither the winner nor runner-up of his season. His album reached number 1 on the Billboard charts in its ninth week of release.

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Which country produces the largest number of movies?

You might be surprised to learn that India produces an average of 800 movies a year, and that number continues to grow. Just as the movie capitol of the United States is Hollywood, the movie capitol of India is Bombay, but it is commonly called “Bollywood,” a combination of the words Bombay and Hollywood.

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New Orleans Jazz was first heard about 1900, in a musical climate laden with folklore influences ranging from ragtime to spirituals, from work songs to blues, from minstrel shows to marching bands, from the colorful Mardi Gras celebrations to the picturesque funeral processions.

New Orleans played a key role in the birth and growth of Jazz, and the music’s early history has been more thoroughly researched and documented there than anywhere else. But, while the city may have had more and better Jazz than any other from about 1895 to 1917, New Orleans was by no means the only place where the sounds were incubating.

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Do you remember the song, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”? You might not realize that its melody was written by a man considered by a great many scholars to be the world’s greatest composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

In his short life (1756-1791), Mozart accomplished many feats which may not ever be repeated. As a seven and eight year old, he began to compose his first music. At age 13, he wrote an entire mass for his friend’s Father Cominicus Hagenauer.

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During the beginning of his days in London, Shakespeare’s plays were performed in several theaters in London. In 1599, the Globe Theater was built and became the main performing house for Shakespeare’s plays. This new theater was the most beautiful and magnificent theater in all of London.

Shakespeare, along with some of his fellow actors, become part owner in the Globe. Almost 3000 people could watch these plays in this theater. The Puritans closed the theater in 1634, but it has recently been rebuilt and reopened to the public.

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There are so many different kinds of music throughout the world, even in this country alone. There’s rock and roll, hip hop, R&B, rap, soul, and many more. One of the most fascinating kinds of music that you might not be aware of is funk.

There’s no real definition of funk, but here’s how one person described it: funk = a stew of jazz + blues + rock and roll + soul with a little gospel, hip hop, reggae and latin added for spice (sometimes) with a message. That’s quite a definition with a lot of elements combined, but it seems to be the most fitting.

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Jazz music may not be in your tape or CD collection, but it should be! Let’s take a look back at how jazz originated. The early development of jazz begins in the city of New Orleans. As a port city, it brought in all different kinds of cultures and music. With the combination of sounds from the Caribbean and Mexico, and brass bands galore, New Orleans had a perfect blend to develop a new sound. From this combination came the famous jazz sounds of Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton.

From New Orleans, the jazz musicians traveled North to Chicago in the early 1920’s. It seems like a long time ago, but really it was a time that most of your grandparents were around for. The reason these musicians ended up in Chicago or the “Windy City” was because many of the jazz clubs in New Orleans closed down. As people began recording their music and selling it, jazz gained wider recognition across America.

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Hey everyone, do you play an instrument? Perhaps in your school band, or your own band? One of the most popular instruments is the guitar. If you know someone with a guitar, pick it up and strum the strings. It makes a beautiful sound even if you don’t know how to play it.

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