Excellent Talk of Fame updates to share with you today! I grabbed a moment and dance lesson with Southern Movement following their departure from America’s Best Dance Crew this week, and all of our Hick-Hopping shenanigans are captured within the interview video. Plus…

Bonus News! MTV.com has started featuring Talk of Fame’s ABDC coverage! So now you can also find me kicking it with Southern Movement right here! I’d love it you’d post a quick comment on MTV.com to let them know that you’re diggin’ this Talk of Fame/MTV.com collabo!

Thanks for your continued support as we keep growing together!

I’ve witnessed Laurie Ann Gibson’s hard-hitting choreography on Making the Band, So You Think You Can Dance, multiple music videos (including Lady Gaga’s “LoveGame”), and most recently P. Diddy’s Starmaker.

But to hear her sing, I had to dig through a few YouTube clips to discover her very own solo music video! Given her surprised reaction to my mentioning of the clip, I don’t think Laurie Ann was expecting me to ask her about it – hehe – but with graciousness and good humor, the humble pro explained why she treats the Starmaker contestants so kindly and dropped some exclusive info about her music ambitions.

In this pair of MTV Movie Awards interviews, my guests and I touch on topics that stretch from Speidi’s reputation to maturity in Hollywood to training a monkey to be a thief.

Yes, you read that last part correctly!

Continued –>

MTV’s Taking the Stage has my favorite soundtrack on television right now – point blank, period. The latest episode’s mix of cuts from artists like John Legend, Jazmine Sullivan, Robin Thicke swept me up in the kind of R&B rapture that I hadn’t encountered on the tube since BET retired Midnight Love.

While spotting a complete music video on MTV is a rarity nowadays, the network has managed to keep music running through the veins of its programming by prominently infusing music into its reality show roster. And Taking the Stage is a prime example of how the spirit of music television can still thrive through forms of entertainment other than the traditional music video.

In addition to its bumpin’ soundtrack, I commend the show for consistently spotlighting the artistic skills of its talented cast. In just two episodes, we’ve already witnessed singer-songwriter Mia show off her vocal chops in two live sets and caught dancers Tyler, Jasmine, Malik, and Shaakira heat up both a talent show stage and a dance floor.

I dig how the show balances both the glossiness of The Hills and the swagger of America’s Best Dance Crew. Yes, there’s still petty drama thrown in for kicks, but the cast’s simple arguments have yet to overshadow their energetic performances.

Now, let’s hope that Harlem Heights takes a page from Taking the Stage and starts giving its cast more opportunities to flex their creativity on camera.

The promo for BET’s Harlem Heights promised that the series would present images of young Black professionals getting their career grinds on and socializing with each other in Harlem. I thought the show would give a group of Harlemites the opportunity to show off their drive, but instead, most of their community and career-building efforts are overshadowed by displays of the brand of catty drama that we’ve already become familiar with by watching the Real Housewives and Hills franchises.

I rarely ever miss an episode of the shows in those franchises, but I don’t want (or need) Harlem Heights to be the Black version of The Hills. I’d rather witness what makes the Harlem individuals such remarkable and aspirational characters than dive into their friendship battles – territory that we’ve already seen Lauren Conrad and her crew cover extensively during 4 seasons of The Hills.

I tune-in to The Hills because it makes petty arguments feel entertaining and salacious by presenting them in a glossy package – a banging soundtrack, glamorous angles of the Hollywood skyline, and cinematically arranged scenes, but since Harlem Heights is working on a tighter budget, it doesn’t have the luxury of luring me in with flash. Instead, I expect for it to hook me with substance, but so far it’s coming off as a less compelling imitation.

I’ll keep watching Harlem Heights for now, in hopes that the show soon realizes its potential to broadcast an aspect of reality that mainstream America hasn’t already seen masterfully played out on MTV and Bravo. Have you given the show a chance yet?

Most of us know professional skateboarder Rob Dyrdek for the eccentric exploits that he and his bodyguard Big showcased in their MTV reality series Rob and Big, and in his new hit show Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory (Sundays on MTV at 9pET/PT), we encounter Rob and his buddies as they embark on a whole new range of athletic and business exploits.

Rob invited me to hang out at the Fantasy Factory, which is basically a fly playground for adults, and after giving me a tour of the compound and opening up about his serious desire to nourish the skater community, he gave me a pass to run free in the Factory!

So, I took full advantage of the invite by climbing aboard the world’s largest skateboard and taking a climactic ride down the indoor zip-line – it’s all in the vid below!

In Part 1 of my 2 part chat with Making the Band’s Donnie Klang, Donnie gave his assessment on why his first album stalled on the charts, and he discussed how he’s currently taking his career into his own hands.

Part 2, however, finds Donnie explaining the frustration that he felt during last season’s finale and why he felt the need to distance himself from the mention of his relationship with former Danity Kane member Aubrey O’Day. All of this is good stuff to warm us up for this week’s premiere – I’m thinking that Donnie may really get his chance to shine this time around!

Continued –>