Over 75,000 Applicants: 16th Annual Performing Arts Championships To Be An Olympian Event On Global Scale

(Hollywood, California)---Hundreds of singers, dancers, jugglers, you name it will be ready to strut their stuff for the judges at the 16th Annual World Championships of Performing Arts™, set to take center stage July 6 – 15, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. This international meet is often cited as the official “Talent Olympics” for aspiring performers and entertainers, and the only event of its kind held annually in “Hollywood”, the entertainment capital of the world.

Selections for official contestants will be held in the U.S., Canada, Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Asia and South Africa. “Contestants from 40 countries are expected to participate,” says Griff O’Neil, competition president and a former executive of the Miss Universe Pageant, “vying for ‘the gold’ PLUS $130,000 in scholarships! Some 75,000 people around the world will apply to participate in 2012.”

A popular highlight of the festivities is the spectacular Opening Ceremonies featuring a colorful Parade of Nations on Sunday at the magnificent Nokia Plaza. The much-anticipated, priceless “Worldstars Boot Camp” is an unmatched phenomenon of educational seminars and workshops by industry experts!

The exciting finals will be a live global webcast staged in the beautiful California Grand Ballroom at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel on Friday evening, July 13.

Because of its stellar reputation in attracting achieving talent, esteemed VIP and celebrity entertainment industry greats from Hollywood, Nashville and New York have served as judges and been honored with induction into the Performing Arts Hall of Fame™ at this prestigious global competition.

Previous honorees include:
ANN-MARGRET – two-time Academy Award nominee, Emmy winner
JACLYN SMITH – star of "Charlie's Angels"
JUSTIN CHAMBERS – star of "Grey's Anatomy"
LINDA GRAY – star of “Dallas”
LIZA MINNELLI – three Tony Awards, an Oscar, Emmy and two Golden Globe Awards
DOLLY PARTON – four-time Grammy Award winner
DIONNE WARWICK – multi-Grammy artist

With shows like “American Idol” and “Dancing with the Stars” vying for face time on TV, it’s no wonder that there’s such a proliferation of talent looking for a home. The talent shows score some of the biggest audience ratings and their renewed popularity has made the World Championships more relevant than ever.

To help process the talent, the veteran entertainment producer has recruited over 75 Scouts and National Directors who are currently scouring the globe for potential talent.

“This is the only truly Olympic-style talent competition ever created,” add O’Neil. “We’ve been planting seeds for the past sixteen years and are now ready to really show off our spectrum of talent, in both junior and adult divisions.”

There are six categories of competition: dancing, singing, modeling, acting, instrumental and variety arts. Each “act” is allowed one minute to showcase their skills. Over one hundred judges from the entertainment industry will be involved before the main prizes are awarded – “gold” medals, official World Champion trophies and plaques, $30,000 in scholarships to the famed Millennium Dance Complex in North Hollywood, California and $100,000 in scholarships to the esteemed Conservatory of Dramatic Arts for Film and Television in New York”… and the top prizes of all, the coveted titles “Junior and Senior Grand Champion Performers of the World”!

However every contestant is a “Worldstar winner”… the networking opportunities are inestimable, the competition experience is beyond belief, accurate information about the industry is obtained through invaluable educational seminars, and the friendships made with talent throughout the world are priceless!

Previous judges have included:
Mehcad Brooks (Hollywood) - Brooks starred on Alan Ball’s HBO hit TV series True Blood. He is a SAG ensemble award winner and Image Award nominee for his performance as Alfred Woodard’s son on ABC’s smash series Desperate Housewives.

John Pardee and Joey Murphy (Hollywood) – These partners, in addition to their careers as successful feature film screenwriters, are in their 18th year as writers/producers of numerous television series – most notably, The Jeff Foxworthy Show and Cybill. Both currently are the Co-Executive Producers of ABC television’s mega-hit, Desperate Housewives.

Anita Mann (Hollywood)– With six Emmy nominations, two Emmy Awards and honored by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Anita is one of America’s top choreographers and live show producers. Her countless credits include The Academy Awards, The Golden Globe Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, Miss America Pageant, The People’s Choice Awards, The Emmy’s.

Steven Dorff (Hollywood and Nashville) – One of the world’s most successful music composers. NSAI Songwriter of the Year, 40 BMI and 11 Billboard #1 awards, three-time Grammy nominee, Emmy nominee for five television compositions, nine #1 film songs and 15 Top 10 hits. His many songs have been sung by some of the greatest artists of our time: Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, George Strait, Vanessa Williams and countless others. He currently has two projects making their way to Broadway.

Winners of the 2011 “Grand Champion Performers of the World” titles were: the Philippine’s 10-year old vocalist JOSHUA PINEDA for the juniors and actor/model HANO JANSE VAN RENSBURG from South Africa capturing the senior title.
After all is said and done, talent competitions are nothing new. Everyone from Frank Sinatra to Patsy Cline to Britney Spears has been discovered on talent contests.

Talent contest judges initially rejected some well-known stars, like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Drew Carey.

The genre’s been around on radio and later on TV for nearly 70 years, but the World Championships of Performing Arts is by far the biggest in scale and scope, and seeks to turn the international corridor between a country’s artists and dreamers – and Hollywood’s “land of dreams” – into a two-way street as a launch pad for opportunity, recognition and reward.

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