Oprah Staff:
The video is of my 10 year old son, Jackson, who is also the youngest professional movie critic in America. Jackson (a.k.a. "Lights-Camera-Jackson") has had his own movie reviews website (www.lights-camera-jackson.com) for about a year and a half, and in September he got his own weekly film critic segment on a local TV station. He's also been doing movie reviews on the radio since he was 7 1/2.
Jackson is an amazing talent. I couldn't link his TV review work for you due to copyright issues, but you can see his segments here:
http://capitalnews9.com/content/living/lightscamerajackson/Default.aspx
and you can read his reviews, listen to his podcasts and see his box office wrap-up on his site.
But one of his most incredible talents is his ability to do impressions. He was born with the ability to hear a voice, sometimes only once or twice, and then duplicate it. Obviously his love for the entertainment business leads him to doing many celebrity impressions (the one's on this clip are of some of the 2008 Oscar nominees), but he also does political figures, cartoon characters and regular people. It's really something to watch and hear.
Nothing against the other kids you have on your site, they're all very talented, but when was the last time you heard a 10-year do impressions...and just NAIL THEM? I'm guessing never.
The other thing that makes Jackson so unique is that he is a "Kid Critic" - he reviews Kids/Family movies from a kids point of view. Other kids, and PARENTS especially love this, because they get insight and advice on a movie they might be thinking of taking their kids to...from a real kid...and not some 45 year old man who, for obvious reasons, can't relate to these films the way a 10-year old can.
And Lights-Camera-Jackson knows his stuff. He is a student of film and pop culture. He can tell you the actors, plot, release date and box office take of practically every movie that's been released in the past 3-years. And he knows the year that every Disney film came out - cold.
Last year he saw 46 films in the theater. Some weekends we hit one Friday night another on Saturday.
And, along with his reviews, he also does celebrity interviews. I know he'd love to ask Oprah a few questions about her film career.
Check out his website and on-air work. I think you'll agree that Jackson fits your criteria as both smart and talented.
Thanks for allowing me to write to you about him and I appreciate you considering him for the show.
Sincerely,
Dan Murphy
Jackson would make a great guest on your show as he could also do review some recent films or, and this would be very timely, do a SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW.
13-year old Norweigian girl Nora Foss Al Jabri singing "Somewhere over the Rainbow" live with Dag Stokke on the piano. One of the most talented singers the world has seen!
Hello Oprah Show!
This is Matthew Dane Peavoy. I just turned 15 years old. I'm a classically trained accordionist and pianist from Central Alberta, Canada. I've been playing piano since I was 4 and accordion since I was 8.
Normally the words accordion and classical never meet in the same sentence, but I have put a unique twist on this largely traditional, yet absolutely magnificant instrument. I have come to love the classics, being much more complicated and appreciated by everyone that I play for. I have been found to get numerous standing ovations, while also being able to bring some audience members to tears with my interpretation and feeling of the piece. This is what sets me apart from other performers, as I literally feel the music and listen and enjoy it while I play.
The accordion is the only instrument that can represent a full 50 piece orchestra, and I have not found an instrument that I can't represent with this versatile instrument [piccilo, oboe, violin, basoon, organ, snare drum, egg shaker, etc]. The accordion, unlike instruments like the piano for example, can make notes start soft and grow into grand chords, like many wind instruments. I can also represent the violin's bowing by use of the bellows and I have discovered how to make the accordion laugh and cry.
The accordion is also one of the most difficult instruments to play, balancing bellow control, note accuracy, dynamics, touch, phrasing, which bass buttons to press [impossible to see], and all at the same time remembering to breathe [least important to me, yet very crutial!]
I have been through many competitions and great performances. I have competed numerous times in local festivals on piano and accordion. I have performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, in August of 2007 with the Calgary Jarosh Accordion Ensemble. I have also competed in the American Accordion Association/American Teacher's Guild International Competition in Washington D.C, placing second in one category.
My greatest achievement to date is winning the Red Deer Festival of the Performing Arts' top award, out of 6,000 people, which was a performance opportunity to perform with the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra, which took place on December 8, 2008, with Maestro Claude Lapalme conducting. I played this piece, Czardas, with the full 50 piece orchestra backing me up, along with playing Ave Maria that evening. It has been the highlight of my musical career and an absolutely amazing experience!
I am currently also studying Grade 10 Royal Conservatory piano in addition to playing Trombone, Alto Sax, Euphonium, Trumpet, and numerous percussion instruments. I have also arranged several pieces for my Junior High Band, and composed several pieces on piano and accordion. I have also been referred to numerous times as a prodigy on accordion and piano, though I am not yet willing to place this title on myself.
I hope you enjoy these selections, "Czardas" and "Dark Eyes" as much as I do. Please listen to my other submissions. This opportunity would revolutionize the entire accordion world, as this style of playing is largely unknown.
Thank you!
Matthew Dane Peavoy
Erin is 26 months in this video, she started to learn how to read at 18 months old. She understands English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
She can read over 500 words.
This video has also been uploaded to youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=CA&hl=en&v=oTMuU5Q-JdY
At the age of 13, Malia Civetz was honored to be selected to perform at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York as a featured 'Star of Tomorrow'. She sings, dances, plays piano and is a straight 'A' freshman honor student majoring in theatre at the Las Vegas Academy of the Performing Arts. Along with her drive for academic excellence and her passion for music, she focuses on lending her time and talent throughout the year to numerous charities. She is a three-time winner of the Las Vegas Search for Talent and has amazed crowds with her soulful & powerful voice since she began singing in church when she was 5. For more about Malia please visit her website created by her brother, www.MaliaSings.com.
My Grandfather is the first song that Drew ever wrote. He was inspired by the PTA Reflections Theme " A Different Kind of Hero" and the one person that came to Drew's mind was his Grandfather.
Drew is an amazing kid with what we truly know to be , is a gift from God. And even though he has had big opportunities past through his life, we still wait for the real reason, for his keen vocal ability and songwriting skills, to be revealed to us. Drew continues to write about HEROS in his life.
Alexis Jordan Bentinganan has been singing since she was 20 months old. She is constantly singing...in the shower, on the potty, in bed...you name it! Along with "God Bless America" and "Amazing Grace" her repertoire includes "Dancing Queen", "Fly Me To The Moon", "Take Me Out To The Ballgame", "Do, A Deer (from the Sound of Music) and her scale up and down (from Do to Do!) She also knows all the childrens' classics such as "A,B,C's" and "Old MacDonald". She picks up new songs all the time and is steadily expanding her range. And since 2 years old....she's always kept a tune (she's never really out of tune as witnessed by the video!) Enjoy!
This video is of an amazing 9 year old drummer named Isaiah Fogle (currently 10 yrs old). He plays drums for our church and for the youth jazz group Neo Jazz Collective. In this video, the second drumset that he plays is set up for a left-handed player. He is basically playing backwards because he plays right-handed! Isaiah realizes that he has been blessed to play at such an advanced level at such a young age. If you would like to read his bio and see more of his playing please visit his website at www.isaiahfogle.com. Be Blessed!
Jordyn started singing before she could even string together a proper sentence. At age 2 she performed onstage at a church festival, and she has been performing ever since! I have never seen a child so passionate about music. She loves it all, and naturally picks up songs and instruments. Without any vocal or instrumental lessons, I have seen her grow from a toddler belting out a song (albeit while-butchering the lyrics,) and pounding on the keyboard, to a promising young singer who can sing show tunes, pop, and opera, write her own songs, and play the piano, harmonica, and guitar. Jordyn also loves to act and dance, and frequently performs in musicals. She also writes her own scripts and at times, has turned our house into a theater! In Kindergarten, Jordyn wrote a scaled down version of the musical "Wicked," cast it with children from her class, designed fliers and tickets on her computer, and held rehearsals during recess at school. In first grade, she put together a band called "The Super Stars," asked Santa for a guitar, and went to work writing songs, rehearsing, and designing a website for the group. She even wrote a book about the band called "The Super Stars," which was professionally printed and read at her school. On any given day you can find Jordyn with her music notebook, where she writes lyrics to the songs she has composed on her computer. Jordyn is a very driven young lady and I have no doubt she will make her dreams come true. That dream of hers, has been the same as long as I can remember- to star on Broadway, and open a farm for homeless animals.
Jordyn receives a lot of accolades and attention due to her musical abilities, but she never lets it go to her head. I know as her mother, I am biased but I am just so proud of her humility and her heart. Like most families, we have certainly dealt with our share of hardships and loss over the years, but Jordyn always seems to remain positive. In addition to being an excellent student, she is a great friend, daughter, sister and budding humanitarian. Jordyn has volunteered with me at a local crisis center for years, entertaining the little children as I help their mothers. She is always willing to lend a hand, and she is rarely argumentative (well maybe a little when is comes to picking up her room!) One thing I have always tried to instill in both my children is, if you don't use your talents to help others then you are wasting the gift God gave you. Last Spring Jordyn was in a local production of "Annie," when she met an amazing young man named Tyler Page, who started the organization Kids Helping Kids (www.kidzhelpingkids.com .) 10 year old Tyler, had been inspired while watching an episode of Oprah, and started this awesome group that does exactly what it says, it allows kids to help other kids! The children in the group all have various talents, and with Kids Helping Kids they can use their talents to provide support and inspire other children. Jordyn is so excited to be a part of this group, and wanted me to mention it.
I haven't allowed Jordyn to audition for an agent (much to her dismay.) I prefer to allow things to happen naturally, and we decide which opportunities to pursue together. Right now Jordyn is in between shows, so she is working on her own pod cast, and writing "Eloise, the Musical." She is also now teaching her self to yodel, after seeing the young lady do it on Oprah (thank you for that!)
There are a lot amazing children on this site, thank you for taking the time to include my little one among them.