WORLDWIDE SETS THE STAGE FOR TIB 2000

Air Force Entertainment kicked off the new millennium with yet another successful Worldwide Talent Contest. This year's contest, held at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland presented top talent from throughout the Air Force as they vied for an opportunity to be a part of Tops In Blue 2000. The competition was tough and the judges had a difficult task in selecting the best of the best.

As in past years, the contestants were judged on a variety of criteria besides their stage performance, including personal interviews and auditions. The contest winners were announced the evening after the final performance at the Announcement of Winners Banquet, and the final cast of Tops In Blue 2000 was announced on February 1st. (see below).

During the contest, Tops In Blue 1999 presented several performances, showcasing the exceptional talents they have honed during their outstanding worldwide tour and exemplifying the continued standard of excellence that the new cast will be expected to meet. A host of TIB priors also set an example for the newcomers, by stepping up to provide assistance and support for the contestants, working behind the scenes and making a sizeable contribution to the success of the contest. Tom Edwards praised their efforts and expressed his sincere appreciation for their continued dedication to the program.

Now it is on to the next step as the newly anointed cast of Tops In Blue 2000 heads for Lackland Air Force Base and the staging of this year's show. We wish each of them the best of success as they continue our legacy of "Family Entertaining Family"

WINNERS OF THE 2000 AIR FORCE WORLDWIDE TALENT CONTEST

MALE VOCALIST

1st - SrA Fernando Alejandro, Eglin AFB, FL
2nd - SrA Ronicle Ellison, Travis AFB, CA

FEMALE VOCALIST

1st - 2Lt Sarah Cantrell, Barksdale AFB, LA
2nd - A1C Amber Grimes, Ramstein AB, GE

MUSICAL VARIETY

1st - Amn Raiena Smith, Whiteman AFB, MO
2nd - Capt Christine Kniffen, Kirtland AFB, NM

INSTRUMENTAL SOLO

1st - 1Lt Michael Noche, FE Warren AFB, WY
2nd - SSgt Kenneth Myers, Vandenberg AFB, CA

BEST OF SHOW

2Lt Sarah Cantrell, Barksdale AFB, LA

TOPS IN BLUE 2000 CAST

As a result of the 2000 Air Force Worldwide Talent Contest, these individuals have been selected as the cast of Tops In Blue 2000.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
NEWSLETTER PUBLICATION CYCLE TO CHANGE

To all the readers of these pages, first I want to say thanks for your support. I sincerely hope you are enjoying the newsletters. Secondly, I want to let you know that to provide more timely coverage of the Worldwide Talent Contest, the publication cycle of the newsletter is changing effective with the next issue. Under the new schedule, the newsletter will now be published in May, August, November and February.

FLASHBACK
TOPS IN BLUE 1983
"THE LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE"

The year was 1983 and Tops In Blue took its audiences on a magical journey to "The Land of Make Believe" The show began with a game show called "This Is Your Dream", featuring the venerable Ed Knox as host "Monty Genie" and the late Rich Niemet as contestant "Ebner Fubble" who was selected from the audience and won a chance to pick the dream of his choice. Ebony Blue Experience presented the choices musically, dressed as pirates, circus clowns, astronauts and finally entertainers.

Ebner's chose the latter and wanted to become a singer. From there, Monty and Ebner (and the audience) journeyed to visit various music venues. The jazz club "The Hungry Eye" provided smooth grooves and

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toe-tappin' rhythms, featuring Floyd Martinez' Barry Manilow medley, a hot instrumental by Heavy Blue Express, and highlighted by Terry Weeks' "Quiet Please, There's a Singer Backstage." For Terry, it was a preview of things to come, because today you know him as the lead singer of Temptations.

The next stop was "Billy Bob's" for some great foot-stompin' country and a real live down home band, featuring washboards, jugs, and a washtub bass. Broadway's Crystal Room was next and there we enjoyed TIB's sensational version of the popular musical "Dreamgirls," punctuated by EBE's "Steppin' To the Bad Side", Melissa Mitchell's show stoppin' rendition of "And I Am Telling You," and the title song, "Dreamgirls" as presented by The Brighter Shades of Blue. Daryl Harris, a.k.a. "Michael Jackson", and his "brothers" brought us home with a medley of their biggest hits.

As the show closed, the audience was reminded that they had power to make their dreams come true, and they were inspired with "It's Your Turn" and "Take It Uptown." And that was TIB in 1983, except for one final note - yours truly, T.A. Burrows was Tour Director - and that was my dream come true!

Where Are They Now?

 Present: A vocalist with TIB's unique "Music Express" club show in 1980, Denise is happily married to Paul Broussard, and the couple currently resides in Beaumont, Texas with their 16-year old son Kevin. Denise is the Director of Religious Education at St. Mary's Catholic Church in nearby Fannett, Texas. She also directs the youth/Teen Mass Music Choir in the parish and diocese of Beaumont. In addition, she is still singing now and then performing Contemporary Christian music locally.

 Present: A vet from the early days of Tops In Blue, John retired from the Air Force in 1976 as a Lt. Colonel. For eight years, he worked in the Cable TV industry, then for public TV in Dallas, followed by 12 years as Director for The Educational Resource Center. He currently lives in Denton, Texas with Claralynn, his wife of 40 years and has four children and two grandchildren. In addition to touring with Tops In Blue, he founded ATC's first "Command Performance" showcase in 1958.

Present: The "Hawk" was a legendary performer with Tops In Blue. A versatile entertainer, he toured three times and made his mark not only as an accomplished keyboard player, but also as a vocalist. Today, Carl lives in Tucson, Arizona with his wife of 28 years. The couple has four boys and a girl. Carl works at Davis-Monthan AFB, but is also active musically. He is the Music Minister at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Director for the Tucson chapter of The Gospel Music Workshop of America, and a musician for the Arizona Mass Choir.

Blue Notes

Our heartfelt condolences go out to prior Bill Hennessey on the loss of his brother. May God bless you and your family. CMSgt Jose Finn has finally called it a career. We all wish him the best of luck in his retirement and future endeavors. Congrats to Duane Michael! He's gotten a regular role performing in a stage show at Dollywood in Tennessee, beginning April 8th. Congrats also go out to Andy Williams and his wife on the birth of their daughter Sydney Louise. Kahlil Walton concludes his performances at Caesar's Palace's Magical Empire on March 17th, and is now in rehearsals for a new musical comedy - "Noir"...Break a leg, K!

That's it for now. Peace to all - T.A.