As America’s Got Talent moves into the finals, there’s a group of young, funky, awe-inspiring performers called Fighting Gravity that could go all the way.

They’re Barry’s favorite act, and one of my faves too. They’re former college students — 13 brothers from the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at Virginia Tech — and they’ve mastered the art of blacklight theater.

They do a great job, and they could certainly pull off an entire Vegas show that has the potential to run for years.

As Barry says, “Move over, Blue Man Group!”

But I’m still surprised every time I hear AGT judge Howie Mandel say how unique they are. As a fellow Toronto native, I expect that Howie would have heard of the Toronto-based Famous People Players, who have been “fighting gravity” using blacklight for almost 40 years.

They’re a world-renowned act of learning-disabled adults who run a blacklight dinner theater, and have caught the attention of celebrities like Tom Cruise, Paul Newman, William Shatner, Alex Trebek, and the Rolling Stones.

I wrote about founder Diane Dupuy as one of our LWL Hidden Heroes just over a year ago, and I’ve interviewed her several times before that.

Here’s a clip of the Famous People Players at work:

Granted, the Famous People Players mostly use puppets, whereas Fighting Gravity turns several of their troupe members into the live puppets. That’s really cool.

But I just couldn’t help bringing some of the originators of the art into the spotlight, as the act that they may have inspired to some degree goes on to an undoubtedly fantastic career.

The message Diane Dupuy wants to give the world is that we should always strive for new heights of excellence, and achieve even the most impossible of our dreams.

Fighting Gravity has a similar motive; the group wants to “inspire others by showing that through hard work, determination, and some good lighting, anybody can accomplish their dreams.”

So go, guys, and get that dream!

Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life!

Well, another season of America’s Got Talent has ended, with yet another disappointing (or shall we say Grimm?) ending.

Yes, that’s right: the results of the show, once again, are poppycock… but unfortunately not of the princely variety.

Last year the talent-challenged Kevin Skinner (who I prefer to call Boomhauer) won the competition. I’m not sure what he’s done since — he does have an official website, but doesn’t seem to have released any albums or singles.

It’s a continuation of the trend that the world loves an underdog… especially in these financial times.

Because this year’s winner, Michael Grimm, may be a good singer…

For his soulful-bluesy style, he stands at least on par with the many singers from that genre that I saw perform during 15 years of bartending in top entertainment venues.

But he didn’t have the skill or showmanship of his competitor, Prince Poppycock, and he didn’t have the Vegas-headline appeal of Poppycock or the blacklight theater group, Fighting Gravity.

He didn’t even have the awe-inspiring talent and heart of 10-year-old opera singer Jackie Evancho.

However… Grimm was the underdog in the final four.

And that’s just what America (and the world at large) loves…

>>> CONTINUE READING A Grimm Ending to America’s Got Talent…

How often have you sat on the couch wondering why life couldn’t be better?

How often have you used what you learned on the couch to get out and make a difference in the world?

And how often have you knocked on doors, deftly persuading the person who opened it to give you an opportunity you deserved?

I just wrote a blog post on the LWL Worldwide blog that talks about all those things, including how you can go from the former to the latter.

Read the entire article here: From Victim to Persuader.

The universe is waiting to give you what you want… and now’s the time to take it.

Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life!

Sam Goldfarb is the author of Facebook For Business: How to Market your Business on Facebook and Get More Sales, New Customers, and Brand Awareness.

He’s also a former computer engineer and the General Manager of Tradimax, a company that develops branded Facebook pages and devises Facebook advertising campaigns.

I asked Sam if I could ask him some questions about marketing on Facebook, and he agreed to share his best advice.

In this interview, Sam explains how we can all use Facebook to increase our sales and marketing results, regardless of the size of our business.

Heather Vale Goss: When did you start tapping into the power of Facebook?

>>> CONTINUE READING Interview: Facebook Marketing for Businesses…