Raquel Horsford

Red-hot actor/comedian Cedric the Entertainer stars in his first solo HBO special, a no-holds-barred 60-minute routine performed in front of a live audience at The Wiltern, the venerable Los Angeles theater. Spiced by several song-and-dance numbers featuring a smokin' band and sexy group of dancers he calls the 'Cedibles,' the special highlights Cedric's hilarious takes on fame, TV, rap music, sports, diets, plastic surgery, gay marriage, church socials, meeting the President (not the new one, but the one we like), $5,000-a-plate dinners, Afghanistan, Osama Bin Laden, suicide bombers, gas prices, Halloween, Latin music and more.

A senator arranges for his son, a rich white kid who fancies himself black, to be kidnapped by a couple of black actors pretending to be murderers to try and shock him out of his plans to become a rapper.

Stomp is a rhythmic, musical extravaganza that has stunned audiences across the globe. If you weren't lucky enough to catch them in your hometown (or you did and you crave more), now there's Stomp Out Loud, a special HBO performance that will bring the unusual musical feats right into your living room. You might just find yourself grabbing a broom or even your remote control to keep time. "It's comedy, it's theater, it's very physical, it's energetic, it's occasionally quite terrifying," says one performer. Taking their show from the theater to the streets, this astonishing troupe can make music out of just about anything and just about anywhere. --Dana Van Nest