In 2005, when Free, one of the former hosts of BET's most highly rated show 106 and Park, disappeared from the show, and the rumors that she was not coming back became a reality, I was very sure it was the end of the show. I thought AJ Calloway, her former co-host was boring. I would have preferred if he left and Free stayed. Others echoed my sentiments. People turned to chat forums (we didn't have twitter then) and stated without a shadow of doubt that it was the end of the show especially since BET declared they were going to get new faces to fill the void left by Free (and AJ's subsequent departure).
I didn't keep track of all of the different changes the show underwent after AJ and Free left. I just remember tuning into the show one day and seeing a smiley faced guy hosting the show with his co-host, Rocsi Diaz. I didn't think much of him, I just watched the show and went on to do other things. Actually, I thought he was kinda corny. Then, one day I tuned in again to watch Free Style Fridays because I heard a blind rapper, "Blind Fury" was seriously murdering people that dared contend with him and that day I took a closer look at the smiley-faced guy. I loved his energy especially when he said "Bring the beat back." Don't judge me. :) Anyways, I thought, "Hmmmm, this small boy Terrence J guy isn't so bad sha." Little did I know. Terrence J is not a small boy. He is a guy that has dreams that he pursues fiercely.
In 2005, Terrence J took all of his life's savings and flew to New York to audition for 106 and park. He was not successful there, so he rented a car and drove to Atlanta to audition a second time and was successful after the second audition. His determination was one of the main reasons he got the opportunity of a lifetime.
Like most determined people, Terrence J didn't stop at being successful at one thing. One day I tuned in to watch what used to be one of my favorite shows, The Game, and there Terrence J was again with his cute smile playing Dante, Tasha Mack's boy toy. I thought he did a pretty decent job for what I thought was his first acting role. I later realized that the role on The Game was not his first. He had previously been in small roles in the movies Burlesque and Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming. Obviously, Terrence J had another dream, a dream to be a successful actor and sure enough, he would pursue that dream.
On a day's notice, Terrence J skipped a day of work at BET and flew across the country for the table read of the movie, Think Like a Man. At a table read, actors are not required to be fully prepared or have their lines memorized but Terrence J went to the table read and knew all of his lines So, while the other established actors were reading their lines, Terrence J was acting and emoting his part. According to Will Packer, one of the movie's producers, the producers and studio executives noticed and Terrence J got the job. In fact, Will Packer has stated that Terrence J earned that job. So, in addition to being the host of BET's most highly rated show, Terrence J was one of the actors in the hit movie which was #1 in the United States after it released in April, 2012.
With such an impressive resume, and personal drive, Terrence J has proven that he can walk in any shoes as long as he is given the opportunity. And E! News gladly gave him Ryan Seacrest's shoes to fill. On September 4, it was announced that Terrence J would be taking Ryan Seacrest's position and co-hosting the entertainment news show (with Giuliana Rancic) starting on November 12.
I have a feeling that he is just beginning to scratch the surface. I'm definitely impressed and inspired by him.
Terrence J on dreaming:
"Everything I've been able to accomplish is because I've had a dream, and I hold on to my dream so passionately and I go to sleep every night and I think about my dream every night and I wake up every morning and figure out steps so that I can get one inch closer to executing my dream. And as I've grown, my dreams have changed and they've shifted and I've kind of tried to step into the responsibility that I've been given..."
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