13/12/2011 Newsround

Hi, guys, the boys are back on set - Ricky and Ore with you for the

next eight minutes. You're watching Newsround. We've crammed all of

Tuesday's offerings into this bitesize show. This is all to come.

Ride along for the next chapter of my American roadtrip.

And Nel's been catching up with the stars of this year's Royal Variety

Performance. But first, they're supposed to be

best places to shop and meet your friends when you're in town, but

how buzzing is your high street? More than one in ten town and city

centre shops are empty, according a report earlier this year. Shopping

expert Mary Portas says so many people are now shopping online and

in shopping centres that many high streets are now deserted. She's put

together lots of ideas for the Government on how to bring them

back to life, including holding market days and more car boot sales.

Here's what she said she was hoping for. Whereas the High Street was

always just about shopping, that shopping has shifted into new areas.

We have the internet, these out-of- town malls. We should look at the

high street in a different way. Can you imagine if we put Jim's on to

the high street. Places where people go, but they normally go out

of town for. Well, earlier I headed down to

Altrincham in Greater Manchester to see if their high street is top of

the range or out of season. This is the type of high street

that Mary Portas is talking about. On this street I have counted about

six or seven shops that are abandoned and empty. In the last 30

years a lot of shops have closed down, a bit like this one. Not many

people are turning up to do their shopping here any more. It is

Christmas in a couple of weeks and D Woods expect more people to be

here. Altrincham was beautiful at one time. Even with the market. It

is losing its heart. supermarkets are selling stuff so

cheap, everyone wants to buy it there. It is quite upsetting to

walk down the High Street. Altrincham is no different from any

other town in the country. There are large out-of-town retailers

setting up, p per large shopping on the internet. Fewer people are

coming into towns. What are you going to do to get more people back

into this town centre? We are looking at getting lots more small

to medium-sized independent shops back. We are looking to upgrade the

street to get restaurants and bars and leisure opportunities. We have

a market that has been here since 1290. So you would come here for a

day out. Now, young, funny and clever - the

characteristics a lot of people reckon helped Barack Obama become

President of the USA. But for many others, it was the colour of his

skin that made him stand out the most. He's America's first ever

black President and on my roadtrip to the States, I wanted to find out

what that means to young people who Over the years, the USA has seen

big changes. 60 years ago, black Americans did not have the same

rights as white people. In some parts of the country, they were not

even allowed to vote, they were not allowed on some buses and many

African-Americans were turned away from shops and restaurants. Now it

is completely different. America has its first ever black President.

It is so overwhelming, so wonderful. Barack Obama has given young black

Americans hope. I wanted to head away from the sky could scrapers in

Chicago to find out what they think. -- skyscrapers.

We're heading to a place called Inglewood outside Chicago. It is

one of the poorer areas of the city. How much of a big deal is it for

you to have somebody like Barack Obama as your President? Having

Barack Obama as President sets a different image for us. Not just

for blacks, but also for the upcoming generation. It put small

fire in to me to learn and be successful. When I was little, I

was always a little kid that said when I wanted -- When I grow up, I

want to be the first black President. When he became President,

I thought damn! For you can still do it! These guys are all going to

college next year and they believe Barack Obama has played an

important part in changing their lives. Tomorrow we had to Detroit,

hit hard by the country's money problems. There are hundreds of

abandoned homes and factories. It is the America you don't usually

see. You have been a busy boy!

Altrincham one day, Ingle with the next.

-- Inglewood. Now to a show that's been going for

99 years and is still going strong - the Royal Variety Performance.

It's got lots of stars, it's got royalty and we get to see the best

bits on TV tomorrow night, but Nel just couldn't wait till then, so

she went in search of the stars backstage. I'm at the Lowry in

Manchester and although it has been a cold day, we have the best stars

coming here to the Royal Variety Show.

Some of the biggest names arrived from all over the world. Cee-lo

Green flew in from the States just for the show. I feel very

privileged to be a part of it. It is a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Green is used to the limelight, but it's extra special for one

performer, this year's Britains Got Talent winner. What does it feel

like to be here? It is a good feeling of accomplishment. To

realise you have come to show and now I'm getting the price for that.

It is pretty awesome. -- prize. of the added pressures is

performing in front of royalty, and this year it was for the Princess

Royal. The cast of singing in the rain. But getting royal approval

didn't worry everyone. You are magicians. You will be meeting the

Princess Royal. Her I guess we are. Are you excited? We are from the

USA so we don't really have Princess Royals. We will see how we

do. I like meeting everybody so it is nice meeting people from

different walks of life. I am looking forward to it. I just hope

she enjoys the show like everyone else. Although it she is the anyone

who gets in for nothing! Up But the thing that's kept the Royal Variety

show going for 99 years is, well, its variety. From what I've seen,

we're in for a spectacular show. Last up - had to show you a toilet

fit for a king...of bling! It's on display in Japan. Covered in 70,000

crystals, it's worth �82,000. You'd have to be pretty flush to buy it!

Just before we go, toy shop Hamleys has stopped labelling its toys as