In Beijing, organizers and performers are gearing up for the 2010 CCTV Spring Festival Gala. Some of the nation's most ambitious acts are taking part in the latest round of auditions, although the moment of truth is still more than a month away.

Round three of the Spring Festival Gala audition was held on Tuesday night. Being scrutinized are six acts. They include breathtaking acrobatics, sidesplitting comic sketches and crosstalk performances.

Among the hopefuls are star entertainers Jiang Kun and Dai Zhicheng. Apart from a stream of jokes and gags, they brought to the show much-needed new blood, a promising young comedian.

Jiang Kun, comedian, said, "This time, we have brought a new entertainer to the show. He's not very young to be sure, but he's new to the national audience. He's Zhao Jinsheng from Tianjin. If our act can pass the test, viewers across the country will be able to meet him on the small screen."

Another favorite act is unexpected crosstalk by four of China's top vocalists. Titled "The Choir", it features an episode preparing for the National Day celebration. As with most of the acts staged on Tuesday night, it has seen substantially improved from earlier auditions.

The CCTV Spring Festival Gala has been the most influential variety show in China for more than two decades. It brings together some of the most illustrious entertainers in the Chinese-speaking world to give the audience a night of joy and amusement on Chinese New Year's Eve.

Final decisions on who will appear in the next show will not be made until late January, but for now busy rehearsals are underway.