July 8, 2008
Last week, America's Got Talent judges Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and David Hasselhoff headed to Dallas, Atlanta and back to Chicago in hopes of finding the best talent in America. There they discovered an astounding Frank Sinatra vocal mimic, a sword swallower that made Hasselhoff cringe so hard that he hit his buzzer by mistake, and an adorable little boy who sang "Ben" to an adoring studio audience.
This go around, it's time to view more auditions and see the performer that commercials have been hailing as mind-blowing all week long. The ultimate winner will win $1 million and a show on the Vegas strip, and real talented people are giving it their all to earn the prize. Who will move on to the Vegas callbacks for their shot at the big money?
July 1, 2008
For two weeks in a row, America's Got Talent judges Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and David Hasselhoff sat through auditions in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago in hopes of finding the best talent in America. Last week they found an impressive Young Elvis impersonator and an even more impressive Russian Bar Trio, amongst several others. What other show would feature such wildly different and yet talented acts?
This week the judges are finally moving on to new cities as America's Got Talent moves the auditions down south to Dallas, TX and Atlanta, GA. More acts will try out in these down home locations, and while many will be completely off the wall and fail miserably, many more will prove they have a unique talent and be sent on to the Las Vegas callbacks. $1 million and a show on the Vegas strip is on the line -- who will rise to the top?
June 24, 2008
America's Got Talent returned last week with an exciting, talent-packed episode that had judges Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and David Hasselhoff traveling to New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles to audition Americans and see who has the most entertaining act. The auditions varied from incredible, like opera singing insurance salesman Neil, to dreadful, like a pair of Romanian twin "singers" with smoker's voices and very little in the way of musical ability.
This week the judges will travel to several more cities and sit through even more amazing, adorable, absurd and awful auditions to determine who will get sent to the Vegas callbacks. There, the contestants will audition again in hopes of moving on to the finals where they will have a chance to win the $1 million prize and a $1.5 million contract to perform on the Las Vegas strip.
June 18, 2008
When insurance salesman Neil E. Boyd took to the stage at the close of last evening's America's Got Talent season premiere, he opened his mouth and let flow an affecting, gorgeous rendition of Giacomo Puccini's "Nessun Dorma.” The viewing audience rose to their feet almost immediately, followed by a standing ovation by the cranky judges themselves. For a man who grew up poor and tearfully credited his mother for all he now has, it was quite a moment to share with an adoring American audience.
Only some of that home audience was feeling nothing if not a sense of complete déjà vu. A year ago to the day, contestant Paul Potts of Britain's Got Talent's first season sang the exact same song to a similarly adoring audience and went on to win the whole shebang. With this and other similarities between the two Got Talent shows, some viewers suspect producer shenanigans with how the show is cast.
June 17, 2008
America's Got Talent made reality TV history recently when season 2 winner Terry Fator, a ventriloquist from Dallas, TX, signed a five year performance deal with the Mirage Casino and Resort in Las Vegas worth over $100 million. According to the show's producers, that makes Terry one of the most successful competitive reality contestants ever.
Can America's Got Talent work its same magic this year? Well, it's certainly going to try. Tonight begins season 3's country-wide auditions, in which singers, dancers, magicians, contortionists, and, well, anyone with talent will try out with the goal to entertain America, win the $1 million prize money, and get a shot at being the next Terry Fator with their very own show on the Vegas strip.
June 12, 2008
The television airwaves are littered with talent competitions based around singing and dancing. That's great if you're a vocal gymnast or can do a plié – everywhere you turn you can find the chance to win some large sum of money if you perform for the viewing public. But what about the sword swallowers and ventriloquists and contortionists of America? Where is their potential prize money?
Thankfully, America's Got Talent was created to fill that talent competition void. Though the show does feature musicians and dancers, what it also has is a whole lot of variety. Luckily for TV fans faced with nothing to watch this summer, America's Got Talent is back with its third season and a whole lot of new talent for us to ogle.
April 23, 2008
David Hasselhoff, who serves as one of the judges on NBC's America's Got Talent, was taken to the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center on Saturday. Contrary to rumors that the former Baywatch star checked into rehab, his publicist Judy Katz reveals that the actor's hospital visit had something to do with some minor patching up.
According to reports, Hasselhoff had something removed from above his eye last week, although his rep wouldn't specify what was removed. When the incision began bleeding, his assistant became concerned and took him to UCLA.
September 27, 2007
Although Julienne Irwin was not hailed winner of the second season of America's Got Talent, she was able to fulfill a dream she aspired long before becoming a finalist on the NBC reality program. As a baseball fan, the 14-year-old singer from Bel Air, Maryland had set her eyes on singing the national anthem at a Baltimore Orioles game. Fantasy turned into reality when she was given the opportunity to perform at the Orioles-Red Sox matchup on Sunday, September 9.
Irwin's interest in baseball sparked at an early age while watching television with her father. Eventually, she and her father followed the Orioles to many games, traveling to cities with historic baseball stadiums.