"America's Got Talent"...Or Does It?
More out of curiosity than anything else, I watched “America’s Got Talent” last night. “Talent” is NBC’s new talent search show produced by Simon Cowell and hosted by Regis Philbin.
And as cheesy as it was, the show was somehow strangely entertaining (despite NBC’s attempts to sabotage it with CONSTANT commercial interruptions).
Basically, it follows the “Idol” formula: Talented—and not so talented—performers audition in front of three judges in hopes of making it to the next round to compete for the prize of one million dollars The judges also mirror their “Idol” counterparts. Piers Morgan is Simon (thought not nearly as good with the putdowns), Brandy gives us the Randy vibe with her constant use of the phrase, “That’s hot,” and David Hasselhoff fills Paula’s shoes with his giddy enthusiasm and strange comments. Regis takes over for Ryan, chatting with the contestants after their auditions.
And believe it or not, we did see some actual talent. The ventriloquist with the Godzilla act was BEYOND talented, eight-year-old stand-up comic, Sid the Kid, is clearly a Chris Rock in the making and Simon is probably already in talks with All That, the “boy band” that wowed the crowd with their four part harmonies. But there was plenty of quirky stuff to balance it out like “professional fingersnapper,” Bobby Badfinger, Vladamir, the hand balancer, and Rapping Granny.
But if you’re looking for people to make fun of, like on “Idol,” you’re going to be a little disappointed. Simon has given the judges a buzzer (which I’m sure he’d love to have on “Idol”) which lights up an X on the stage. If all three judges buzz, the audition is over. Though I’m sure the judges are encouraged to let interesting acts get through their audition, the buzzing can rob us of some of those squirm-inducing moments that “Idol” is known for. Not to mention that Piers is way too quick on the draw. He actually buzzed the ventriloquist I mentioned. If David and Brandy had not let him continue, we might not have seen the show’s funniest performer (Piers actually asked to take his buzz back).
The show’s best moment came during the audition of the Bernie, the world’s oldest stripper. Bernie had removed everything but his pants and had already been buzzed by Piers and Brandy; but David leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the desk, daring Bernie to finish. As he was about to remove his pants, Brandy and Piers threw themselves at David’s buzzer so the audition would end, much to David’s chagrin. And much to everyone’s chagrin, Bernie made it through to the next round, thanks to Brandy and David.
The problem with the show is that even though it follows the “Idol” formula, it’s not “Idol.” Regis is no Ryan Seacrest, and in my book, that’s a bad thing (That shocks me too.). Regis tries way too hard to make the show seem exciting and his interviews with the booted contestants come off a little stilted. Plus, the judges have no flow—or chemistry for that matter.
However, I have to say “Talent” is rather endearing in a weird kind of way and worth checking out—if only to satisfy your curiosity for professional fingersnappers and senior citizen strippers.
