Welcome to Pure America's Got Talent

UPDATE: As a couple of my readers have pointed out, this contest is for the UK and Ireland only. I’m really surprised that they would limit it this much. I’m sure they have their reasons, but technology has made the world much smaller and I’m surprised they haven’t embraced it.

Faryl Smith has announced a really cool competition on her website. Looks like Faryl Smith signing with Universal has been good for her and her soon to be released album.

Here’s the details of the competition from the Faryl Smith website:

Follow in Faryl’s footsteps and be in with the chance of recording a single at Abbey Road Studios and having it officially released! This is an incredible opportunity to get your voice heard by top record company executives, to have a song recorded in a professional studio and then have it released as a digital single! Simply watch the video lessons Faryl has recorded, choose your favourite song from Ave Maria, Amazing Grace or River of Light, have a little practice then give it a go and record a version yourself.

Once you’ve recorded your attempt, read the instructions below and upload the video. The best efforts will be displayed on this site and we’ll whittle it down to the three best entries. The three finalists will win a trip to London, a tour of Universal Music, a CD goody bag and they’ll get to audition to 3 top music executives.

The eventual winner will get to record a single at Abbey Road Studios with Faryl on hand to give advice. The single will then be released digitally with unique artwork, plus you’ll also receive a pair of tickets to the Classical Brits with backstage access!

Best of luck!

You can enter the competition here.

Also, check out the videos of Faryl Smith teaching how she sings:
Faryl Smith trailer tutorial:

Faryl Smith teaching Amazing Grace

Check out more videos after the break
Read more…

Today I got another anonymous experience submitted for others to learn about the audition experience. This experience really was different than the couple hour auditions I’ve posted previously. Thanks for sharing all your experiences. Here it goes:

Hi John and everyone on the forum[technically this is a blog]!

Well, it’s Monday morning and we got back late last night from the Chicago auditions. I think our experience has been a bit different from those posted on the site, so we thought it could give some insight for those who are still waiting to strut their stuff!!

We were there for 11 1/2 hours!! It was a LONG day…but, I hope at least successful. We arrived at 7am (had an 8am time) and were number [REMOVED]. The morning hours were spent shooting group “welcome to chicago!!” and “america’s got talent!” shots with the new host, Nick Cannon. It started out entertaining and fun, but after 2 hours, became a little much!

Actual auditions didn’t get started until maybe noon. We didn’t get in line to audition until a little after 3. Our first audition was probably a little before 4. We were sent to the executive producer room and played there a little after 5, where they also took our picture. Then, we were asked to wait around a bit longer and a little before 6, were brought into an ‘interview’ type room.

We spoke to two ladies about what we would play if we were on the show, our lives, etc… Ended up getting out of there around 6:30…so, the moral of the story is, be prepared to be there ALL day. I think if you’re in the afternoon group (2pm), you don’t do any of the group shots, so your day will be shorter.

Everyone was very helpful and answered any questions we had…although long, it was an otherwise good experience!! I believe the next step is the LA televised auditions in front of the celeb. judges sometime around the end of May.

Best of luck to everyone auditioning and we hope to see you in LA!

I figured it was about time to do an update on one of the fan favorites from America’s Got Talent: Donald Braswell.

Donald has been incredibly busy following what I’m told was a sold out concert at the Hilton in Las Vegas. Makes me really happy to see Donald as a success. I certainly took my fair share of shots at Donald during the show. What can I say? I thought he was a little disingenuous to say he hadn’t been on a professional stage before AGT. I think I also preferred Eli Mattson‘s style a little bit better. However, one thing I never argues was whether Donald Braswell had talent or not. He absolutely has talent and I’m glad that America’s embracing someone who actually entertains with talent.

Well, turns out America loves Donald more than I ever thought they would. Check out what the Las Vegas Sun said about Donald Braswell and PBS.

PBS is doing a special on Braswell. Camera crews have been following him around since his appearance on the TV show.

“They felt I was an artist who could take things to a different level, inspiring audiences as well as entertaining them,” he says.

Braswell says the special first will be seen March 15 in five East Coast states and Canada as a test.

“If that is successful I will perform at the Detroit Opera House with a full orchestra for the entire United States and Canada,” he says. “That’s an exciting pro

A PBS special is really cool. I have a feeling that Donald Braswell will be really successful on PBS. I hope someone posts it online so we can all enjoy Donald on PBS.

Also, Donald Braswell will be on the New Beginnings Tour. Only one tour date has been announced for Donald, but I’m sure that more will be posted on Ticketmaster as they announce new locations. Here’s the first stop of the New Beginnings Tour:

Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Asheville, N.C: Mar 21st 8pm, address is 87 Haywood St. Prices are $23 for balcony seating and $33 for the floor seating. Tickets are available starting 10am Jan 20th on
www.ticketmaster.com and all the other shows for the New Beginnings tour will be updated as they are added.

I also want to thank all the fans at the Donald Braswell Fan club that have kept me informed about Donald. They are certainly true fans that any artist would be proud to have. Hopefully in the future they’ll share even more information about what’s happening with the Donald. I’m really hoping he returns to Las Vegas so I can see him this time.