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I just got the official press release from NBC and Fremantle Media announcing Howard Stern as the new judge on America’s Got Talent.

This announcement is going to anger a lot of America’s Got Talent fans. I know since after I first posted about Howard Stern possibly replacing Piers Morgan as an America’s Got Talent judge I got a bunch of backlash from readers of this site. The most common response was, “I will not watch America’s Got Talent if Howard Stern is judge.”

I certainly appreciate the sentiment. America’s Got Talent has broad appeal across a large spectrum of ages and has generally (with a few exceptions) been a pretty family friendly show. Howard Stern represents the opposite of family friendly for most people. Maybe that’s the intent of the producers. There’s little doubt that Howard Stern as judge will make quite a splash with the media. AGT and Simon Cowell seem to enjoy a little bit of controversy.

For me personally, I’m still going to watch America’s Got Talent. I don’t like most of what Howard Stern represents either, but I wasn’t fond of Jerry Springer’s show either and I was amazed at how different Jerry was on America’s Got Talent compared to his show. Audiences loved Jerry. I’m not sure Howard will have the same sort of friendly transformation as Jerry had, but I’m willing to give him a chance.

The move of the America’s Got Talent live shows to New York is pretty interesting too. I’m sure it was to accommodate Howard Stern’s schedule. I’m not sure where the live shows are taped will matter much to viewers of the show. Although, it looks like my dream of finally attending a live show taping probably won’t happen. The trip to NY is a lot farther from Las Vegas than LA was.

Here’s the official press release from NBC:

12/15/2011 08:40

NBC ANNOUNCES HOWARD STERN AS THE NEW JUDGE ON THE TOP-RATED SUMMER COMPETITION SERIES “AMERICA’S GOT TALENT” AS IT HEADS INTO SEASON SEVEN

Series Finds a New Home as Production of the Live Shows Moves to New York

Auditions for Season Seven Continue Around the Country

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – December 15, 2011 – NBC announced today that Howard Stern, American radio personality, television host and author, will serve as the new judge on the top-rated summer alternative series “America’s Got Talent,” produced by FremantleMedia North America and Simon Cowell’s SYCO Television.

Stern will provide his feedback on the colorful array of hopeful future stars who are currently auditioning in major cities around the country for the show’s upcoming seventh season.

Production of the live shows of “America’s Got Talent” also will be moving to New York, where Stern will continue to helm his SiriusXM radio program.

The announcement was made by Paul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC.

“Howard Stern’s larger-than-life personality will bring a thrilling new dynamic to ‘America’s Got Talent’ starting this summer,” said Telegdy. “He’s a proven innovator and his track record in broadcasting is truly remarkable. Howard is very passionate about this show and is fully committed to its future success.”

Stern helped to transform American radio and put syndicated satellite radio on the map on SiriusXM. As the outspoken, unedited and headline-grabbing host of “The Howard Stern Show” radio program, Stern was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005 and became a pop-culture icon with a massive loyal fan base. Since 1987, he has hosted numerous television shows, record-breaking pay-per-view events and home video releases. He also embarked on a five-month political campaign for governor of New York in 1994.

His two books, “Private Parts” (1993) and “Miss America” (1995), spent 20 and 16 weeks, respectively, on The New York Times bestseller list. The first book became a national sensation and was adapted into the feature film “Private Parts” (1997), a biographical comedy film that starred Stern and his radio show staff — and was a box-office success. Additionally, Stern performed on the film’s soundtrack which topped the Billboard 200 chart. Stern currently broadcasts his show “Howard 100” on the SiriusXM satellite radio station.

“America’s Got Talent” was the #1 non-sports telecast on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox in total viewers every week it aired over the summer of 2011, making it the #1 summer series in total viewers for a sixth year in a row. Last summer, “America’s Got Talent” delivered its highest-rated cycle ever.

“America’s Got Talent” is the only talent competition show that is open to any age and any talent. Auditions for season seven kicked off in October with upcoming open calls set for Austin, Texas, Charlotte, N.C. and San Francisco, Calif. For all the latest information and to pre-register, go to www.AGTauditions.com.

“America’s Got Talent” is produced by FremantleMedia North America and Simon Cowell’s SYCO Television. Simon Cowell, Cecile Frot-Coutaz (“American Idol”), Jason Raff, Ken Warwick (“American Idol”) and Georgie Hurford-Jones are executive producers.

For embeddable clips and full episodes of “America’s Got Talent,” please visit NBC.com’s official show site: http://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/

For artwork and a complete press kit from the show, please visit the NBC Universal Media Village website at http://www.nbcumv.com.

Please follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nbcagt and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nbcagt

About NBC Entertainment:

NBC Entertainment develops and schedules programming for the network’s primetime, late night, and daytime schedules. NBC’s quality programs and balanced lineup have earned the network critical acclaim, numerous awards, and ratings success. NBC has earned more Emmy Awards than any network in television history. NBC’s roster of popular scripted series includes critically acclaimed comedy Emmy winners “The Office” and “30 Rock,” starring Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey. Veteran, award-winning dramas on NBC include “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Chuck.” Unscripted series for NBC include the new vocal competition hit “The Voice” as well as the popular “The Biggest Loser,” “The Celebrity Apprentice” and “America’s Got Talent.” NBC’s late-night story is highlighted by “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” “Last Call with Carson Daly” and “Saturday Night Live.” NBC Daytime’s “Days of our Lives” consistently finishes among daytime’s top programs in the valuable women 18-34 category. On Saturday mornings, the network broadcasts Qubo on NBC, a three-hour block that features fun, entertaining, and educational programming for kids, including the award-winning, 3-D animated series Veggie Tales.

About FremantleMedia North America:

FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. production division of global media giant FremantleMedia. Based in Burbank, California, FMNA produces entertaining and innovative programs for network, cable, syndicated and online platforms, including the Emmy-nominated musical/reality phenomenon “American Idol” (FOX), “America’s Got Talent” (NBC), “What Chilli Wants” (VH1), “Hole In The Wall” (Cartoon Network), “Let’s Make A Deal” (CBS), “Family Feud” (syn), “The Price Is Right” (CBS), and “The X Factor” (Fox).

About SYCO:

Syco, with offices in London and Los Angeles, is a global music, television and film production joint venture between Simon Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment. Syco Television owns and produces the BAFTA Award-winning “The X Factor,” which has topped the charts around the world. Syco Television is also the owner of the “Got Talent” television format. Versions of both “The X Factor” and “Got Talent” are co-produced by Syco, and are shown in more than 70 countries and have won multiple awards including national television awards and BAFTAs.

Syco is also the record label home for such diverse international recording stars as Leona Lewis and Il Divo. Cowell has worked with artists selling more than 200 million albums and delivering more than 180 #1 records. Britain’s Got Talent in 2009 launched the global singing career of Susan Boyle. Her debut Syco album sold over 8 million units in six weeks, making it the world’s biggest-selling album of 2009 and the fastest-selling album in history, selling a total of 20 million records to date.

I’ve been a little bit busy, but a couple of days ago Piers Morgan announced on his CNN show that he would not be returning as a judge on America’s Got Talent. Here’s what he said in the video:

I think we all knew that something had to happen with the judges. I’m just sad that it was Piers leaving and not Howie. Sharon was a wash for me. I’m not sure they’ll be able to find someone as good as Piers in what he did. He was pretty good at playing devil’s advocate. Unless Simon decides to step in and be a judge, then I think we’re going to be disappointed by whoever replaces him. Now, Simon Cowell replacing Piers would be fantastic and now that he’s not a judge on American Idol, maybe that’s a possibility since it shouldn’t overlap too much with X Factor either. Simon judged Britain’s Got Talent and was great.

As for Piers, his choice makes a lot of sense. Between not wanting to deal with Sharon, Howie and Nick, there’s little doubt that 2012 will be a huge year for “Piers Morgan Tonight” thanks to the presidential election.

Howard Stern has be rumored as a replacement for Piers Morgan on America’s Got Talent. The Hollywood Reporter quotes him as saying:

“Everyone knows I love America’s Got Talent,” he said he said on his syndicated radio show. “I think it’s the greatest and I would be certainly honored to sit with Howie [Mandel] and Sharon [Osbourne] and judge these lunatics.”
He also insisted that his big personality wouldn’t get in the way of the job at hand.
“I take show business very seriously,” he said. “If I was a judge on there, there would be no nonsense whatsoever. I would be there for the talent. I would be there to actually find somebody good.”

The Parents Television Council (PTC) has issued a statement asking NBC to not hire Howard Stern as a judge on America’s Got Talent. Turns out, a number of my readers are in agreement. Here’s what they’ve sent me on my contact page:

I have been a fan of America’s Got Talent since it started but I will not watch it anymore if Stern is hired. I am sure I am with others in not wanting to give Mr Stern any credibility at all. I can see a push via the internet for a boycott of this program if this person is hired.

And this one I just received:

Just to let you know. if the rumors are true that Howard Stern is being considered I will not be watching AGT. I voted religiously for Michael Grimm and Landau Eugene Murphy Jr and cannot see them or anyone else I would be interested in watching being judged by this man.

Considering I hadn’t even posted about the Stern rumor and I was already getting messages like this, I’d say it would be a mistake for them to put Howard Stern on the show. Sure, I’m sure Howard would be a different man on America’s Got Talent than he is on his radio and TV shows. It might even show us that Howard is a real person like we found when Jerry Springer hosted the show. However, I think the show would definitely take a hit with its core viewers if they chose to put Howard on. The outcry would be big. Maybe that’s what they want. Sad if that’s the case.

I’m sure many readers to this site have felt the judge backlash that’s been happening this season. It’s fair to say that MANY longtime viewers of America’s Got Talent are really angry and upset about the way the judges have acted this season on America’s Got Talent.

I think we can all agree that it’s been annoying, unprofessional, and has detracted from the talent on the show.

I’ll let the readers that submitted comments (most of them anyway) to me have their voices heard (without their names):
Reader #1
I love the show but I think you are going way over board with this hate thing going on between Howie and Piers Morgon. A little back & forth between them was funny at first but now it is both sharon & howie against Piers and it has become way too much. I have several friends who feel the same way.

Pure AGT Reader #2
this season of agt is getting annoying! i am really tired of howie…the bickering between howie and piers is childish. howies little pranks and comments toward piers is completely uncalled for and should not be part of the show. has america gotten so bad that the rudeness is a big entertainment thrill for them? i would enjoy the show alot more if it would stop!!

Pure AGT Reader #3
I love AGT but I must say I am losing interest in the show because of the continual bickering between Piers and Howie. Their silliness is getting old. What’s up with Nick’s ugly wardrobe? That’s one thing I do agree with Piers on.

Pure AGT Reader #4
I find Howie Mandel and his second grade school child antics repulsive. In my opinion he should not be on the show.

And then a comment from Twitter to the Pure AGT twitter account:
@ShempLabs – Shemp DeYoung
@tvblog I find the judges on AGT completely annoying. Fighting with each other, making fart jokes, too silly/stupid. Just not funny.

I have a feeling the AGT producers aren’t any happier about the judges actions than we are. I bet they’re in a tough spot right now and not sure how to deal with it. I can pretty much guarantee there will be some major judge changes next season of America’s Got Talent.

Although, I do want to say that unlike some of the other comments above, I’ve found Howie’s jokes funny when they were done as asides. It was his jokes during the judging that were annoying and out of place.

Either way, you can be sure there will be changes next year on America’s Got Talent 2012. I’m sure Piers won’t be back if Howie is there and I won’t be surprised if Piers isn’t back at all. He’s got a pretty good gig on CNN now and so America’s Got Talent season 7 judging panel will likely be quite different.

Well, I can’t believe that almost a whole month has past since I’ve been able to post on this site. My apologies to all the readers out there that have missed my analysis. I’ve been traveling for just about the last month and so I haven’t been able to post like usual. Plus, Marianya has found a boy that’s been taking up all her time.

I won’t go back and rehash all of the previous Top 48 performances. I’ll just move forward from here and talk about the acts that have made it through to the America’s Got Talent 2011 semi-finals.

First, I have to mention that as usual, the singing and dance acts are most popular by far. I guess that’s the reason there are so many singing and dancing reality TV shows out there. Makes sense that America would vote for more singing and dancing acts. We love that form of entertainment and that talent. However, a big part of me wishes that we could have more variety acts get through. I hate the finale, because it’s often all singing and dancing.

With that aside, here’s my analysis of who made it through:
Miami All Stars – A great act to watch. A big dance act like this is always entertaining when they’re well choreographed. I especially like the energy they have. Although, I think next to the acts listed below, they’re going to get sent home. They won’t drive the voting like the other acts will.

Snap Boogie – Similar to the Miami All Stars, I love Snap Boogie’s dancing. I hope he goes back to like he did on his first performance where it almost told a story and it had some jokes in his dancing. I’m just not sure he has any more tricks in his hat.

Anna Graceman – She was a little disappointment for me since her audition. I think it all has to do with song selection. If she chooses the right song, America will love her and she’ll go a long way. The wrong song could doom her. She’ll still probably make the finals.

Sandou Trio Russian Bar – I’m not sure where this act can take it that would be much better. I hate that Piers acts like he’s never seen an act like this before. He’s got to remember the Russian Bar Trio that was on before and got hurt and so they couldn’t continue on. That said, I’ve loved how Sandou has done it with fire and over sharp objects. I’ll never forget her answer when she was asked why she did something so dangerous that could take her life. She said, “We want to win.” Her answer is reason enough for me to want them to win even if I’ve seen just as good or better in a cirque show and in some chinese videos of Russian Bar. If I have time later, I’ll try and find the video of the chinese kids doing Russian Bar. It’s unbelievable.

Daniel Joseph Baker – Honestly, I would have rather had the other singer go through. I do like his performance, but I’m not that keen on his voice. I think America may disagree with me and he may be around for a while.

Smage Brothers Riding Show – Very entertaining. Reminds me of the bike act last year, but doing it with motorcycles is just that much cooler. I still don’t know what they’ll do next. I have a feeling their next performance will be a little bland since it will be more of the same tricks.

Steven Retchless – I guess I’m with Piers on this one. I’m not a big male pole dancer kind of guy. I do respect his strength and the cool tricks he’s able to do on the pole. Luckily for Steven, much of the America’s Got Talent audience is female.

Silhouettes – I LOVED their first performance. The second performance was good, but could have been better. I love the concept and I’d love to see what creative people could do with the concept. I also love the little girl dancers crying because they’re so happy. It’s the cutest thing ever.

POPLYFE – The singer for POPLYFE is one of the best singers that’s ever been on America’s Got Talent. Piers was right that the band wasn’t needed. I don’t think the band is a terrible disadvantage like some acts in the past, but there’s no doubt that the lead singer of POPLYFE is going to be a star. Her voice is so natural and gritty and beautiful!! If she’s not a star singer one day, something’s wrong with the music industry.

Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. – Great voice and perfect for the style he’s singing. I’m torn, because I love the voice, but I’m not totally into the music. AGT has an older audience and I think Landau might just be enough to get some of those older viewers to actually vote. I expect he’ll be around for a while.

Lys Agnes – Another opera singer (bring on the opera nazis). I don’t know, I’m kind of tired of opera singers on AGT. To be honest, my favorite part of Lys is her hair. It’s awesome! Maybe if we hadn’t had opera singer after opera singer on AGT I’d like Lys more. However, considering past opera singers success on the show, Lys has a good chance.

Professor Splash – I remember when I first saw the YouTube video for this guy. It was a few months before AGT 2011. I was spell bound. Now, it almost feels like it should be natural. The show should do more to play up what he’s really able to accomplish so we had a better idea of how crazy what he’s doing really is. I don’t think fire will make the difference. His package describing what’s happening will be the key.

There you go. There’s my 2 cents. I’ll offer the rest of the analysis of the America’s Got Talent 2011 semi finalists after tomorrow’s results show too. At least there’s plenty of talent this year. They let a few lame acts into the Top 48, but overall it’s the most talented top 48 that America’s Got Talent has ever had.

What are your thoughts?

The America’s Got Talent 2011 Top 48 contestants are:

Anna Graceman – Juneau, Alaska (singer/pianist)
Attack Dance Crew – Tallahassee, Fla. (drilling dance crew)
Avery and the Calico Hearts – Lubbock, Texas (singing trio)
Captain & Maybelle – Atlanta, Ga. (variety act)
Charles Peachock – Kent, Ohio (juggler)
Dani Shay – Orlando, Fla. (singer/guitarist)
Daniel Joseph Baker – Katy, Texas (singer/pianist)
Dezmond Meeks – Pineville, La. (singer/pianist)
Duo Aero – Saint Paul, Minn (trapeze duo)
Dylan Andre – Zieglerville, Pa. (singer/guitarist)
Echo of Animal Gardens – Lake Geneva, Wis. (animal act)
Fatally Unique – Rockford, Ill. (hip hop dance team)
Fearless Flores Family – Myakka City, Fla. (family daredevil act)
Frank Miles – Los Angeles, Calif. (variety act)
Geechy Guy – Las Vegas, Nev. (comedian)
Ian Johnson – Hebron, Ill. (yo-yo tricks)
J Chris Newberg – Los Angeles, Calif. (comic/musician)
Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. – Logan, W. V. (singer)
Landon Swank – Wasilla, Alaska (magician)
Lys Agn̬s РDenver, Colo. (singer)
Mauricio Herrera – Pomona, Calif. (singer/dancer)
Melissa Villasenor – Los Angeles, Calif. (impressionist)
Miami All Stars – Miami, Fla. (dance group)
Mona Lisa – Houston, Texas (twin singers/guitarist duo)
Monet – Charlotte, N. Car. (singer)
POPLYFE – Oakland, Calif. (teen band)
Professor Splash – Lakewood, Colo. (shallow water diver)
Purrfect Angelz – Los Angeles, Calif. (dance troupe)
Sam B. – Falls Church, Va. (dancer)
Sandou Trio Russian Bar – San Antonio, Texas (Russian bar trio)
Scott Alexander – Lancaster, Pa. (magician)
Seth Grabel – Los Angeles, Calif. (magician)
SH’Boss Boys – Atlanta, Ga. (young rap trio)
Silhouettes – Arvada, Colo. (interpretative dance)
Smage Bros. Riding Shows – Elkhorn, Wis. (motorcycle stunt show)
Snap Boogie – Boston, Mass. (dancer)
Squonk Opera – Pittsburgh, Pa. (band)
Steven Retchless – New York, N. Y. (pole dancer/aerialist)
Summerwind Skippers – Boise, Idaho (jump rope team)
Taylor Davis – Leesburg, Ga. (singer/guitarist)
Team iLuminate – New York, N.Y. (glow suit dancers)
The Fiddleheads – Dahlonega, Ga. (bluegrass band)
The Kinetic King – St. Paul, Minn. (variety act)
The Rhinestone Ropers – Jerome, Idaho (variety act)
Thomas John – Woodland Park, Colo. (variety act)
Those Funny Little People – Chicago, Ill. (variety act)
Yellow Designs Stunt Team – Monument, Colo. (BMX bike tricks)
Zuma Zuma – Las Vegas, Nevada (tumblers)

Also, some other good information about the next America’s Got Talent episodes:
“America’s Got Talent,” airs Tuesdays (9-11 p.m. ET) and Wednesdays (9-10 p.m. ET) on NBC.

Plus, this interesting bit of information about the America’s Got Talent ratings:
So far this summer, the Tuesday and Wednesday editions of “American’s Got Talent” are the #1 and #2 series on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox in total viewers, while ranking #2 and #3 in adults 18-49, behind only NBC’s “The Voice.” Versus last year, “America’s Got Talent” is up in adults 18-49 by 14 percent on Tuesdays (with an average 4.1 rating vs. a 3.6) and up 27 percent on Wednesdays (4.2 vs. 3.3), according to “most current” averages from Nielsen Media Research. In total viewers, the show is up 17 percent year-to-year on Tuesdays (14.5 million vs. 12.4 million) and 21 percent year-to-year on Wednesdays (14.3 million vs. 11.8 million).

Looks like based on those numbers we can bet on America’s Got Talent 2012 (Season 7).