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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.

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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 don’t know about the rest of you, but I really enjoyed the performance of Il Divo on America’s Got Talent. It was a full scale production with some great singers. I loved it. In case you missed it, there’s the video below.

Il Divo Performs!

Turns out, some viewers didn’t agree with me and hated their performance. However, their response says it all. Here’s one example (although there were others that said something similar).

I thought it was America got Talent Not Mexico got talent, hated the group that sang the mexican song!!!! was not a good pick for the show that is titled America!!!!

Really? Did they say Il Divo sang a Mexican song? Really? First, that was Italian, not Mexican. Second, the idea that American’s don’t enjoy and don’t represent other cultures is just silly. America is the melting pot of cultures. I like to describe America as taking the best from every culture and enjoying all the best parts of the other cultures. One of those is Italian music. To say singing something in Italian isn’t American is just stupid. Hopefully this person is in the minority.

Even more viewers complained about Howie Mandel being naked on the show with many remarking that America’s Got Talent is a family show. I actually agree with them wholeheartedly. It was poor taste on the producers part and should have never happened. They could have made the joke with just the door shot. The naked Howie Mandel was inappropriate, unnecessary and terrible TV. Seems in line with the theme throughout this AGT season of the judges being terrible.

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.

Videos of Howie backstage might be the best reason to have Howie Mandel on America’s Got Talent.

On the America’s Got Talent Set: Howie the Germaphobe
Backstage at the LA auditions, Howie makes a gross discovery.

On the America’s Got Talent Set: Howie Needs More Chairs
Howie has a unique approach to decorating his dressing room.

It’s amazing how they are at the beck and call of “the Talent” though.

Ok, so we all kind of know that America’s Got Talent is a show that’s produced. That’s why they have people called producers that are working to produce the most entertaining television possible. Plus, we know that shows like this have writers that’s job is to help the producers reach their goal. Despite knowing this, it gets incredibly annoying when it’s completely obvious that the show has been scripted.

In this case, I’m referring to the judges comments. Piers and Howie have actually done a great job not showing this and so props to them. However, Sharon Osbourne has been TERRIBLE at this for this entire season. Has anyone else been as annoyed as I have?

I keep thinking every show that they’ll finally tell Sharon to stop looking down at her card and reading what she’s suppose to say. How obvious is it that she continually has to look down at her queue card to read what she’s suppose to say to the acts? It seriously bugs the heck out of me.

At least tell me a story that you took a few notes about their performance and that’s why you’re looking down. Maybe even just do what most people would do and read what you’re suppose to say while Piers is making his comments. Can you really not remember the 2 or 3 points that you’re suppose to say about the acts?

If you haven’t noticed it, watch it again. Sharon will make a point…then look down at her card…read…then look back up to start making her next point.

Personally, I’d love to see America’s Got Talent bring over the female judge from Britain’s Got talent: Amanda Holden. She’s fantastic on that show. A great mix of honesty and she doesn’t just get bulled over by the male judges on the panel. Doesn’t hurt that she’s pleasant to look at as well.

According to the NBCChicago.com, there are free tickets available for reservations at the following link.

Chicago has four opportunities to see a live taping of “America’s Got Talent” at the Chicago Theatre April 27-28, and the tickets won’t cost you a thing.

Host Nick Cannon and judges Sharon Osbourne, Piers Morgan and Howie Mandel will all be on hand for the show tapings, along with an array of singers, dancers, comedians, and performers of all age and style.

Simply go to the link, select a date and fill out your info… Hope to see you there!

America’s Got Talent 2010 will premiere its fifth season on June 1 at 8/7c. Then, America’s Got Talent 2010 will move to Wednesdays on June 2 at 9/8c. The Hoff has left his AGT judges seat and was replaced by new judge Howie Mandel, who joins Sharon Osbourne, Piers Morgan. Nick Cannon will still be the host of America’s Got Talent 2010.

After seeing all the talented people who have auditioned for AGT 2010, I’m really excited for this season. I always forget that the show doesn’t start until summer. I guess with all the talk on this site about the America’s Got Talent 2010 auditions, I feel like the show should be just around the corner.

What is Simon Cowell thinking? Here’s some stories floating around the internet that Howie Mandel will be replacing The Hoff as a judge on America’s Got Talent. This comes right after David Hasselhoff leaves America’s Got Talent. Check out the announcement by eOnline:

Howie Mandel just scored a new deal…with America’s Got Talent.

The 54-year-old former Deal or No Deal host will sit at the judges table with Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne for the show’s fifth season, E! News has confirmed.

I guess there’s the potential that they could be wrong. In fact, I kind of hope they are wrong. Ok, Howie might be pretty funny at the judges table. I can give him a chance, but I just don’t see how he qualifies to judge these types of acts. Plus, it will be really interesting to see how he interacts with Sharon and Piers. I guess I can see Howie as the host of the show, but not sure about him as a judge.

Either way, I don’t expect one judge to make a difference in the ratings for America’s Got Talent 2010 anyway. People watch for the talent more than the judges I think.

In some of the best news I’ve gotten tonight, I’m happy to say that David Hasselhoff will no longer be a judge on America’s Got Talent. I’m sure there could be worse, but David Hasselhoff just felt far too fake for me on the show. He seemed to offer little insight as a judge. Here’s the news as it was reported by E! online:

After four seasons on America’s Got Talent, David Hasselhoff is leaving the judges’ table, his rep confirms to E! News. “I am proud that I was part of making America’s Got Talent, the No. 1 rated show for the past four summers,” Hasselhoff said in a statement.

“It’s been a rewarding experience and now I’m thrilled to be able to follow my dream to do my own TV show, which will be announced very shortly.”

I know that MANY people won’t share my happiness. Many people loved having the Hoff as a judge on America’s Got Talent. To those people I offer my condolences. However, I’ll be VERY happy to see a freshness on the judging panel of America’s Got Talent. It had really grown quite stale this past season. Far too predictable and not very entertaining.

I’d still LOVE to have Simon Cowell join as a judge. He’s absolutely BRILLIANT as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent. However, I’m quite sure that Simon can’t be a judge on America’s Got Talent because of his contract as a judge on American Idol. I’m not sure who else is available.

I’d also love to have the blonde girl from Britain’s Got Talent replace Sharon on the judges panel as well. I’m not sure her name, but she was quite good. Yes, I guess you can say I’m a big fan of the way the judges worked on Britain’s Got Talent.

Best of luck to the Hoff and we’ll be watching to see what his next TV show will be.
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