Welcome to Pure America's Got Talent

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.

So we are all pretty much annoyed by the interaction between Howie and Piers. Sharon even got in on the annoying action last night. However, I don’t see what Piers is doing is bullying of Howie. I guess this video is part of Howie’s comedy act.

Howie’s Public Service Announcement – rant against bullying – and Piers Morgan.

This is a great video where the judges and Nick Cannon talk about people showing them their talent in public. I can only imagine. I bet they’ve seen some pretty hilarious things.

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.

Check out the following videos of the judges and host talking about America’s Got Talent. The premiere is almost here!! Tonight the fun begins and we’ll be covering it like usual including finding more information about the best acts from before being on AGT.

Piers finally admits why he picks on Howie.

Sharon Spills Backstage Secrets to Fans
It’s Howie interruptus as Sharon answers fan questions

Howie Answers Your Questions
Find out why an AGT contestant put fireworks in his underwear!

Nick Cannon reveals his very special talent

In case you missed it (like I did), here’s the videos of Howie Mandel on the Tonight Show.

Howie Mandel talks about being a lousy driver and the Uranus book his brother returned.

Howie Mandel rants about being an empty nester, answering machine messages and describes Mobbed as Glee on steroids

I must admit that we’re definitely seeing another side of Howie Mandel. Or maybe it’s just the usual side of Howie Mandel, but I just had never seen it. Check out this clip of Howie Mandel on the Tonight Show with Jay:

Plus, Howie Mandel even brings on Hannibal Means to see Jay too. Hannibal is quite the piece of work.

America’s Got Talent is finally back. Woot! Is it just me or did they start early this season? The show certainly focused heavily on the new judge, Howie Mandel, but I think it’s pretty easy to see that Howie Mandel is so much better than the Hoff. Also, be sure to listen to my interview with Howie Mandel. Also, Marianya did a nice job listing all of the good acts from tonight’s America’s Got Talent Season 5 premiere including links to the acts online.

Now on to the videos of the best performances from tonight’s America’s Got Talent 2010 premiere:
Read more…

The premiere of America’s Got Talent 2010 is tonight and so to wet your apetite for the premiere, check out these videos of Howie Mandel, Piers Morgan, and Nick Cannon answering fan questions. Some interesting insights for the show and just gets me excited for the show tonight.

Fan Questions with Howie Mandel

Fan Questions with Piers Morgan

Fan Questions with Nick Cannon