America’s Got Talent mixes craft with crazy, say judges Mel C and Simon Cowell
|||BY DEBASHINE THANGEVELO
TALENT-scouting reality shows have become as ridiculously rampant as The Kardashian spin-off shows.
While some have lost their allure over the years (cough, Idols and its American counterpart),others continue to gain momentum: SA’s Got Talent, The X-Factor, The Voice, Dancing with the Stars and so on. America’s Got Talent belongs to the latter stable as it returns for an 11th season and has been given the nod for a 12th instalment.
This series, which started in 2006, has, over the years, seen a change in the judging panel, which once included the likes of Brandy Norwood, Sharon Osbourne, Piers Morgan and David Hasselhoff, with Nick Cannon as the current residenthost after Jerry Springer. The current judging panel includes co-creator Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel.
The acts include everything from pop to country, opera singers, ventriloquists, dancers, magicians, comedians coupled withand some of the most bizarre and stupefying feats.At a recent press conference on the show, Cowell and Mel B provided insight into how they judge and the talent on the cards for this season, which is reportedly enjoying its highest ratings in five years in the US and showcases some of the best acts in the show’s history.
With the acts generally poles apart, the two were asked about how they decided on what makes the cut as a bona fide hit and those that are epic flops. Cowell reveals: “There is no way any judge in the world can be an expert on everything. We’re judging everything from dogs to jugglers to singers. A lot of the time you have to put it down to: do you want to see that act again and do you think that they can improve? I do look back on the show sometimes, with the people we put through, and I’m thinking, ‘what were you thinking at the time?’ I mean, there’s no logic to it. But I think that’s what makes the show fun. The are no rules and there’s no, like, scoring system you could possibly use when you are judging some of these crazy acts.”
Former Spice Girls member, Mel B, adds: “If I say to myself, ‘Oh my God, I would pay to watch that show in Vegas’, then I’m going to vote, ‘yes’, all day long.”
Although viewers get to learn more about the contestants through video footage and so on, the judges are kept in the dark. Cowell explains: “Not knowing makes it much more fun and interesting for us and the audience sitting behind us, I think.”
Mel B, on the other hand, is nosey by nature and often pries as much as she can. As for whether they are able to spot a talent that will go far, Cowell offers: “If you look at One Direction (The X-Factor) or Susan Boyle (Britain’s Got Talent), I don’t think any of us, when we first worked with both acts, could have possibly predicted what was going to happen next. A lot of the time it comes down to the act. The same with Tape Face (a contestant miming this season). I mean, I thought, yes, that was funny. And then he gets like 30 or 40 million hits on YouTube or something. You can’t predict (things) anymore.”Mel B adds: “He went viral big time.”
Of course, some contestants thatwho leave an indelible impression don’t often go all the way. One such person is John Hetlinger, who belts out Drowning Pool’s Bodies. What also made him stand out was the fact that he is 82 years old. Cowell adds: “I don’t think we’ve had enough good singers turning up for the show in the past. So we all made a huge effort this year. I did a lot of radio interviews, basically trying to put the message out.”
Mel B offers: “I think it’s all about being really clever with your song choices. If you are going to choose a popular song, which will always go down well, you have to put your own twist on it. They have to do their research and put on their own stamp, especially if you are a singer.”
She continues: “When I look at the show as a whole, we’ve got a 90-year-old stripper, a footballer thatwho does magic. We have so many different genres of acts that are really good and entertaining. The singing performances that have gone through are really good, too.
“What’s been great this season is everybody’s back-story. They are really hungry for this.”Interestingly, One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson makes a guest judge appearance too.
“Louis is great. I mean, it was so funny and kind of odd, you know, that he auditioned for me five years ago. Now he’s sitting where I’m sitting, judging other people and doing it really well. I was really happy for him and he loved doing it,” says Cowell. There are plenty of tense Golden Buzzer moments on the show, where age is no barrier and the talent varies from jaw-dropping to the ridiculous. And they all share one thing in common: they are hungrier than ever for this year’s title!
America’s Got Talent airs on M-Net (DStv channel 101) tonight at 6.30pm.