# America's Got Talent **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 15, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011 "2012-05-15T19:30:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Yeager](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/50afbb/32.png) [@Yeager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeager)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/61 "2012-07-05T17:00:46Z")
The best part…“I got so many people telling me no.” Well. You got three more telling you no. ba dum dum tsssh. lol ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/62 "2012-07-05T18:26:50Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Of this three hour show, the first hour and 6 minutes were “filler” before a single act appeared on stage. Er, it was only a 2 1/2-hour show (the first half hour was the finish of the USA Olympic Swimming Trials), wasn’t it? Also, at least on my TV listings, it was clear that the first half-hour was a “countdown” show showing “outtakes and behind the scenes”, and there would be no actual acts until 9 PM Eastern. Apparently, each performance show (and possibly the results shows as well) will be repeated on NBC the following Sunday, so they need to fit the performances into a 2-hour block. ---
**Author:** ![Roadfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@Roadfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadfood)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/63 "2012-07-06T00:03:32Z")
> [@Lare](#): > > I just want to interrupt for a moment to gripe about the jump cuts while an act is performing–to the judges, to the audience, to Nick. Come on! The act is only on for a few seconds and you spend one-third to one-half of their performance not showing them to me? I’ve been complaining about this for years, thank you. And it’s only gotten worse. I’m about ready to just give up watching the audition episodes. What’s the point? You really don’t get to see the acts anyway. A few seconds of this act, two minutes of the judges questioning the act, a couple of seconds of the act, a lot of time showing the audience reactions, two more seconds of act, and then that IDIOT Nick mugging backstage, as if he’s more entertaining than what the show is actually about! Please, please, let me just watch the acts! > [@Lare](#): > > I just wanted to say: Two words, producers of AGT: split screen. Yes. Even before the prevalence of widescreen, there was plenty of room to show the pointless reaction shots in a corner of the screen. Even a third of the screen, dedicated to those stupid reaction shots for the few people watching who care more about seeing the judge’s expressionless faces than they do about seeing the actual acts. I mean, when you’re in a theatre, do you spend most of your time looking around at the other audience members? Or do you watch what’s on stage? Why do the stupid producers think that the TV audience is any different? ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/64 "2012-07-08T15:36:12Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > Some friends of ours came back from Vegas a couple of weeks ago and said they saw Turf performing on the street there, picking up some spare cash at downtimes I suppose. They showed Turf doing this on the street as the show open for that night. He was collecting money into his bag. Later, there was a Grip or some other stage hand literally knocking on Turf’s Hotel room door. … He overslept. “I told myself not to lie down, not to lie down.” The stage hand got him up, and he was able to get ready for his slot. … And I was thinking, and hoping that he would not, get disqualified for it The interesting thing is, I assume this was the time where the other talent was inside the casino, at the craps table, and what not. Turf perhaps was the only one to make money that night. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/65 "2012-07-08T15:42:21Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Er, it was only a 2 1/2-hour show (the first half hour was the finish of the USA Olympic Swimming Trials), wasn’t it? Also, at least on my TV listings, it was clear that the first half-hour was a “countdown” show showing “outtakes and behind the scenes”, and there would be no actual acts until 9 PM Eastern. Apparently, each performance show (and possibly the results shows as well) will be repeated on NBC the following Sunday, so they need to fit the performances into a 2-hour block. Wasn’t this also the same day that there was a scheduled Track and Field run-off between Felix and Taramoh (Or something similar) ? Taramoh decided to not run int run off and cede her position in that event to Felix. … The run-off was to take place live. With no event to televise, NBC had to scramble to cover time. IIRC, the Announcers for the Olympic Trials did take up some time talking about it, but I’m not so sure they took all of it. I wonder if the the 30 minutes from AGT “Behind The Scenes” [[Most of what I had already seen]] was to also cover time from the track and field. But, when you have various established talent taking time on the show to essentially sell their latest album, the argument on how AGT will fill time is moot. They will find SOMETHING to fill the time with. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/66 "2012-07-11T01:19:45Z")
I missed the first hour of tonight show (grrr) but watching it now I have noticed something about Howard Stern’s judging… He’s really quite good, and I think the main reason is I think he takes this really seriously. This doesn’t seem to be some frivolous thing he does during the summer (coughhowiecough) but he really analyzes the people and gives really good judgments and advice. Good for him. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/67 "2012-07-11T20:37:31Z")
No interest in the second quarter finals? Personally, the only two I have any interest in seeing perform again are Turk (contortionist dancer) and the standup comic. All the rest were ‘meh,’ IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/68 "2012-07-12T14:07:50Z")
So who won? I skipped it so I could play video games and then watch the Espys. ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/69 "2012-07-12T14:11:54Z")
The comic, the contortionist dancer, the acrobatic couple, and the Joe Cocker-ish (in previous episodes) singer. (The DVR is my friend. Watched the whole hour in less than 15 minutes, watching at regular speed only for the judges results and the acrobatic team that they had as filler.) ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/70 "2012-07-12T19:16:33Z")
> [@Lare](#): > > The comic, the contortionist dancer, the acrobatic couple, and the Joe Cocker-ish (in previous episodes) singer. > (The DVR is my friend. Watched the whole hour in less than 15 minutes, watching at regular speed only for the judges results and the acrobatic team that they had as filler.) Thanks! The DVR is usually my friend too, but I am sans DVR for the summer and it’s killing me. I’m glad the comic made it, although I’ve seen him before (I just can’t remember where) because I remember his bit from the show. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/71 "2012-07-12T20:34:44Z")
> [@Lare](#): > > The comic, the contortionist dancer, the acrobatic couple, and the Joe Cocker-ish (in previous episodes) singer. > (The DVR is my friend. Watched the whole hour in less than 15 minutes, watching at regular speed only for the judges results and the acrobatic team that they had as filler.) Dang! I was pretty pleased with myself for having managed it in 16 minutes. Is there any rhyme or reason regarding which acts are on which quarter final episodes? Would the Men of Brass have fared better against the crossbow guy? Also, do any of you vote? I dutifully write down the numbers to vote for the acts I like, but that’s as far as it goes. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/72 "2012-07-25T19:29:52Z")
So, I’m home mildly sick and bored, so some comments on yesterday’s show: 1. What percentage of that audience has ever seen “American Bandstand”? It went off the air in (google fast) 1989 and is not the kind of show that gets rerun in syndication. 2. Was the camera director deliberately trying to sabotage the sand painter guy? The whole point of the art is to watch as one picture is morphed into the next. So, did they fix the camera on the overhead screen? Of course not. They jumped around doing reaction shots and spent at least half the time looking ‘over his shoulder’ at the guy’s hands with a partial view of the picture. Plus when they did deign to show the overhead screen they turned it random colors for no conceivable reason. Good think they told us what the theme was, I pretty much caught nothing but a lion and an elephant. 3. Was I the only one who thought adding that singer to the giant harp act was a really bad idea? 4. You know what is the only thing worse than watching a guy get hit in the groin over and over? Watching the same act tarted up with a superhero theme, lame acting, and clearly faked action. And then the judges raved. Huh??? 1. The dogs were adorable. I don’t think they really deserve to win, but I loved watching them. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/73 "2012-07-25T20:51:08Z")
The mind-reader act wasn’t that hard to figure out - he flipped the chosen case over before opening it, which presumably switched what it said. Then he opened the “prediction” envelope and didn’t show us what it said initially - enough time for a talented sleight-of-hand guy to adjust it appropriately. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/74 "2012-07-26T17:16:23Z")
Even faked, the mind reading is entertaining. Since they hammer on the point that the winner will be headlining in Las Vegas I do think about whether I could I sit through 40 - 60 minutes of an act and not be pissed about the cost of the ticket. I find Dittelman’s stage persona charming. I choose not to think about what the mechanics likely are. So between him and nut shot guy, Dittelman all the way. I won’t miss the gymnast dancer, or the singing duo either. I’m sorry for Horse, that he seems to have banged up his face pretty badly. I don’t want to think about what a whole evening of him getting injured would be like. I won’t miss the dog act when it’s eliminated, but those are some darned cute dogs. I wouldn’t have been overly dismayed if they hadn’t advanced this week. I don’t know how Human cannonball would ever have translated to a Vegas style show. I’d go watch him at the state fair, maybe. I did spend way too much time thinking about it but, how much money can there be in that? Is it his career or a sideline? Where do you shop for a giant cannon? I don’t think adding a singer is inherently wrong for the giant harp act, because I think it speaks to my “could I watch this for a whole show?” question. Without that change I might have assumed it would be a whole lot of sameness. I don’t know if I’d have chosen that song or that singer, but that’s just my own taste. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/75 "2012-08-15T20:11:05Z")
Just watched the youtube show … what a dearth of talent. ☹ The dance group at the end was entertaining, and the country singer girl okay, and the cockatoo was amazing (though I can’t imagine where else that act will go) but all the others ranged from meh to absolutely awful. America has run out of talent. Shelve this show for four or five years until a new pool of talent can build up. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/76 "2012-08-16T15:12:06Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Just watched the youtube show … what a dearth of talent. ☹ > > America has run out of talent. Shelve this show for four or five years until a new pool of talent can build up. I agree. I used to think there was tons of talent out there, just waiting to be discovered if these people were given a chance. Now I am beginning to think we have seriously discovered every American who has even a modicum of talent and everyone else is a talentless dolt, or at least hiding from public view. If I had anything to do with this show, I would be embarrassed. The fact that multiple acts received two or three “X’s” from the judges from their first and only performance, and these were supposedly the best they could find on the Internet, speaks volumes. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/77 "2012-08-22T13:58:14Z")
I don’t see a thread – if there is one, my apologies. I am not a regular viewer of this show, but I had it on last night while I was doing something else. My comments: What the hell are they doing adding more contestants back into the competition at this point? It’s the end of August, shouldn’t they be heading toward the finals by now? Seriously? Whacking a guy in the nuts is considered a Vegas-worthy act, even by Howard Stern? Way to prove you’re exactly the moron I always thought you were, Howard. He got eliminated once, apparently, and now, of all the acts that have been seen and rejected, this is one you need to bring back? Speaking of which, Stern’s dislike of Howie Mandel is so poisonous that it’s painful, truly painful, to watch. We get it, you don’t like him, STFU, let’s just get through this endless two-hour show as best we can. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/78 "2012-08-22T14:08:24Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Seriously? Whacking a guy in the nuts is considered a Vegas-worthy act, even by Howard Stern? Way to prove you’re exactly the moron I always thought you were, Howard. He got eliminated once, apparently, and now, of all the acts that have been seen and rejected, this is one you need to bring back? I’m pretty sure Howard knows the whack-a-ball guy (Horse) has no shot to win it all, but would be a great guy to keep around for his own show. I think bringing him back was a form of recruiting. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/79 "2012-08-22T14:10:24Z")
This is absolutely the worst season. I blame Howard, Howie, and Sharon, who are essentially useless as judges. Ok, I have to admit a lot of the acts are lousy this season also. But none of the judges seem to be able to recognize talent. I couldn’t believe the way they were impressed by extremely lame magic acts last night. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011/80 "2012-08-22T14:13:48Z")
Stern had to bring that guy back to keep up his jerk cred. He was starting to look entirely too wholesome to go back to his regular life when AGT inevitably ends. I’ve only watched bits and pieces this season but I think the “talent” is far inferior to prior seasons. The Goth kid with the contacts and the self-conscious air of self-consciousness and the white Richardo Montalban pants tucked into Herman Munster’s boots, for instance, has neither the talent nor the voice of Prince Poppycock. I also think it’s good Sharon Osbourne is flouncing off the show before she melts into a puddle of sugar right there in the judges’ row. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-got-talent/622011.md?page=5)