The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, May 27, 2011 2 coverstory ‘We do everything’ Range of ‘Talent’ keeps show fresh By Sarah Jamieson TV Media ing with fans, with “American Idol” losing its juggernaut edge -- even if it’s only after its 10th season. After seeing singer after singer, you’ve seen them all, right? This fear of fan fatigue left TV execs with a dilemma -- go deeper into the talent ravine or abandon it altogether. NBC went with the first option, im- porting some British flavor and including a broader range of skills. The result has spawned a successful six-season empire for “America’s Got Talent,” just one of Simon Cowell’s successful ventures (and one of many spinoffs of “Britain’s Got Talent”), which airs its sixth-season premiere on Tuesday, May 31, on NBC. What keeps “America’s Got F Talent” fresh is that you never know what to expect -- you could see a man doing a ven- triloquist act, or a dance group performing on stilts -- the sky (or at least the ceiling) is the limit. And, according to host Nick Cannon, it has to help that it doesn’t take itself as seriously as other reality- talent programs. “To be able to be a part of something that’s all about anaticism towards the singing talent-show for- mula seems to be wan- And fortunately, all of the judges are returning to their incumbent chairs, which means they won’t be banter- ing with strangers. The more they get to know and work with each other, the sharper that banter becomes -- or, in Osbourne’s case before she left the British “X-Factor,” the more shocking. Last season, it was more Piers Morgan will return to judge the new season of “America’s Got Talent” fun, high energy, and just that idea of reaching and accom- plishing your dream, there’s nothing else like that on tele- vision. Everything else takes themselves way too seriously. This is a show where you can just forget about the rest of the world.” With other programs, such as the upcoming, American- ized “X-Factor,” “America’s Got Talent” judge Sharon Os- bourne says that a slate of only singing contestants can get a bit stale after a while. “It’s just singing, whereas we do everything,” she said. “Other shows are just singing or just dancing. We go deep- er.” However, the entertain- ment value of the show isn’t just in the performances. Much of the fun comes from the quick banter between the judges. like watching a sitcom than a talent show when it came to the commentary. And so this year, audiences will be re- lieved to know that the elec- tricity between the three ec- centric personalities will re- main. Although the news for Os- bourne, Howie Mandel and Piers Morgan was welcomed and celebrated, a lot of fans were biting their nails in anxi- ety after seeing each judge move forward with high-pro- file side projects in the off- season. After all, Morgan took the place of Larry King’s time-slot after the talk show baron re- tired. That’s not a light re- sponsibility or a part-time job. However, Morgan was not fazed by this obstacle. It’s pretty hard to shake the first winner of “The Celebrity Ap- prentice.” Osbourne turned out to be a big hit on her new daytime talk show “The Talk,” which aimed to be a less gossipy version of “The View,” dis- cussing women’s issues and their personal lives. Hosted by Julie Chen (made famous for A/Auto Boutique B/The Green Giraffe 2 x 2 hosting the reality series “Big Brother”), the show was well received by fans, and it looks as if Osbourne will be jug- gling both programs. On top of that, she’s also released an autobiography. “Sharon Osbourne Extreme: My Autobiography” is still the bestselling hardcover autobi- ography in British history, and since producing and manag- ing the hit reality show “The Osbournes” and metal tour “Ozzfest,” she also managed to organize her metal-legend husband Ozzy Osbourne’s ca- reer -- no small feat for any- one. It had been rumored that Ozzy would join his wife in the celebrity judge world on the British version of the “X- Factor,” but he quickly dis- missed the claims, saying that world was not for him. Mandel hosted the hit Fox series “Mobbed” this past winter, which was intended as a one-off special but proved so popular it was picked up for eight episodes. As well, he just wrapped up the animated production “Noah’s Ark: The New Begin- ning,” lending his pipes to the role of Inwar. Although Man- del came in late to the judge trio -- only replacing David Hasselhoff last season -- he’s fit in well with the cheery dy- namic of witty quips between the judges. Mandel is also a great asset as a judge of “America’s Got Talent,” since his career began at an ama- teur showcase. Chirstopher’s Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Which “Fame” came first: the movie or the TV se- ries? Also, did any of the stars appear in both? A: The film version of “Fame,” released in 1980, was such a runaway hit that its producers at MGM didn’t waste much time in spinning it into a TV series, premiering it in 1982. One advantage of this was capitalizing from the still-echo- ing buzz the film created (both on release in May 1980 and nine months later when it brought home two Oscars from six nominations), but the other was that the show was able to grab quite a few members of the film’s ensemble cast. The most notable, though perhaps not noticeable, was Deb- bie Allen. She was the main star of the series, dance teacher Lydia Grant. Her role wasn’t so illustrious in the film, though. In fact she was on screen for less than 10 minutes near the be- ginning of the film, judging the school’s auditions (though the credits confirm that she’s still playing Lydia Grant). One of the school’s dance students was Leroy Johnson, played in both the film and series by Gene Anthony Ray. As well, Albert Hague played music teacher Benjamin Shorofsky in both versions. Hague was a composer in real life who worked on several musicals, but is probably best known for writing the music to the classic 1966 Christmas special “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Lee Curreri played another of the school’s music teachers in both the film and series. A/Crazy Tom's B/Allstar Auto Wash 2 x 3 Have a question? E-mail us at questions@tvtabloid.com.