America Does Have Talent

Since the parasites over at the television networks have never met a good idea they didn't want to run into the ground, we have been bombarded with a horde of American Idol ripoffs. Most slavishly follow the same set-up: a panel of three judges, one of whom is an acid-tongued Brit, selecting contestants from early rounds before turning the voting over to the American public. However, among the summertime duds of So You Think You Can Dance, Rock Star: Supernova, Master Of Champions, and The One: Making A Music Star, we have a diamond in the rough.

It's actually little surprise that America's Got Talent is the best of the rest, considering that its executive producer is none other than Simon Cowell and its host is Regis Philbin, a man who comes as close as possible to turning everything he touches to gold. Yeah, it borrows its concept heavily from The Gong Show, but hey, if it worked in the 1970's, it can work today, right?

What's great about America's Got Talent is that you never know what's coming next. The acts range from the sublime (Alexis Jordan singing I Have Nothing) to the disturbing (Flippy the Magnificent humping a blow-up doll) to the captivating (11-year-old Taylor Ware yodeling, which is much more amazing than it sounds) to the lame (Sharon Kissane and her bird calls) to the truly bizarre (Leonid the Magnificent and whatever the hell he does). Some people are genuinely talented, which is a pleasure to see. Other people suck, but you have to wonder how long they needed to lay in bed at night to figure out they had such a skill. And everything's different. It's not like the early rounds of Idol, where you see contestant after contestant hack their way through "You Raise Me Up" under the mistaken belief that they're the next Clay Aiken. It's truly amazing to see what different people from across the country can do. Where else could they get their 30 seconds of fame? I'm certainly entertained watching them.

I'm a little late to the the party, as last night's episode, the first I watched diligently, was the final episode before the semifinals, but you can catch up on some of the past action here. I personally recommend watching Taylor Ware yodel over and over again. When I saw her perform last night, my eyes were transfixed to the screen while my jaw went completely slack. What this girl can do with her voice, while keeping the melody and time of a song, captivated an audience of hundreds. It's worth checking out.