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Summer is officially here. NBC's ode to American talent, and for some, lack thereof is back as NBC's "America's Got Talent" hit the TV Tuesday night with Los Angeles and Atlanta area auditions. If you remember, Michael Grimm beat opera savant Jackie Evancho last year. Tonight saw Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel sitting in on a new crop of hopefuls, and it was a mixed bag. It was East coast West coast night, as Los Angeles and Atlanta brought some compelling acts, and some that were best left at the curb. The unicyclist Frank Olivier who juggled three torches was a sight, as he skeeved out germaphobe Mandel and delighted Morgan. The Miami All-Stars: This husband...

For us TVphiles, summer officially starts with the premiere of "America's Got Talent." It's part "American Idol," part "Gong Show," part "The Apollo" and all guilty pleasure. As much as I love a good singer, I'm always excited to see what non-vocal acts the show finds, since we see so much singing on various other shows.

Before we get to the new Season 6 contestants, we take a peek at last year's winner Michael Grimm and runner-up Jackie Evancho, both of whom are busy performing. Michael Grimm's self-titled album dropped just a couple weeks ago and it's not bad. He has a "Simple Man" cover featuring Travis Tritt that is really great, there is also a song called "Gasoline and Matches" that features one of my favorite female vocalists of all time - Ann Wilson. Definitely worth a listen if you haven't checked it out yet. Jackie's album drops this summer...

The sixth season of the NBC competition kicked off tonight with Howie Mandel joining Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne at the judging table in La. Here's what the panel had to say about some of the acts: The Highlights: Frank Olivier: The 50-year-old unicyclist/torch juggler says that he's there to "not hold back" and also asks Howie to help assist in his act. He seems to struggle to stay on the unicycle, but it isn't immediately apparent whether it is part of his act or not. Frank then successfully juggles the flaming torches, though Howie gives him an 'X' immediately for using the judge for balance and nearly setting him on fire. Piers applauds him for causing so much trouble with Howie. Sharon says that she'd "absolutely" love to see him in Vegas. Ryan Andreas: The singer and pianist's cover of Sarah McLachlan's (more)...

We open in Los Angeles. Judge roll call: Piers Morgan, Sharon Osborn, Howie Mandel and our host, Mr. Mariah Carey. Katy Perry's "Firework" blares. Nick Cannon re. Piers Morgan: "He loves people but he hates germs." Oh, good.

First act: 50 year old Frank Olivier, Oakland, CA. Juggling on a unicycle. "I came to not hold back," he says, which is very nice but alleviates none of our fears. He grabs Howie's bald dome for balance and wobbles around with torches. It's uncomfy. Howie votes no, but Sharon and Piers vote yes. Not axed.

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