America's Got Talent

In the past there were some good acts but what annoys me is the judges praising some of the most boring contestants and their acts and an audience that would give a standing ovation if somebody tossed road kill on to the stage. The audience is always way too over the top.

We don't care what the judges or audience think about the acts until the acts are over. Stop showing their reactions to the acts while they're happening. We only want to see the acts!

Based on the fact that "American Idol" judge (and media mogul) Simon Cowell was behind this show, I watched its premiere episode. I was absolutely flabbergasted by the unprofessional behaviour of one of its judges, Piers Morgan. He kept pressing other judges' elimination buzzers for them, and was so quick to judge that he instantly misjudged a ventriloquist and had to change his vote to avoid looking foolish; the ventriloquist turned out to be terrific. On "American Idol", you may agree or disagree with the judges, but it's clear that they bring their own professional standards with them to the judging process, and apply them consistently. On "America's Got Talent", David Hasselhoff clearly withholds his vote (he's third in the rotation) for a time when an act is bombing,, so as to prolong whatever unintentional comedy is going on. Piers Morgan has Simon Cowell's flamboyantly sharp tongue without having established any credibility with audiences (I mean, who IS this guy, anyway?), and his reaching for other judges' buzzers is the most shameless exhibition of ego I've ever witnessed on entertainment television. Oddly enough, it's Brandy who reveals the chops, the consistency, and the empathy to make a good judge, though she's the youngest of the three. Regis Philbin emcees, and why NBC is paying that kind of money for a job that a lot of lesser lights could do just as well is beyond me; Philbin's presence adds nothing to the show's entertainment value.

The talent is fine- at least the good acts are- and the idea is fine. But the execution is awful, with Piers Morgan's antics so off-putting I'm not sure if I'll watch again. If NBC wants this show to last, I suggest they get Morgan under control, and impose time standards during auditions, requiring judges to give every contestant some guaranteed minimum of time, to avoid another misfire such as the one that occurred with the ventriloquist. The main thing is to get the judges looking more impartial and professional; once the voting and elimination processes begin, the home audience is not going to take kindly to things that appear to skew a contestant's chances.

I personally don't find the danger acts appealing. I always have to mute or look away from them. The sob stories are over the top. There is an occasional good act, but it's not worth sitting through a whole episode for. The straw that broke the camels back for me is the fact that they allow comedians from other countries come and do nothing more on stage than insult Americans. Now, I'm no stuck in the mud, I find many of the comedic acts mocking past presidents hilarious. But there are some other acts that are straight up bigotry and not even comedy anymore. If an American openly insulted a country's citizens in another country the same way they had some so on this stage, there would rightfully be backlash. So I don't appreciate double standard here. It's not comedy. It's bigotry. There's a difference between a joke, and xenophobic sentiments disguised as jokes. I have no problem with acts from other countries on the show, but the ones that come onstage openly insulting Americans do not deserve the screen time. I would not accept an American doing that on another country's show, and expect the same respect in return.

This year had awesome talent, yet the results are ridiculous. It's frustrating to the watch. I can no longer endure watching all season and have a dog and silly man win over about 20 other highly skilled individuals and groups. This is either "fixed" or Americans are more ignorant than I thought. If the show does not address these matters they will lose viewers. Clearly, the judges were shocked and dismayed themselves, yet none of them is speaking out publicly. Someone in a position of authority must look into the voting process and validity thereof. Having more than 1 vote person each week is asking for fraud.