Tonight was the premiere of “America’s Got Talent,” which was ostensibly created to find talented Americans and help them further their careers. In reality, it’s little more than an updated “Gong Show.” Of course, I had no choice but to love it immediately. While there were moments of actual talent, most acts were on par with the Robot who begs for quarters by the subway in DC.
Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t unhappy to see these acts. In fact, the worst acts are the most enjoyable. A juggler who couldn’t juggle, bad lounge singers, an 80 year-old stripper and an act that was described by the contestants as “Shadow Dancing,” and aptly described by the judges as “Three Weirdos and A Donkey.”
My favorite good act of the night was a ventriloquist who performed a spot-on impression of a Godzilla movie, speaking clearly and quickly while his lips were out of sync. My favorite bad act was the world’s worst impressionist, whose Arnold sounded like a gay frenchman and whose Yoda sounded like Elmo.
So, is it art? No. But fuck art. If you’re looking to waste an hour and want a laugh or two, you could do much worse for summer TV than “America’s Got Talent.” And though I write this stone-sober, I can imagine a few drinks or a joint (if you’re a person who partakes in such illegal activities) might make it even that much better.
Tags: acts, america, americas got talent, Entertainment, funny, impressionist, juggler, lounge singers, nbc, talent show, television, the gong show, ventriloquist, weirdos, yoda
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June 29th, 2006 at 12:42 am
Robert Nanders
That’s great, I wish we got that programming on this side of the world. Last thing that funny was American Idol - terrible in the first stages, but then getting impressive as things wound down.