When the first America's Got Talent ran, I was hopeful that it would be a reasonably decent show. Of course, I was completely wrong. Any show that treats The Passing Zone, Ivan Pecel, Mark Faje, and Vladik like they are noob buskers is not worth watching. Ironically enough, I got a chance to be on the second season with Matt Henry. He was going to be doing his Video Matt act and he needed a helper at the last minute to pass clubs with from behind the screen. So, I took a day off from teaching, flew down, spent the night practicing with Matt, and then the next day it was on! I could write pages here, but as I signed a contract, I won't go too deep. Suffice it to say that I have never witnessed in the past, nor do I expect to witness in the future, the level of arrogance, stupidity, sycophancy, and just plain craven greed/ambition such as I experienced during my 30 hours in Hollywood. Truly an anthropological moment for me, to observe the day-to-day workings of a major TV show. One can only imagine what making a MOVIE with actual A-List actors and egos would be like. Whoa... Highlights included: Chatting with Matt over dinner. Filming a never-to-be seen commercial with Jerry Springer in which we juggled three chairs over him. Watching some of the other acts. Watching Matt handle the judges' and assistants' asinine comments with professionalism and aplomb. Thanks again Matt for giving me this one-time-only experience. It certainly was memorable. Also, please excuse the poor quality of the photos--I was using a crap disposable camera.
To learn more about this show, click here. I am not linking to the official website, because I cannot in good conscience give them any more play.
