Who's Got Talent?

Since everyone is currently talking about Susan Boyle and Britain's Got Talent, let's look at some of the differences between that show and its American counterpart, America's Got Talent.

The talent: No discernable differences. Both countries have very talented people and also a lot of people who merely think they're talented. Both countries have people who are desparate to be famous for any reason or no reason.

The judges: In Britain you have Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan. In the US, you have David Hasslehoff, Sharon Osborne, and Piers Morgan. The problem I have is with the American judges. Only one of them is American. Why are the British choosing who America will find entertaining? I've seen acts that Hasslehoff and the audience loved, but who didn't get through because Sharon Osborne and Piers Morgan don't understand the American sense of humor. Britain would boycott the show if Britain's Got Talent only had one British judge.

The prize: In Britain, the prize is a contract to do more performances, including a performance at the Royal Variety show, all in total worth something like £100,000. In America, it's a million dollars. The American prize leads to only singers getting through. For every clever and funny act that goes through America, you get a chorus of, "It's nice but is it worth a million dollars?" That prize takes all the variety out of the variety show. It narrows the field of "worthy" competitors so much that it isn't particularly fun to watch, other than for the drunken antics of Hasslehoff. The British prize is much smaller. They get to play for the Queen (or Prince or other royals). This means that the only limit is "Would Her Majesty want to see this?" Because of this, they get a much better variety of acts. A street dance troupe might not be worth a million dollars, but they might just be talented enough for a slot in a show for the Queen.

Basically, after having watched both shows, I prefer Britain's Got Talent. It is more true to the vision of being a variety show, and more true to the vision of being a variety show to represent the country in which it is based. My message for America's Got Talent would be to change the prize, ditch the British judges, and maybe you'll have a chance at a tie. For now, the point here goes to the British.