America's Got Talent returns once again for an eighth season this summer as the top-rated variety show on NBC. This time there are four judges—comedian Howie Mandel, radio host Howard Stern, Spice Girl Melanie "Mel B." Brown and Project Runway's Heidi Klum—all on hand to seek talent for a grand prize of $1 million.
Nick Cannon serves as host and jokester after replacing Jerry Springer on season four.
For the current season the live shows are now in Radio City Music Hall for the first time. Also, the show visits more cities for the preliminaries than ever.
Windy City Times covered the red carpet as the judges arrived to pick contestants from the Chicago area.
Windy City Times: Hey, Nick. Welcome back to Chicago.
Nick Cannon: Thank you for having me back in Chicago.
WCT: How are the new judges and has there been any fighting?
Nick Cannon: What would be your definition of fighting?
WCT: Have you had to step in and break things up?
Nick Cannon: Actual fisticuffs?
WCT: No, but maybe a big argument…
Nick Cannon: They actually disagree quite a bit because they are all passionate people. They all get along because there is great chemistry there. It is really fun to see four people convince each other and deliberate so it works out really well.
WCT: So the new judges are great?
Nick Cannon: The new judges are awesome!
WCT: Here comes one now. Hi, Heidi. Welcome to Chicago.
Heidi Klum: Thank you.
WCT: Who are you wearing?
Heidi Klum: I'm wearing Thomas Wylde.
WCT: Will you be judging fashion and what people will be wearing on the show?
Heidi Klum: I might tell them a little about their fashion if they are doing not so good. If they do a good job then I will tell them how good they dress but it is really not about clothes. I am looking more for the act, and if they are doing well or not.
WCT: How excited are you to join the panel of judges this season?
Heidi Klum: It is super-exciting. I love them. I love Howie, Howard and Mel B. We are having such a good time. I love the job even though it is not really a job. It is a lot of fun sitting in an auditorium all day and watching great acts perform. You get paid for it and it's awesome.
WCT: Not a bad way to make a living—and here comes Howard Stern. This is your big sophomore year.
Howard Stern: This is a big second year and we are looking for big talent.
WCT: Does "Chicago got talent?"
Howard Stern: Yes, I think Chicago has talent. The Midwest is always a great place to find talent. Chicago has been fun already. Me and the wife got out to dinner last night and we are having fun. The show is great. When you find exciting talent it makes it all worthwhile. I think we will find a superstar in Chicago. Why not?
WCT: Are you excited to work with Mel B. and Heidi this season?
Howard Stern: Listen, I love this show. It has been a lot of fun working with the new judges. I love Sharon Osbourne. I miss her but having these two new women with us is a great thing too.
The show is what works. The format is great. I love the idea of finding someone and giving them that big break. I think that still resonates with America.
WCT: Thanks, Howard. I will let you get inside to judge. Hey, Howie. Chicago is a very clean city so don't you worry.
Howie Mandel: Okay.
WCT: What are you looking for this season?
Howie Mandel: I am looking for something I have never seen before. I'm looking to be dazzled. I want my jaw to drop. Here in Chicago I actually look for comedy. I think this is the city that is famous for that. This is the home of Second City. This is where I did my first HBO special. So I just want to smile and laugh. I want to find a star right here in Chicago.
WCT: Is there any act you don't want to see?
Howie Mandel: Anything that I have seen before. People come up with the most bizarre insane things. I look for it each and every time that we walk in front of these theaters. This is the heartland of America and it should be the heartland of talent.
WCT: There have been a lot of singers who have won. Do you think that streak will be broken?
Howie Mandel: Truth be told, season two was won by Terry Fator, who was a ventriloquist. I think the heart and soul of our show is that we are the last bastion of variety show.
This year with the advent of adding two more judges, Mel, an international superstar in her own right, and Heidi, an international marketer and fashion icon, has made it harder for acts to get through because now we need three yes votes instead of just two.
I don't know if it was about a comedian last year as much as it was about people like Horse who had the nerve to get up and call what he did, getting kicked in the scrotum, talent. Talented people will show up and do everything.
We had more dangerous acts, more exciting acts, more wacky acts and more classic talent than we've ever had before.
WCT: Mel B. who are you wearing?
Mel B.: Dolce & Gabbana.
WCT: What are you looking for in terms of singers?
Mel B.: You know what? Today I just want to be entertained whether you are a singer, dancer or magic act. It might be an animal or danger act, I just want to be entertained first and foremost.
WCT: What made you want to be a part of the show?
Mel B.: Why not? It's America's Got Talent. Everybody loves this show. Everybody watches it. Everybody talks about it.
I was living in Australia and I got offered the job and I said, "Yes." It wasn't even a thought of, "Well, I've got to move the whole family back to LA." I think that I'm part of one of the best shows on TV.
WCT: How does it feel to be a new judge on this season?
Mel B.: I'm thrilled. Me and my family are huge fans of the show. We get to travel America and come to beautiful places like Chicago. Me, Howie, and Nick went out last night to Hub 151 on the rooftop. We had a lot of fun. We went from the jet straight to the club!
WCT: Did having four judges spice things up a bit?
Mel B.: I think it really has, because you know we're four different people. We've all come from different backgrounds and we've all experienced a lot in our own professional career. Sometimes we all agree when the act is amazing. Sometimes, well more often than not, we actually disagree. We've all got valid points because our opinions are coming from a place of professionalism.
So I find that really interesting, and I've learned a lot off these other three judges, especially you, Howie, because I sit next to you. So it's a really, really interesting dynamic and definitely the viewer is going to agree with two or more of us on what we're actually saying.
Howie Mandel: I personally was concerned, and I thought, "Maybe this is going to be too much." And as it works out, it actually heightened the value of people that go through to even Las Vegas. And I think I said it before and I'm repeating myself, but the fact that they have to get three yes's to go through. Two and two doesn't get you in so it is virtually a no so you need three yes's. You have to appeal to three people.
WCT: How do you think the Spice Girls would have done in this competition?
Mel B.: Oh, God knows. I have no idea. I mean the good thing about America's Got Talent is that it's not a singing show. It's a complete variety show. So I mean we harmonized well as five girls and we definitely have some things that everyone doesn't have. I'm not quite sure how it would rank considering that there's not just singers there. Hopefully we would do well, but I mean we started out 20 years ago.
Howie Mandel: I think they would do well. The reason is—and these are the things we look for—at their time it was original.
It wasn't only four hot women singing and dancing, but there was a message. That message was girl power. A big part of America's Got Talent [is], obviously, America votes. A big part of the voting community are young girls who watch the show and are inspired watching dreams come true. I think they would've really touched a nerve and done really well.
WCT: I have noticed a few gay contestants entering the building as dancers. What did you think of them?
Howie Mandel: I don't know that the gay contestants are in a different category. I mean your sexual preference has absolutely nothing to do with your talent. I don't think we judge on that and it's not based on that. I think that every gender, race, creed, color is represented on America's Got Talent because it's represented in America.
I couldn't answer that question specifically about the gay community because I'm not even sure what the sexual preference is of most of the people that perform in front of us, nor do I care to know.
Mel B.: No. But some of them have come out and obviously said, "I'm a drag act. I'm gay. I came out to my mom at 10-years-old."
I do actually remember a few of them, and they really do go for it with the hair, the makeup. I love it. Me and Heidi are in our element because we, I mean like everybody on the judging panel, we love the gays and it's so nice to see them basking in their celebration of being out. They are so eager to tell you, some of these contestants.
Not that it actually matters if you're gay or straight, but some of them really are excited and happy to be there representing.
One thing that me and Heidi did learn is that that drop to the floor move what's it called?
WCT: The death drop or the shablam.
Mel B.: It is where they literally are standing up one minute and then their legs bend back and…
WCT: And they drop, yes.
Mel B. They're flat on the floor. We've seen a few of those, and boy does that look painful. But there was one guy that nailed it completely!
Howie Mandel: Is that a gay thing?
Mel B.: Well, no. It's a drag act. It's a thing called a shablam. Well, I can't see you doing it, Howie.
Howie Mandel: No. I can't shablam. I can't.
Mel B.: There you go.
Howie Mandel: Enough about the gays. What about the Jews who are performing this year?
America's Got Talent runs Tuesdays on NBC.
