The news has been unremittingly bad and depressing, so when the current version of The Gong Show (America's Got Talent)comes on I look forward to it.
You remember the Gong Show? Chuck Barris would bring on these acts and a panel would vote on it and gong them off if they really stunk. The Gong Show really caused furor and network ire when Barris had a couple of girls called the Popsicle Twins come on, and their act? Suggestively licking a popsicle as if it were--well, you know.

On America's Got Talent (AGT), a panel of three, Piers Morgan, Sharon Osborn (Ozzie) and Howie Mandel see the 90 second scts and have "X" buzzers to buzz off the worst acts.
I laughed so much last night at a woman who was going to do a dog act with a bunch of white chihuahuas. She let them out and then let out a crowd of other dogs. Before she could start getting them to jump through hoops or anything, one chihuahua started humping another and one dog jumped off the stage and into the audience. Total pandemonium. She was immediately buzzed off. But it was funny.

Then there was the 50 year old woman whose act was twirling flaming swords. She told the panel she was blind in one eye. She lights up the ends of the swords and twirled them around--large knives and fire at the same time--one sword slung out of her hands toward the panel--they ducked underneath the desk with their heads covered. It was funny.
Then there was a 70 year old woman with orange hair in a beehive hairdo, wearing what we used to call black cherry lipstick, who says she sings like Patsy Cline. She came out with an electric keyboard and dawdled around trying to tune it up. She started to sing in a voice that sounded like chalk on a blackboard and the audience boo-ed, so she started to yodel--they liked that better. What's funny is that these really bad singers think they sound terrific.
One singer was an audience favorite who called himself Miss Poppycock. He came out dressed like KIng Louis XVI in green silks and ruffles and an elaborate white wig and sang "Figaro Figaro Figaro Figggg..aro."


The show is truly entertaining. I laughed so much. See it if you can. There have been some amazing magicians on the show, and a singer, a black woman who has sung on the subways of NYC for 30 years, (also the mother of the actress who played "Precious") who has a voice that won her a standing ovation. Magnificent voice--she sang "At last, my man has come along, my lonely nights are over, and life is but a song..." I'd buy a CD of her singing right now if she had one.

Bye for now, susil