Open Audition Calls in LA and Elsewhere for the Next Season of America's Got Talent

[Richard Kaufman]

I've been talking to the Execs at America's Got Talent in the past few days and they want MORE magicians on the next season.

Open auditions are being held in Los Angeles on November 14 and 15 at the LA Convention Center (1201 South Figueroa St.)

Grand prize is 1 Million buckerinos so why not give it a shot!

Go to www.agtauditions.com to pre-register and for more information.

Auditions Schedule is as follows:

LA: November 15 and 15

Seattle, November 29

Portland: December 1

New Orleans: December 8 and 9

Birmingham: December 10

Memphis: December 11

Nashville: December 13

Savannah: December 14

Raleigh: December 15

Norfolk: December 16

San Antonio: January 12 and 13.

Chicago: January 26 and 27

[Master Payne]

I've been talking to the Execs at

Grand prize is 1 Million buckerinos so why not give it a shot!

Because there is a far greater chance of having your appearance cut up and edited to make you look like a complete idiot than there is of winning the Million Dollars.

Besides I don't belong to the Big Magic Box of the Month Club nor have an effect that can be performed in 30 seconds.

It takes me 12 minutes to do my coin in bottle routine. And that's one of my shorter presentations :)

[Richard Kaufman]

The execs are looking at modifying their approach to make the show more friendly toward the type of work we do. If your shortest presentation is 12 minutes, I'm sorry, but I don't think you'll win the million bucks! :)

[Master Payne]

I'm sorry, but I don't think you'll win the million bucks! :)

But I receive the praise and adulation of my peers for my 12 minute Coin in Bottle routine. Which to me is worth far more than a million bucks. :)

I am glad to hear that the AGT Execs are attempting a new approach for magicians. However I'd have to watch the show for a couple of years before I even thought about working up something for this program to make sure they held to their statement.

[Dustin Stinett]

I think that the first thing AGT needs to do is lose the singers. Bands, musicians; yes. And maybe vocal groups, but no individual singers. There are plenty of TV competition shows for singers. AGT needs to stick to variety.

[Bill Mullins]

I know a local magician who got a call from AGT producers who had seen his online videos. They specifically asked him to come to the Birmingham AL auditions.

He told them, "Look, I'm not really what you are looking for." (He is very character-driven, and it is difficult to put that across in just a couple of minutes.) But he's going anyway, accepts that he might be "cannon fodder", and is looking forward to spending a day auditioning, with no expectations beyond that.

[AJM]

I think we need more mentalism chair acts on TV - anyone we could recommend?

Cheers

Andrew

[erdnasephile]

I think one good thing about having more magicians on AGT is that there exists a slight chance the public will figure out that all magicians are not alike (i.e. most stink, but some are really quite outstanding).

[erdnasephile]

Then again, I'm always suspicious when a reality show wants more of something--usually it's because they have a story they want to tell and want video footage to make their point.

[Brian Morton]

Anyone considering applying needs to think about a few things:

1) Other than the million-dollar carrot at the end of the maze, they don't compensate you for squat. You travel to the audition city, you put yourself up, you pay for all your meals, you cover all your own expenses. They claim they "can't" pay performers because (and this is a direct quote from them), "we're a contest." Well, yesand so is the Super Bowl.

2) In addition, look carefully at that LONG LONG list of rights you give up to them, in perpetuity.

3) Should you actually win the big enchilada, you're also (as I understand) contractually obligated in terms of management as well. I know a runner-up from "American Idol" who spent the better part of two years and a large sum of money trying to get out from under their onerous thumb. You need to think, even if you win this (rigged) talent "lottery," is it worth it? Especially considering the way they've treated all the magicians up until now?

Someone I know fairly well wrote a long piece on how her variety act was treated on that show and suffice to say: it wasn't pretty at ALL. (There's a link to it in here) The fix was in from the start. The only way she was able to get around all the rules about talking about her experience was that she wrote it as "fiction" (with a big wink-wink, nudge-nudge to make it clear she was referring to her own experience).

Unless you really think you can make it to the end, I personally would recommend taking a pass. Remember: they are making prime-time television dollars off of this show (millions), and paying out literally tenths of pennies on the dollar in terms of the cost of the entertainment they're booking, all because they're taking advantage of suckers who want to be famous on television. Sure: if you make it far enough, the publicity from it will allow you to recoup a certain amount of money in raising your booking fees (say, Spencer Horsman, for example) ... but that's a big if.

Many variety performers are starting to understand the rigged con they're running, and are avoiding them, and so their bookers are getting more desperate, because they're almost at the point where they're eating their seed corn, so to speak.

Just my two cents.

brian :cool:

[Richard Kaufman]

Winning is not the only benefit. Magicians who have performed on the show, but not won, have often gone on to better careers because of it.

[Rick Ruhl]

I know a local magician who got a call from AGT producers who had seen his online videos. They specifically asked him to come to the Birmingham AL auditions.

He told them, "Look, I'm not really what you are looking for." (He is very character-driven, and it is difficult to put that across in just a couple of minutes.) But he's going anyway, accepts that he might be "cannon fodder", and is looking forward to spending a day auditioning, with no expectations beyond that.

Bill, someone I know?

[Bill Mullins]

Bill, someone I know?

Yes. I'm not sure he wants the whole internet to know about it, so check your email for his name.