NBC’S TOP-RATED SUMMER SERIES “AMERICA’S GOT TALENT” ANNOUNCES OPEN CASTING CALLS IN NEW YORK, ST. LOUIS, WASHINGTON, D.C., TAMPA BAY, ANAHEIM, AUSTIN AND CHARLOTTE BEGINNING IN OCTOBER

UNIVERSAL CITY, California – NBC’s top-rated summer series “America’s Got Talent” will begin its nationwide search for season seven contestants with auditions beginning in New York (October 8 and 9), St. Louis (October 22 and 23) and in Washington, D.C. (November 5 and 6).

The search continues in Tampa, Fla. (November 12 and 13), Anaheim, Calif. (December 10 and 11), Austin, Texas (January 14 and 15), Charlotte, N.C. (February 4 and 5) and San Francisco (January 25 and 26).

The “America’s Got Talent” auditions are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for performers across the country to showcase their talents in 90 seconds to series’ producers in the hopes of being able to take the stage in front of the judges. Every type of performer is welcome – including musicians, dance crews, magicians, contortionists, comedians, singers, jugglers, animal acts and everything in between – all of whom want to perform for America’s votes and the coveted $1 million prize.

Details for the open auditions are below:

NEW YORK
Saturday, October 8 and Sunday, October 9
Registration: 8 a.m.- 7 p.m
Location: Jacob Javits Center
655 West 34th Street, New York, N.Y. 10001

ST. LOUIS
Saturday, October 22 and Sunday, October 23
Registration: 8 a.m.- 7 p.m
Location: St. Louis Convention Center
701 Convention Plaza
St. Louis, Mo. 63101

WASHINGTON, D.C.
Saturday, November 5 and Sunday, November 6
Registration: 8 a.m.- 7 p.m
Location: Washington, D.C. Convention Center
801 Mt. Vernon Place, NW
Washington, D.C. 20001

TAMPA (Fla.)
Saturday, November 11 and Sunday, November 12
Registration: 8 a.m.- 7 p.m
Location: Tampa Bay Convention Center
333 S. Franklin Street
Tampa, Fla. 33602

ANAHEIM (Calif.)
Saturday, December 10 and Sunday, December 11
Registration: 8 a.m.- 7 p.m
Location: Anaheim Convention Center
800 W. Katella Ave
Anaheim, Calif. 92802

AUSTIN (Texas)
Saturday, January 14 and Sunday, January 15
Registration: 8 a.m.- 7 p.m
Location: Austin Convention Center
500 East Cesar Chavez Street
Austin, Texas 78701

CHARLOTTE (N.C.)
Saturday, February 4 and Sunday, February 5
Registration: 8 a.m.- 7 p.m
Location: Charlotte Convention Center
501 South College Street
Charlotte, N.C. 28202

Open to talent of any age, “America’s Got Talent” offers a unique chance for anyone who has dreamed of performing his or her talent on a national stage. Additional cities may be added for auditions. For all the latest information and to pre-register, go to www.AGTauditions.com.

Season six winner Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. – a Sinatra-like crooner from Logan, W.V. – beat out thousands of acts, including finalists POPLYFE, the Silhouettes and Team iLuminate to take home the coveted $1 million grand prize. The win changed his life, as he is now able focus on his dream of becoming a singer. Murphy recently took to a larger stage and sang the national anthem at the West Virginia versus LSU college football game and will be headlining the upcoming “America’s Got Talent Live” show in Las Vegas.

The fifth season’s “America’s Got Talent” winner — Mississippi-bred Michael Grimm — charmed millions of viewers as he parlayed his substantial singer-songwriter appeal into a first-place finish, a $1 million prize, and the headline spot on the first-ever national “America’s Got Talent Tour,” which visited major cities throughout the U.S. in Fall 2010. Grimm has signed to Epic Records, who released his major-label self-titled debut album this past spring. He is currently on tour opening for Stevie Nicks.

Season five’s runner-up Jackie Evancho, an 11-year-old soprano prodigy who auditioned for the series through YouTube, recently released her debut album “Dream with Me,” which was certified gold after only four weeks of release. Evancho is currently on a sold-out U.S. tour and Syco/Columbia Records recently released the DVD of “Dream with Me Live — Great Performances PBS Special” in September.

Season two winner Terry Fator – a ventriloquist from Dallas, Texas – achieved his lifelong dream when he was crowned the second season champion. After the win, he went on to sign a five-year $100 million-dollar deal to headline at the Mirage in Las Vegas.

Following weeks of intense competition and awe-inspiring performances, the winner and fan favorites from this season will perform in a special three-night engagement in Las Vegas on October 28, October 29 and October 30 in the famous 4,500 seat Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The two-hour live event will be hosted by Jerry Springer and include an all-star roster of the country’s most dynamic “America’s Got Talent” entertainers. There will also be a special guest appearance by the 2011 “Australia’s Got Talent” winner, whose album has already gone gold, 14 year old Jack Vidgen. Tickets to “America’s Got Talent Live,” presented by AEG Live, are on sale now and can be purchased via http://agt.aeglive.com.

“America’s Got Talent,” hosted by Nick Cannon, stars Sharon Osbourne, Howie Mandel and Piers Morgan as the panel of celebrity judges. The series is a true celebration of the American spirit, featuring a colorful array of aspiring stars, including singers, dancers, comedians, contortionists, impressionists, jugglers, magicians and ventriloquists, all vying for their chance to strut and perform on stage hoping to win America’s hearts – and the $1 million prize.

For more information, please visit nbc.com/americas-got-talent/, twitter.com/nbcagt and facebook.com/nbcagt.

For contestant embeddable clips and full episodes of “America’s Got Talent,” please visit NBC.com’s official show site: http://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/

Source: NBC Press Release

‘AMERICA’S GOT TALENT’ ANNOUNCES SECOND ANNUAL YOUTUBE AUDITIONS

NBC, FremantleMedia, Syco and YouTube Join Forces Again for Online Auditions That Made 10-Year-Old Season Five Finalist Jackie Evancho a Star

Season 6 of NBC’s #1 Summer Series Premieres Tuesday, May 31 (8-10 p.m. ET)

UNIVERSAL CITY, California – NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and its producers have re-partnered with YouTube to allow talented acts from across the country the opportunity to audition online for their shot at stardom and a million-dollar prize, it was announced today by Paul Telegdy, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, NBC and Universal Media Studios. Much like season 5 finalist Jackie Evancho, who became a worldwide singing sensation after her online submission led to her competing on the #1 summer series, hopefuls once again can audition online by submitting their auditions via YouTube.

Powered by YouTube, beginning May 5 through June 9, acts of all ages can now upload their audition videos via the “America’s Got Talent” Audition App, or at www.youtube.com/americasgottalent, or at nbc.com/agt, as well as the “America’s Got Talent” Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/nbcagt. Following the June 9 deadline, producers will select 20 acts for the YouTube community to view and vote for their favorites. The #1 YouTube act with the most votes will automatically gain a place on the YouTube-branded quarterfinal broadcast episode.

This season, “America’s Got Talent” has taken the online audition element to the next level, allowing submissions via a new iPhone and Android app, which gives potential acts the opportunity to submit audition videos from their handheld devices. This first-of-its-kind competition show app allows these users to record and upload a video directly to YouTube and submit it as an official ”America’s Got Talent” audition.

“With a flip of the hand, this process throws a wider net across America,” said Telegdy. “You Tube brought us Jackie Evancho for season 5, and with greater accessibility and ease provided by the audition app, there’s no telling what amazing talent will surface next.”

“We are delighted to work with NBC’s digital marketing team and YouTube to put this ground-breaking audition experience directly in the hands of the contestants,” said Olivier Delfosse, Vice President Interactive, Mobile and Digital Content for FremantleMedia Enterprises. “Jackie’s success is a great testament to the power of social media, and proves that winning ‘America’s Got Talent’ is within anyone’s reach.”

The YouTube auditions were especially notable last season when then unknown 10-year-old vocalist Evancho placed first in the inaugural online contest. She went on to advance to the Top 10, where she performed “Pie Jesu“ by Andrew Lloyd Webber (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ar0r02FZng), and her YouTube audition has since garnered over 3.7 million views to-date. After the finale, she signed a recording deal with Columbia records. Her first album, ”O Holy Night,” debuted at #2 on the Billboard chart and #1 in the U.S. Classical Album Chart, selling over 1.5 million copies in 2010 and making her the top-selling debut artist in the U.S. that year, as well as the youngest female solo artist to have a platinum selling record and debut in the Top 10.

That same season, the YouTube-themed shows hit a three-week high in total viewers to rank as the #1 telecast of the night, averaging 10.5 million persons, and the season finale set a series record with 16.4 million viewers.

For more information, please visit nbc.com/americas-got-talent/, twitter.com/nbcagt and facebook.com/nbcagt.

For contestant embeddable clips and full episodes of “America’s Got Talent” please visit NBC.com’s official show site: http://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/

Source: NBC Press Release

NBC’S HIT SUMMER SERIES ‘AMERICA’S GOT TALENT,’ ANNOUNCES OPEN AUDITIONS IN MINNEAPOLIS, ATLANTA, HOUSTON AND TACOMA IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY

As Previously Announced, Summer’s Top-rated Series Also Heads to New York This Weekend, November 14 and 15

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – November 10, 2010 — NBC’s top-rated summer series “America’s Got Talent” will continue its nationwide search in the new year in Minneapolis (January 22 and 23), Atlanta (January 29 and 30), Houston (February 12 and 13) and Tacoma, Wash. (February 19 and 20). In addition, the show heads to New York City this weekend (November 14 and 15) for auditions at the Jacob Javits Center (as previously announced).

The “America’s Got Talent” auditions are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for performers across the country and the series’ producers continue to challenge potential contestants to showcase their talents in 90 seconds. Every type of performer is welcome – this includes musicians, dance crews, magicians, contortionists, comedians, singers, jugglers, animal acts and everything in between – all of whom want to perform for America’s votes and the coveted $1 million prize.

Details for the open auditions are below:

NEW YORK
Sunday, November 14 and Monday, November 15
Registration: 8 a.m.- 7 p.m.
Location: Jacob Javits Center
655 West 34th Street, New York, N.Y. 10001

MINNEAPOLIS
Saturday, January 22 and Sunday, January 23
Registration: 8 a.m.- 7 p.m.
Location: Minneapolis Convention Center
1301 2nd Ave. South, Minneapolis, Minn. 55403
Contestant Entrance: 3rd Ave South entrance.

ATLANTA
Saturday, January 29 and Sunday, January 30
Registration: 8 a.m.- 7 p.m.
Location: Atlanta America’s Mart
40 Peachtree Street NW #2200, Atlanta, Ga. 30303-1327
Contestant Entrance: 235 William St.

HOUSTON
Saturday, February 12 and Sunday, February 13
Registration: 8 a.m.- 7 p.m.
Location: Houston Reliant Center
One Reliant Park, Houston, Tex. 77054
Contestant Entrance: 8400 Kirby St – McNee entrance.

TACOMA (Wash.)
Saturday, February 19 and Sunday, February 20
Registration: 8 a.m.- 7 p.m.
Location: Tacoma Convention Center
1500 Broadway, Tacoma, Wash. 98402
Contestant Entrance: Commerce St. entrance.

For more information on these cities and to pre-register please visit AGTauditions.com.

Open to talent of any age, “America’s Got Talent” offers a unique chance for anyone who has dreamed of performing their talent on a national stage. Please visit nbc.com/americas-got-talent/, twitter.com/nbcagt and facebook.com/nbcagt for more up-to-date information and news.

Mississippi-born soul singer Michael Grimm was recently crowned the winner of the fifth season’s competition. The win moved the humble soul singer to tears as he took home the show’s $1 million prize. He has just signed a record deal with Epic records.

Season four winner Kevin Skinner released his debut album, “Long Ride.” One of last season’s finalists, Recycled Percussion, are currently headlining their own show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and Barbara Padilla, last season’s runner-up, is working on albums in Spanish and Italian.

Season two winner Terry Fator — a ventriloquist from Dallas, Texas — achieved his lifelong dream when he was crowned the second season champion. After the win, he went on to sign a five-year $100 hundred million-dollar deal to headline at the Mirage in Las Vegas.

“America’s Got Talent,” hosted by Nick Cannon, stars Sharon Osbourne, Howie Mandel and Piers Morgan as the panel of celebrity judges. The series is a true celebration of the American spirit, featuring a colorful array of aspiring stars, including singers, dancers, comedians, contortionists, impressionists, jugglers, magicians and ventriloquists, all vying for their chance to strut and perform on stage hoping to win America’s hearts – and the $1 million prize.

“America’s Got Talent” is produced by Fremantle Media North America and Simon Cowell’s SYCO Television. Simon Cowell, Cecile Frot-Coutaz (“American Idol”), Jason Raff and Ken Warwick are executive producers.

Source: NBC Press Release

NBC’S HIT SUMMER SERIES ‘AMERICA’S GOT TALENT,’ BEGINS AUDITIONS FOR SEASON SIX IN DENVER ON OCTOBER 9-10

Summer’s Top-rated Series Also Headed to Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Seattle and Houston in Upcoming Months

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – October 4, 2010 — NBC’s top-rated summer series “America’s Got Talent” begins its nationwide search for the hottest and most unique performers to compete in the upcoming sixth season of the talent competition series. The open auditions begin this weekend — Saturday and Sunday, October 9-10, in Denver. Later this year and in early 2011, the series will also be in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Seattle and Houston.

The series’ producers are challenging potential contestants to showcase their talents in 90 seconds and all performers are welcome. This includes musicians, dance crews, magicians, contortionists, comedians, singers, jugglers, animal acts, and everything in between — who want to perform for America’s votes and the coveted $1 million prize.

Details for the open auditions are below:

DENVER

Saturday, October 9 and Sunday, October 10

Registration: 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Location: Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel
1550 Court Pl., Denver, CO 80202

LOS ANGELES

Saturday, October 23 and Sunday, October 24

Registration: 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Location: Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles
506 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90071

CHICAGO

Saturday, November 6 and Sunday, November 7

Registration: 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Location: McCormick Place
2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60616

NEW YORK

Sunday, November 14 and Monday, November 15

Registration: 8:00 a.m.– 7:00 p.m.
Location: Jacob Javits Center
655 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001

Prospective participants are welcome to visit AGTauditions.com to pre-register and for information on upcoming cities Atlanta, Seattle and Houston.

Open to talent of any age, “America’s Got Talent” offers a unique chance for anyone to perform on a nationwide variety show. Contestants who pre-register at AGTauditions.com will be kept up-to-date with the most current information.

Please also visit nbc.com/americas-got-talent/, twitter.com/nbcagt and facebook.com/nbcagt for more up-to-date information and news.

Mississippi-born soul singer Michael Grimm was recently crowned the winner of the fifth season’s competition. The win moved the humble soul singer to tears as he took home the show’s $1 million prize. He is currently headlining a nationwide America’s Got Talent tour, which includes a stop on the Las Vegas Strip, and has just signed a record deal with Epic records.

Season four winner, Kevin Skinner, released his debut album, “Long Ride,” last September. One of last season’s finalists, Recycled Percussion, are currently headlining their own show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and Barbara Padilla, last season’s runner-up, is working on albums in Spanish and Italian.

Season two winner, Terry Fator, a ventriloquist from Dallas, Texas, achieved his lifelong dream when he was crowned the second season champion. After the win he went on to sign a five-year $100 hundred million-dollar deal to headline at The Mirage in Las Vegas. Beginning February 2009, he will perform 48 weeks a year, 5 nights a week in The Terry Fator Theatre (currently the Danny Gans Theatre).

“America’s Got Talent,” hosted by Nick Cannon, stars Sharon Osbourne, Howie Mandel and Piers Morgan as the panel of celebrity judges. The series is a true celebration of the American spirit, featuring a colorful array of aspiring stars, including singers, dancers, comedians, contortionists, impressionists, jugglers, magicians and ventriloquists, all vying for their chance to strut and perform on stage hoping to win America’s hearts – and the $1 million prize.

“America’s Got Talent” is produced by Fremantle Media North America and Simon Cowell’s SYCO Television. Simon Cowell, Cecile Frot-Coutaz (“American Idol”), Jason Raff and Ken Warwick are executive producers.

Source: NBC Press Release

NBC, FREMANTLEMEDIA AND YOUTUBE HOLD ONLINE AUDITIONS FOR #1 HIT SUMMER SERIES ‘AMERICA’S GOT TALENT’

Beginning April 26, Acts From Across the Country Can Upload Their Audition Videos to YouTube for Chance to Perform and Compete for $1 Million Prize

UNIVERSAL CITY, California – April 26, 2010 – NBC and the producers of “America’s Got Talent,” premiering June 1 (8-10 p.m. ET), have partnered with YouTube to allow talented acts from across the country to audition online for a shot at performing live on the #1 hit summer series, it was announced today by Paul Telegdy, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, NBC and Universal Media Studios, and Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of FremantleMedia North America and executive producer of “America’s Got Talent.”

Beginning April 26 through June 18, talented acts can upload their audition videos at www.youtube.com/americasgottalent. From the submissions, the show’s producers will select 40 acts to be posted on the special “AGT” YouTube site. The YouTube community will then vote for their favorite acts and the act with the most votes will get to perform LIVE on “America’s Got Talent,” alongside 11 other YouTube acts chosen by producers.

“’Expect the unexpected’ has always been core to the success of AGT,” said Telegdy. “This audacious new twist to the audition process offers our viewers not only a priceless golden ticket to get onto the biggest stage in the country in the middle of the competition, but also the opportunity for a thrilling live show where anything can happen. No other show would dare to take on this challenge.”

“We’re thrilled for the opportunity to leverage the passion, power and opinion of the YouTube community to help find the next winner of ‘America’s Got Talent,” added Frot-Coutaz.

This season, the series has traveled to Chicago, Philadelphia, New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas, Orlando, Atlanta, and Portland, but the YouTube invitations will exponentially extend the search to find the country’s freshest and unique talent.

“America’s Got Talent” has proven to be an online sensation with some of the most viewed videos on YouTube. From chicken farmer and last season’s winner Kevin Skinner to “Quick Change” and Neal Boyd’s spine-tingling opera performances to little Kaitlyn Maher singing “Somewhere Out There.” Some of the most memorable contestant moments on “AGT” became online sensations.

NBC.com will continue to host the official website for “America’s Got Talent” – http://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/ – and will feature full episodes of the show, weekly video highlights, contestant photos and online voting where fans will be able to vote for the finalists and ultimately the winner.

“America’s Got Talent” from “American Idol” producers FremantleMedia North America and Simon Cowell’s SYCO Television, returns this summer on June 1 (8-10 p.m. ET) with the hottest performers from across the country ready to compete in the blockbuster reality show’s fifth season. Howie Mandel (“Deal or No Deal”), one of America’s favorite entertainers, joins returning celebrity judges Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan this season, while actor/producer/comedian Nick Cannon also returns as host.

The series is a true celebration of the American spirit, featuring a colorful array of hopeful stars, including singers, dancers, comedians, contortionists, impressionists, jugglers, magicians and ventriloquists, all vying for their chance to strut and perform on stage hoping to win America’s hearts – and the $1 million prize.

“America’s Got Talent” is produced by FremantleMedia North America and Simon Cowell’s SYCO Television. Simon Cowell, Cecile Frot-Coutaz (“American Idol”), Jason Raff, and Ken Warwick (“American Idol”) are executive producers.