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HOW TO BE THE NEXT AMERICAN IDOL OR GOT TALENT WINNER

As expected, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced the suspension of his campaign and endorsed Donald Trump.  He had become inconsequential, and joining the creepy Republican presidential team only worsens their chances.  I should add that....five of his siblings issued a joint statement in a post on X after he suspended his campaign and said he was supporting Trump.

STATEMENT ON ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.'S

ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY We want an America filled with hope and bound together by a shared vision of a brighter future, a future defined by individual freedom, economic promise and national pride. We believe in Harris and Walz. Our brother Bobby's decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear. It

is a sad ending to a sad story.

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

Courtney Kennedy

Kerry Kennedy

Chris Kennedy

Rory Kennedy

The Democratic National Convention is over, and the party succeeded in selling joy and hope, over the angry and creepy Republican campaign.  The most effective speakers, however, were Republicans and Independents, for there is a significant marginal group of voters that will make the crucial difference.  Oprah Winfrey was magnificent, Stephanie Grisham, a Republican insider, confirmed all the terribleness about Trump, and Adam Kinzinger last night might have convinced a sufficient number of Republicans to vote for Kamala Harris.  Read this Business Insider's detailed reportage.

Now on to the entertainment feature of this Friday.  To win American Idol or America's Got Talent, you first need to get on those programs.  American Idol is taking Zoom auditions by state.  Those who missed the first call have a second chance beginning from September 11.

Not everyone can audition.  For two, you can't be older than 29 years old, and must be at least 14.

  • You must be born on or between June 2, 1995 and February 15, 2010 to be eligible to participate this season
  • You must be a legal U.S. resident and be authorized to participate in the entire competition portion of the program and throughout the term of any post-show agreements
  • You are ineligible to participate if you competed in any previous season of "American Idol" and placed first in the competition
  • You must be able to demonstrate that you do not have any contractual arrangement that would prohibit you from fully participating in the show and/or entering into any contracts required by producer or any of the other program entities
  • If you already have a management contract prior to your first audition in front of the program judges, the requirement to enter into a management contract shall not apply to you provided that you can demonstrate that such contract commenced prior to the date of your first audition.
  • You must not currently be a candidate for public office and must agree not to become a candidate for public office until one year after the initial exhibition of the final episode of the program in which you appear
  • As of June 1, 2024 and continuing through the completion of the competition, neither you nor any of your immediate family members or members of your household (whether related or not), may be an employee, officer or director (excluding interns or other short-term independent contractors) of Industrial Media Inc., American Idol Productions, Inc., American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.; FremantleMedia North America, Inc., Telescope Inc.; any of the foregoing entities’ respective parents, subsidiaries or affiliated companies; any person or entity directly involved in the casting, auditions, development, production, distribution, or other exploitation of the program; any known, major sponsor of the program; or any person or entity supplying services or prizes to the program
  • You must accurately complete all documents provided by producer, any of the other program entities or any other entity providing services to the program

Season 23 returns probably in February of 2025 with Carrie Underwood replacing Katy Perry.  Underwood was the 2005 American Idol winner in Season 4.  Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan will most likely return.







America's Got Talent Season 19 returned after the Paris Olympics.  Sessions occur for two hours on Tuesday nights, with a one-hour results show on Wednesdays.  This goes on weekly until the final on September 24.  44 acts are left, with 9 golden buzzers.

Cowell pressed the Golden Buzzer for singer Liv Warfield and drone group Sky Elements, so they will be going straight through to the live shows. Klum pressed the buzzer for singers Richard Goodall and 9-year-old Pranysqa Mishra, who stunned the judges with her cover of Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High”. Vergara’s golden Buzzer pick was the Japanese group Schumacher and the dance group Legion. Mandel sent dance group Brent Street and 14-year-old singer Reid Wilson straight to the live shows after impressing him with their auditions. Crews gave his Golden Buzzer to comedian Learnmore Jonasi.

My favorite, Sky Elements, although I liked Richard Goodall.  He is a humble and overweight janitor from Terre Haute, Indiana.  Kind of reminds me of Tim Walz. Both represent the common folk of the Midwest.  You can identify with them.

  • Almost anyone can apply, from any country.  
  • Exceptions are if you will not besmirch the integrity of the AGT or a candidate for public office.
  • Baby Dev was only 2-years old.
  • A Britain Got Talent performer was Nora Barton, 96 years old.  She had Alzheimer's, and got four yeses.

All 20 American Idol champions and 13 of 18 America's Got Talent winners are from the USA.  However, as is yearly becoming more obvious, this year most of the AGT finalists are foreign.  In fact all four judges are also aliens.  Terry Crews is American, abut only a moderator.  He played linebacker and outside rusher in the NFL.  There have been two AGT Champion competitions, and both were won by non-Americans, Shin Lim from Canada and the Indian (from India) dance group V.Unbeatable.  So this program should now rightfully be called the World's Got Talent.  

No auditions for Saturday Night Live, which returns on September 28.  They're always searching for the next role player of any suddenly hot personality in politics, but you need to already be famous to get selected, and usually someone in their current cast, or a noted former one.

  • Six performers have in the past portrayed Donald Trump (middle):  Phil Hartman, Darrell Hammon (right), Jason Sudeikis, Taran Killam (left), Alex Baldwin and James Austin Johnson.  SNL cast member Johnson is expected to return as Donald Trump this year but as Baldwin's reputation begins to improve, maybe some slot could be found for him.  Maybe a cold opening of only Donald Trumps.
  • Maya Rudolph has signed up with SNL to play Kamala Harris,  Watch this  former clip, with Martin Short as husband Doug Emhoff.
  • Steve Martin was first asked to play Tim Walz, but declined.  In consideration are, with ties to Minnesota, Al Franken, plus Jim Gaffigan and Jim O'Heir.
  • JD Vance hopefuls are Shane Gillis, Hale Joel Osment and Zach Galifianakis, with Taran Killam given an outside shot.  Cat lover Kate McKinnon said she would savor the chance to skewer JD.  She has not only played Hillary Clinton and Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the past, but also Jeff Sessions and Rudy Giuliani.  Remember Melissa McCarthy as Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer?  Maybe the all-time most enjoyable character in SNL.  If you clicked on that, you'd also love her (his) return.  

On the hurricane front, Gilma was once up to 125 MPH, but weakened to 105 MPH, and at this moment, certainly looks like straight for my apartment in Hawaii.  But models have her approaching cooler waters, and considerably weakening over the next few days.

Of more immediate concern is Tropical Storm Hone (ho-nay, meaning sweet and soft in Hawaiian), now a tropical storm, but will bring considerable rain and some winds to the Big Island from tomorrow.  Passing just south of South Point, there should be strengthening into a hurricane on Sunday when the eye will be just south of where I live, but perhaps 200 miles away.  Hope she doesn't suddenly follow the path of Super Hurricane Iniki and make a right turn.

The really dangerous ocean storm is Typhoon Shanshan, while now only at 75 MPH, will strengthen to 125 MPH.  The predicted path has shifted east a bit, so landfall on Tuesday (August 27) is now predicted for Mie Peninsula, where Mikimoto did his original pearl culturing, with the eye heading for Ise Bay, then Nagoya, and finally Sapporo on Wednesday.

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