The TV Zone

Well, here we go again. Another season of "America's Got Talent."

Just to write those three words - and then think of the prospect of David Hasselhoff passing judgment (along with Sharon Osbourne) on anything or anyone, and the sight of some seriously sad wannabes up there on the stage, causing viewers of sounder mind and body to wonder about their sanity and the tolerance of American television, particularly NBC, to put up anything on the screen these days - sends a cruel chill up my spine.

But whatever. I'll live.

Show's back (tonight at 9), and surprise! It's the same. No change. Some bad stuff. Some amusing stuff. (Check out the dude who dances with a trombone!) Some scary stuff (Romanian twins.) Some good stuff (the violin brothers...) Someone'll win. Fourteen or so million people will watch. The Republic will endure.

Here's a quick pointer about tonight's open, however. You will hear someone, maybe Piers Morgan - another reality TV champ - or maybe Jerry Springer, say that last season's winner, Terry Fator, scored a "$100 million deal, making him the most successful reality show contestant in HISTORY!!!!"

$100 million (over five years?) That's gotta be bogus, you say. And you may be right, or... Terry Fator did indeed get a deal to perform at the Mirage (which will even name a theater for him) a few weeks ago. The source of this sensational information? Robin Leach, who - you will correctly observe - is not exactly Bob Woodward.

In any event, here's the headline. It could be true. I took out my calculator - a dangerous habit - and figured that Terry would have to sell out his theater every night (1,265 seats) at a minimum of sixty bucks per seat. Usual coverage charge at the Mirage? Ray Romano, for example, is getting $121. So this huge deal is, indeed, possible (though you will also correctly observe that Terry Fator is not exactly Ray Romano...)

Go get 'em, Terry...

BTW, here's Terry on "Ellen" last fall...