Latest news with #Cowell
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Simon Cowell stops performance of 13-year-old 'America's Got Talent' singer called 'young Justin Bieber' by judges
Chase Varnes, a 13-year-old musician from Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia, had a scary encounter with judge Simon Cowell Tuesday on America's Got Talent. Varnes had just started singing and playing guitar when Cowell, the man who helped Nicole Scherzinger assemble One Direction on the U.K. version of The X Factor in 2010, stopped him abruptly. "I hate to do this," said Cowell, who has, in fact, stopped acts before. "I didn't love the song; however, I like you. Have you got another song?" Varnes broke into Ed Sheeran's "Life Goes On," and it was a hit with audiences and most of the judges. "You know, you remind me of a young Justin Bieber," judge Howie Mandel told Varnes, who lit up at the compliment. Like his fellow Canadian, Varnes has put in his time busking. Judge Sofia Vergara was also complimentary. "I know it's nerve-racking to be on this stage, but I thought it was better the second song," Vergara said. "Simon always knows how to stop it and make it better. I think the girls are gonna go crazy for you." The third judge, Mel B, was more cautious. "You were great," the former Spice Girl said. "You were a diamond in the rough with so much potential. But I can see your nervousness. You're not quite there yet for me." Then Mandel started the voting by giving him a "yes." While Vergara did the same, Mel B held out. "I think, give yourself another year, then come back when you're more confident,' she said. "I have to say no, I'm sorry." But Cowell saved the clear audience favorite, who only needed one more ally on the panel."Sometimes we have on people your age, and I'm like, 'Okay, I'll be sort of nicer because you're young," Cowell began. "You, I actually do believe, that you have something.... You've got everything going for you. The audience loved you, which is why you're gonna get three yeses." Later, the show's stage was overtaken with cats — or at least people dressed like them. A Baltimore artist who goes by Moshow and is known as "The Cat Rapper" rocked a hat that gave him cat ears and lyrics ("Meow, meow, meow") that did not make the judges purr. At Vergara gave him a "yes" vote, she was the only one. Cowell did, however, note that "the kids are gonna love that song." The very next act to walk onto the stage was also feline-oriented. And none of the members, who were all dressed as cats, would speak. It was too much for Mel B, who asked, "Is this some kind of joke?" But it was real. The group of a dozen or so people, called Loco Pop Familia, did a choreographed routine that left even Mel B impressed, just not enough to win her support. "You all can really dance," she said, "But. You're so annoying! The whole thing is annoying. The song is annoying. The way that you dressed as cats is not my thing." Cowell disagreed wholeheartedly and called the act "genius." He also gave them the third vote they needed to move forward. Upon hearing the good news, the contestants dropped to the floor and crawled off the stage. America's Got Talent airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT Tuesdays on NBC. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Watch: Boston Dynamics Robots dances at America's Got Talent, dies mid-performance onstage
Boston Dynamics' four legged Spot robots recently impressed everyone with their dance performance on 'America's Got Talent'. The robots managed to impress everyone with their synchronised dance steps on the iconic hit song ' Don't Stop Me Now'. However,an unexpected mishap during the performance made their dance video viral. All the five spot robots started dancing and all of a sudden one of the robot froze mid-performance. However, the remaining four robots continued with the dance performance and later earned a standing ovation and 'yes' vote from the judges of the show. Boston Dynamics' four legged Spot robots danced on America's Got Talent All the five Spot robots from Boston Dynamics took to the stage and started their dance performance. Both the judges and the audience of the reality show were in awe seeing their synchronised movements which included swaying, spinning, and precise shifts in formation. At one point, their gripper arms even mimicked Freddie Mercury's signature mic stand gestures. However, the audition witnessed an unplanned turn when during the performance one of the robots abruptly stopped dancing and remained motionless on stage. Despite the sudden shut down of the robot, the other four robots continued their performance without missing a single beat. Reaction of the audience and judges to the dance performance by Boston Dynamics' four legged Spot robots After the performance, both the judges and the audience gave a standing ovation to the robots. When a Boston Dynamics engineer appeared on stage and was asked if the downed robot could be fixed, he confidently replied, "Of course. At Boston Dynamics, we believe in building, breaking, and fixing." In a dramatic moment, the seemingly lifeless robot then whirred back to life, stood up, and rejoined its fellow performers, eliciting an even louder cheer from the crowd. Cowell even remarked on the unexpected malfunction, suggesting it "was weirdly better that one of them died... because it showed how difficult this was. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Boston Dynamics robots dance to ‘Don't Stop Me Now' for ‘America's Got Talent' audition
A dance crew of four-legged robots from Boston Dynamics appeared on 'America's Got Talent' to perform a synchronized routine to Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now.' Their performance was impressive enough to earn four 'yes' votes from the judges — but one of the five robots experienced some stage fright, perhaps, and shut down in the middle of the routine. But the show must go on, so nevertheless, the four other robots persisted. 'Can I be honest with you?' judge Simon Cowell asked at the conclusion of their performance. 'I don't mean this in a cruel way. It was weirdly better that one of them died… because it showed how difficult this was.' Cowell has a point — we can understand the technology better when we see where and how it can fail. For many years, Boston Dynamics was tight-lipped about the mishaps of its robots, cultivating an image of these perfect, futuristic beings that can do no wrong. But a few years back, the company shared footage that shows how precisely engineered the robots need to be to create the kinds of videos that go viral. 'A natural consequence of pushing robots to their limit is that, sometimes, those limits are met,' Boston Dynamics wrote in a blog post at the time, recounting how its Atlas robots would often lose balance and fall while doing parkour. In a silver lining for Boston Dynamics, the robots' imperfect television performance might end up being more memorable than a perfectly executed (dare I say, robotic?) dance. Remember that deflated Pikachu? Sign in to access your portfolio
Miami Herald
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Simon Cowell admits he's ‘very worried' about giving his son this as he gets older
During an interview with ITV's This Morning, 'America's Got Talent' judge Simon Cowell opened up about being a parent to a now 11-year-old son. Cowell and his partner Lauren Silverman share son, Eric Cowell. And as his son continues to get older, Cowell admitted that he's getting more and more nervous about an upcoming milestone, giving Eric his first cell phone. For Cowell, getting Eric a phone means giving his son 'access to anything,' according to People. 'I'm very worried, Jeff, about how much kids can see at a certain age,' Cowell told Jeff Brazier with ITV, a British broadcast television network. 'I grew up ... learning things at the right time, the right age, etcetera, etcetera. I just would be petrified of him having access to anything that would really worry me.' In addition to worrying about giving Eric too much information too soon, Cowell opened up about one of the lessons his mom bestowed upon him that he will also bestow upon Eric. 'My mom used to say, manners make the man, and my dad was very good about respecting other people, and I'm trying to do the same thing with him,' Cowell continued. 'Don't make it overcomplicated, you know? Find your path, be happy, [and] be respectful to other people.' Cowell has often discussed his love of being a dad to Eric. He told Brazier that fatherhood is 'the best thing to ever happen' to him 'out of everything I've ever done in my life.' 'The very first time I saw his scan, I was literally obsessed,' Cowell recalled. 'When he was a baby, because they don't really do anything, I'm like, 'Well why doesn't he like me?' and Lauren was going, 'He's a baby' and I didn't understand that. Then, at about a year and a half, we started to communicate, that was magic.' But despite saying Eric is the reason for his 'softer' side, that doesn't mean Eric will get a free pass from his father's infamous judgment for talent. 'If Eric said to me, 'I want to be a singer' and he couldn't sing, I would be absolutely honest with him,' Cowell admitted, according to the Daily Star. 'If he couldn't, I would say, 'You know what, be a drummer'.' However, Cowell is confident he won't have to have that conversation because at just 11 years old, Eric is already proving he has musical talent. 'Eric actually can play the drums well but he's quite shy. I walk and I hear him, and he stops. I say, 'Why are you stopping?' and he says, 'Well, I'm a bit embarrassed' and I say, 'Well don't be, you're really good.''
Miami Herald
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
AGT contestant's journey from living in her car to golden buzzer wows everyone
Charity Lockhart will have quite the story to tell at her 50th birthday party later this year. The 49-year-old singer, who appeared on 'America's Got Talent' on June 10, went from being stopped by judge Simon Cowell midway through her set to earning a golden buzzer just minutes later. Now, she has hopes of winning America's largest talent show and, one day, earning herself a Grammy. And she has quite the story to go along with her ambitious goal. As is tradition on the show, Lockhart shared her story and reason for auditioning — arguing that, while she loves singing and loves music, she primarily does it for her two kids. She then joked that she's raising two 'little' children: a 27-year-old daughter and 21-year-old son. Following a divorce years ago, Lockhart says the trio were forced to live in a car while she performed at clubs and bars to make ends meet. 'All I had was my voice,' she told the audience as her two kids looked on. 'I asked live bands if I can sing with them, and they would give me a little money at the end of the night.' The family's first big break came when Lockhart won a local singing competition — which she joked was not as big as the stage she was standing on now. 'We won a monetary reward, and that gave us our first apartment,' she said to a crowd of cheers. According to her website, Lockhart won $1,000 in that competition in Arizona. She went on to create an Aretha Franklin tribute show that she says was approved by the Franklin family. The show was regularly performed on cruise ships and was 'rated one of the best-received acts on the international waters,' per her website. Prior to her audition, Cowell encouraged Lockhart by telling her that 'anything is possible' when you have talent. 'So, we are all honestly rooting for you right now. Come on!' he said. Lockhart's AGT audition starts off on the wrong foot For her first song, Lockhart sang an a capella of Judy Garland's 'Over the Rainbow.' Her talent was obvious, but she was cut short after just 30 seconds as Cowell put two hands in the air and asked her to stop. 'I stopped you because I like you, but it just wasn't working for me,' Cowell said to a crowd of boos. 'Have you got another song?' Cowell asked, giving Lockhart a chance at redemption. For her second song, she performed a version of 'Golden Slumbers' by The Beatles — this time with background music. 'Look, I really want this to work for you. And I know this is a lot of pressure. But come on, you've got it in you. Let's hear the other song,' Cowell said before she started singing. Sofía Vergara's jaw dropped 30 seconds later, and Cowell's jaw followed. And that was before she started hitting whistle notes. Mel B liked it so much that she was the first to stand up and cheer when the song ended — and the entire audience (including Cowell) followed. 'This is what a great audition is all about,' Cowell said. 'You know when people are going to talk about you the following day — that was one of those auditions. It was that good.' Mel B uses her second golden buzzer of the season As for Mel B, she had a golden look in her eye the entire performance. 'Oh man, you know what, every once in a while you see somebody, you connect with them and they just bring more and more to the table,' she said. 'I think you're amazing and I want to give you this right now,' she said — pressing the golden buzzer. The 'golden buzzer' is a button that AGT judges can press when they are so impressed by an act that they want to send them directly to the live shows. You can watch the golden moment in its entirety below: It was Mel B's second use of the buzzer this season after sending the Messoudi Brothers straight to the live shows during the second night of auditions. 'Oh, I know instantly,' she told NBC Insider of her golden buzzer sense. 'Both my golden buzzers, I knew. And I'm like, 'Nobody on the desk knows that I'm gonna buzz?' I even went to everybody else to see what they thought. I played it well,' she added, per NBC News. Live shows begin airing Tuesday, Aug. 19 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
