2,000 DREAM OF HITTING IT BIG ON ‘AGT’
Odd bunch of acts at Javits tryout
Say this about the thousands of “America’s Got Talent” hopefuls lined up outside the Javits Center: None lacked for confidence.
Talent? That’s a matter of opinion.
A cornucopia of showbiz wannabes gathered Saturday for an open audition as the NBC show heads into its 15th season, with more than a few questionable candidates taking their (long) shot at the big time. The chaotic backstage scene mingled stage moms and costume alterations, dance routines and African drummers, a self-proclaimed princess and a seven-months pregnant ukulele player.
“My boyfriend watches ‘America’s Got Talent,’ ” explained one-named ukulele strummer Shymoney, 31, of upstate Rochester, after finishing her 90-second performance. “At the end of the season, they got information about auditioning for next season. My boyfriend told me to audition, so I went.”
She had plenty of company there, as more than 2,000 people turned out.
Take Tony Mazza, aka Toni Homeperm, whose unlikely transformation into a soul-singing diva channels both Aretha Franklin and his late mother.
“Everything about Toni Homeperm is fake except for her talent and her heart,” the 54-year-old Ronkonkoma, L.I., man explained before donning his lipstick, gown and wig for the tryout. “I have a bucket list, and this is one of them — auditioning for something like this.”
Mindy Fradkin, 64, came down from Newburgh, with her showbiz sidekick, a giant plush frog dubbed Princess Smiles. Fradkin, dressed in what looked like a multicolored Mary Poppins outfit, performs under the stage name of Princess Wow.
“I have no expectations,” said Fradkin, who described her performance as an interactive hat show. “I’m going to have fun. Go with the flow and see what happens.”
And there was Magic, the Yankee Doodle Poodle, who spent two days traveling with owner Cheryllana King from Monroe, Mich., to Manhattan for their shot at stardom. The multilingual
Magic, after hearing his owner utter a word, can then tap out its correct number of letters.
He’s fluent in English, Spanish, French, German and Dutch, according to King.
“I’m here to show America how brilliant my dog is,” said King, 46. “She is smarter than anyone I know. What you put into your dog is what you get out of it.”
AGT executive producer Jason Raff said the show has an open-door policy for hopefuls of all kinds, with nobody turned away. Their dreams will live on for least a few more months, as show producers won’t make a decision until February or March.
“It’s like a big party,” explained the ever-optimistic Raff. “We watch every tape. We never know who is going to walk through the door. It happens so quick.
“In a few months, some of them could be stars.”