When one Stern just isn’t enough, "America's Got Talent" gives us two!
Night two of the Big Apple tryouts had nothing nearly as exciting as those jumping Olate Dogs -- but at least we got to meet Howard Stern’s dad.
Ben Stern, 89, was even coaxed on stage by his attention-grabbing son to deliver some career advice to the very first act of the night (a retail sales clerk who couldn’t carry a tune if it had handles).
“Don’t be stupid, you moron,” he said, recalling advice he gave to the future King of All Media as a teen. “You have to sit down and think this over carefully. First of all, you have to make a living.”
Other than that, a few acts caught our eye -- but no one who looks like they have potential to go far in the competition.
Audition Video: Olate Dogs (S7)
Among the standouts:
Stepz, 22 (Dancer)
His real name is Tyrese Green and he comes to the stage -- by way of Patterson, NJ -- with one of the show’s most powerful backstories.
(His parents were drug addicts living in a gang infested neighborhood. Mom gave him the boot so she could pursue her habit, so Stepz was raised by grandma. Mom is now clean and was in the audience to cheer her son on.)
Stepz teaches dance, which is a plus. But Howard wasn’t sold on his robot-like moves to Lady Gaga’s “Telephone.” “You can dance, but I don’t think this is the kind of act people will pay for,” he said. Howie and Sharon disagree. Next stop: Vegas.
Tom Cotter, 48 (Comedian)
This show is not cut out for comics, but the father of three is off to a good start. What he lacked in unique style and delivery, he made up for with funny one-liners. (“I’m the youngest in my family. I was always getting beat up by the two oldest: Mom and Dad…”)
Sharon loved him: “You delivered! It was one laugh after another.”
Howard agreed: “With so many comic, I find myself doing that fake laugh. With you, it was genuine laughs.”
Tom moves on.
John Pizzi, 50 (Ventriloquist/Comic)
Could this be the next Terry Fator? Doubtful. But Pizzi did put a unique spin on the age-old talking dummy gag by replacing the dummy with an iPad and a giant projection display. He then performed three different skits with avatars of each judge talking about the sexual tension between them.
Howie reminded us that he is not a fan of ventriloquists -- but loved this one.
Howard offered a standing ovation and praised him as an “original.” “You are funny, you have good material,” he said. "You are well thought out.”
It was through to Vegas.
7 Year-Old Rapper Mir Money Posts Message To Fans
All Beef Patty,(Drag queen dancer)
We only got to see a brief snippet of ABP’s audition. Patty performed Lady Gaga’s “You and I” decked out in a zebra print jacket, black stockings and a foot tall bright pink wig. (At least we hope it was a wig!) Howie was sold right away. “You can be a star,” he said.
And off to Sin City she goes.
Auditions move to Tampa on Monday. Who knows what we’ll find there!
What did you think of Howard Stern's dad? And what about the latest acts to hit the "AGT" stage? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
Related content:
- 'America's Got Talent' goes to the dogs and leaves one kid crying
- 'America's Got Talent's' Sharon Osbourne shares topless tale
More in The Clicker: