And talking of ITV, who are airing that 'Britain's Got Talent' nonsense every night this week, Jerry Springer has been criticising one of the show's judges - nasty nasty Piers Morgan - for laying into two wannabe kids who appeared on the US version of the Simon Cowell produced talent show ('America's Got Talent', obviously) by claiming that they had been forced onto the show by their mothers (which, to be fair, they quite probably had been).
Springer has been hosting the second series of the US version of the Opportunity Knocks rip off, and he apparently felt the need to step in when Morgan told a six year old hopeful: "You are not as good as Beyonce, you don't look like her, and, frankly, your mother probably pushed you out there". On the show itself Springer told Morgan: "Stop it, that's wrong", while on a blog on the show's website he wrote: "I really was upset with Piers. I think that was out of line". Asked about the incident by US mag TV Guide he added: "First, you do not attack a six-year-old. You also can't invite [kids] on the show and then attack them for coming. That is too much pressure".
Not that Springer's criticism stopped Morgan. He later told a nine year old wannabe called Breeze: "I feel it's not so much about you, but what your mum wants. She's pushed you into doing this [because] what she really wants is a million dollars and a new car". Springer stepped in again, giving the mother in question the chance to come on stage and defend herself, but Morgan wasn't up for backing down, remarking of the mother in question's explanation as to why she'd brought her daughter to the talent show: "I just don't believe a word of that". At that point Morgan's fellow judge, Sharon Osbourne, also lost it, telling Piers: "I've had it. We are putting her on trial. She is on trial. This is horrific, and I'm going".
Still, Springer shouldn't complain, there's a high chance those kids will be highly traumatized by the whole experience, making good fodder for future editions of his own show - "former Mirror editor ruined my life" and all that. Morgan, of course, is taking the role of the 'nasty judge' on both the UK and US versions of the show, and he sounds like he's doing his best to be amusing. I just hope Cowell has reminded him that, for his own safety, he needs to balance out the bitchiness with an occasional bit of 'championing the fat one', even if he knows full well she's got no chance of a pop career.