Sharon Osbourne: British Invasion and America’s Got Talent
By: Daedrian McNaughton
As top music manager , wife to heavy metal music guru–Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne has reinvented herself as TV Star, former judge of X Factor UK, America’s Got Talent and now as talk show host on “The Talk.”
This official bad ass and cancer survivor returns to America’s Got Talent taking on the roles of judge and mother hen to the contestants and her fellow panelists, Piers Morgan, and Howie Mandel.
Daedrian McNaughton of Premier Guide Media caught up with Sharon to judge Piers and Howie, how her battle with cancer changed her life and her take on being a Housewife of Beverly Hills.
Will we see you on the Beverly Hills Housewives?
Sharon Osbourne: Oh God, you’ll never see me on the Beverly Hills Housewives because I never have been a housewife, ever. So I have always worked. From the age of 15, I have always worked. And I’ve never been a woman that spends, you know, her day deciding am I going to go for a facial or a pedicure and that is the amount of your day. So that’s not me. And what was the first part of the question?
Who were you inspired by the most on America’s Got Talent?
Sharon Osbourne: Two season ago,we had a lady opera singer who had survived cancer and chemotherapy. And she had her dream of wanting to sing. (Barbara), her name is. And she did it. She actually came, I think, second or third three seasons ago. And I just thought that she was a great inspiration for everyone that’s got a dream.
You’re a cancer survivor and so is my mom. How did that experience change your life?
Sharon Osbourne: It did change my life because it stopped me from being so selfish in thinking that the business that I work in is the most important thing in the world because it is not. And in the big picture, it’s just a little grain of sand. And when you work with amazing people that dedicate their lives to saving others, it makes you realize that we’re very unimportant when there are people with doctors and nurses that just dedicate their whole lives to helping other people. So it makes you feel very small.
There’s a British invasion on TV with you, Nigel, Simon Cowell, Piers. What is your next conquest?
Sharon Osbourne: There is a, kind of, British invasion here. I think it happens every decade. But I just think that Americans just love English accents. That’s all it is. And I think that America, for English people, has always been the ultimate goal to any entertainer is to make it in America. Many come over and try and make it. And many go home again. But I’m blessed that I’m in the lot that has made some sort of dent here. And I love this Country. I don’t ever want to go back to live in England. My home is here. I love the Country.
Were you satisfied with Martin’s work on your apartment?
Sharon Osbourne: Yes. As far as Martin Lawrence Ballard, the Interior Designer, he’s quite fabulous. And, especially as a person, he’s a very, very good friend of mine.
What is the secret to looking good at your age?
Sharon Osbourne: Oh my God, no. Overweight – 25 pounds overweight. Don’t work out – had a great surgeon. And, I suppose the face has lasted pretty good. That’s it. But I don’t have any secrets at all.
Of all the bands your husband toured with, which is your favorite?
Sharon Osbourne: Of all the bands that have opened for my husband, my favorite and the one I’m most proud of is Metallica.
As a judge, what can we expect from you this year?
Sharon Osbourne: I am definitely harder than I’ve been in previous years. And I’m actually comfortable in that position that I’m in right now of being a little more judgmental and not so tolerant and really making it about the talent and not about somebody’s life story.
What is the hardest part of being a judge?
Sharon Osbourne: Well there is more that goes along with being a judge because everybody’s got a dream and you don’t want to destroy somebody’s dream. You don’t want to humiliate them publicly. But then, at the same time too, you don’t want to give somebody false hope. You don’t want to destroy somebody either. And dreams keep a lot of people going. And you try not to destroy people at that point.
Of all the judges on America’s Got Talent, who would you live with?
Sharon Osbourne: Nick is a great catch but I think Mariah would beat the shit out of me. So that wouldn’t work. And, Piers is funny, funny, funny and, you know – that dry sense of humor. But his wife’s pregnant right now. So I wouldn’t want to upset her by moving in. And Howie, he wouldn’t want to touch me so that wouldn’t be fun. So I’d probably stick to my husband.
What’s your take on sitting next to Howie Mandel as a judge?
Sharon Osbourne: Well, I know Howie because he’s my neighbor. And he’s just the funniest, naughtiest guy that I’ve met in years. And it just made me so happy when it was announced he was doing the show. We literally live next door to each other.
With talents like Michael Grimm and Jackie Evancho, is the bar set higher for contestants this season?
Sharon Osbourne: You strive to get better and better. And their level of professionalism was very, very high. So you don’t want to go down from that level. You want to go above that level. So, yes, it sets the bar very high.
You have multiple projects going on this year. How do you keep up?
Sharon Osbourne: Well, I don’t. I mess up on a lot of things. You think that you can handle it all. And you can’t. Certain things fall through. And I’m going to have to review my next year because I definitely packed it too tight this year. You can’t do it all at the same level. Something has to suffer. I think to be a better person. I think I’m in work in progress. But I try to be a better person. As far as my personal goals in life, I’ve reached them all. I never wanted to be the head of a huge organization. I never wanted to be number one at everything. But I’ve had amazing life experiences, amazing opportunities. I’ve been blessed personally. But I strive to be a better person.
What impact do you think these talent shows have on young people?
Sharon Osbourne: I was talking about this this morning because I listened to this speech from MTV yesterday by the brilliant little actress – Reese Witherspoon. When she accepted her award, she said something which is so true that you can make it. You can be a success without making a sex tape or without being in a reality show. It’s really about talent. And it’s about knowing your craft and learning your craft and determination. And I admire her so much. And when she gave her speech, I was like right on because it’s all about talent. And I think that a lot of people might make it through reality shows in the short term. You get there very quickly. If you’re successful in a reality show, you get that quickly. But ultimately you have a short career. It doesn’t last long. You have your five minutes, as Andy Warhol would say.
You have done reality series and talent shows, what do you find different in judging this show from the shows you have been involved in in the past?
Sharon Osbourne: The difference is and the thing that I love about America’s Got Talent is that it’s not just singing. And so it’s – the element of surprise is still there for me because you never know what somebody is going to do- the next act when they’re coming on to audition. And that’s what I love. You just don’t get one singer after another because I think it can be a bit monotonous. Because, like I said, it’s not just about singing. How many times can you hear another rendition of Hallelujah or Hero? It’s like – it’s refreshing in the fact that you can hear a little girl that sings like an angel with an unbelievable operatic voice. And then you can have the best drag queen in the world. All on the same show. And it just shakes it up a bit. And that’s what makes us different from every other talent show. You can see somebody on a bike jumping across bloody makeshift bridges on the stage. And then you’ll see somebody flying on a trapeze. So you’re never bored with it because there’s always something different. The next act is totally different genre than the one you’ve seen before.
Has the show improved over the years?
Sharon Osbourne: Well, I think for our show each season gets better and better. And of course, I’m going to say the show is better this year than ever because I’m on it. I’m not going to put down the show I’m on. But truthfully, it really is packed with an unbelievable array of talent in all different genres of art. It’s amazing. And I’m so proud to be a part of the show. Last year, I think the show was spectacular. And this year it’s just as good.
As the oldest on the show, do you find that you fall into the motherly role for these contestants?
Sharon Osbourne: I suppose so because I am the oldest. So I think it’s something that comes with age. So I will gladly take on that title. When the younger contestants are on, it takes so much courage to get up there and perform anyway let alone when you’ve got really young kids doing it. And I always think oh my God, if that was my kid out there, how would I want them treated by a judge? So I always think of them as being my kids. And so you have to be very, very careful when it comes to kids.