Holland

Holland is a region and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. The name Holland is also frequently used to informally refer to the whole of the country of the Netherlands. This usage is commonly accepted in other countries, but in the Netherlands and particularly in other regions of the country it could be found undesirable or even insulting.

From the 10th to the 16th century, Holland proper was a unified political region within the Holy Roman Empire as a county ruled by the Counts of Holland. By the 17th century, Holland had risen to become a maritime and economic power, dominating the other provinces of the newly independent Dutch Republic.

The area of the former County of Holland roughly coincides with the two current Dutch provinces of North Holland and South Holland, which together include the Netherlands' three largest cities: the capital city of Amsterdam; Rotterdam, home of Europe's largest port; and the seat of government of The Hague.

Etymology and terminology

Holland's Magazine

Holland's Magazine (originally known as Street's Weekly, also known as Holland's: The Magazine of the South) was a magazine published from 1876 to 1953. It was a women's magazine which published recipes, fashion tips, gardening tips, sewing patterns, non-fiction, and short fiction. It was known for being a vehicle for social change and was influential in securing the passage of Texas' Pure Food law.

Street's Weekly

From its founding in 1876 until its 23rd volume in 1905 the magazine was Street's Weekly and published weekly. Beginning with its 24th volume in 1905 it published monthly under a new name.

Holland's Magazine

In 1905 F. P. Holland changed the name of Street's Weekly to Holland's Magazine and moved its headquarters to Dallas, Texas. Holland's became a monthly magazine, with page sizes measuring 15 by 11 inches (38 cm × 28 cm) and a full color cover. Roughly 40% of the magazine's contents were advertising. At ten cents an issue, it was more affordable than comparable magazines of the time.

Got Talent

Got Talent is a talent show television format conceived and owned by Simon Cowell's SYCOtv company. A pilot was made in the United Kingdom in 2005, hosted by Paul O'Grady, but after O'Grady's split with ITV, the series was postponed, resulting in America's Got Talent – the first full series of the format.

It has spawned spin-offs in over 58 countries (as of April 2014), in what is now referred to as the Got Talent format, similar to that described by FremantleMedia of the Idol and The X Factor formats. In April 2014, the format was named the world's most successful reality TV format ever by the Guinness World Records.

History

Got Talent was an invention by The X Factor creator Simon Cowell, with comedian and talk show host Paul O'Grady producing a pilot for ITV in 2005 under the provisional title Paul O'Grady's Got Talent. O'Grady left the network after disputes with ITV, resulting in Cowell moving the concept to the United States while he and ITV searched for a new show host.

Due to these issues, the Got Talent franchise ended up debuting first as America's Got Talent on NBC on 21 June 2006, with judges David Hasselhoff, Brandy Norwood, and Piers Morgan. The show's original series was hosted by Regis Philbin. In 2016, the judging panel consisted of Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Melanie Brown, and Simon Cowell, and hosted by Nick Cannon, who has been the presenter since 2009. The grand prize on America's Got Talent is $1 million, and, since season 3, a chance to headline a show on the Las Vegas Strip. America's Got Talent proved extremely successful for NBC, pulling in high ratings in both total viewers and the younger 18-49 demographic. The show's initial success in America is credited with the eventual launch of the British series, and the overall global launch of the Got Talent franchise.