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.

John Richard

John D. Richard OC QC (born July 30, 1934) was the Chief Justice of Canada's Federal Court of Appeal and in 2013, was listed as a NAFTA adjudicator.

Richard was born in Ottawa and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Ottawa in 1955, followed by his law studies at Osgoode Hall Law School, where he received the Gold Medal and the Chancellor Van Koughnet Scholarship in 1959. He was called to the Bar of Ontario in that year, continuing his studies for an Honours Licentiate in Political & Social Sciences from Louvain University in 1960.

He then practised law as a trial lawyer at two firms throughout his legal career, from 1960 until 1994, when he was appointed as a judge. He was created Queen's Counsel in 1976. In 1994, he was appointed as a judge on the Federal Court of Canada's Trial Division, followed by his appointment as Associate Chief Justice in 1998.

The court's name was changed to the Federal Court of Appeal, and he was appointed Chief Justice in 1999, having served until September 2009, when he retired.

Richard Jones

Richard Jones may refer to:

Artists and entertainers

Sportsmen

High Point

High Point may refer to:

Places

United States

High Point Market

The High Point Market (formerly the International Home Furnishings Market and the Southern Furniture Market), held in High Point, North Carolina, is the largest home furnishings industry trade show in the world, with over 10 million square feet (1 km²) by roughly 2000 exhibitors throughout about 180 buildings. The market holds two major shows each year, one in April and another in October, running for 6 days each time. There are around 70,000-80,000 attendees from over 100 countries. The High Point Market Authority coordinates the exposition, whose showrooms have nearly completely filled what had been the historic downtown. A 2013 Duke University study, paid for by the High Point Market Authority, showed that the market contributed $5.4 billion to the area's economy.

History

The first formal Southern Furniture Market was held in High Point March 1–15, 1909. In 1921, the Southern Furniture Exposition Building opened for its first show June 20. Built in 19 months, the showroom cost approximately $1 million and held 249,000 square feet (23,100 m²) of exhibition space. Regular shows were held in January and July. With the exception of 1943, the market was put on hold from 1941 until the end of World War II.