‘America’s Got Talent’ Parks at Palazzo Theatre in Las Vegas for Residency

The winner of this year’s season of “America’s Got Talent” won’t be revealed until September 13, but fans who can’t get enough of this year’s talent won’t have to wait long to see them live.

Less than two weeks later, “America’s Got Talent Live” will premiere at the Palazzo Theatre in Las Vegas on September 13. The eight-week residency will continue through November 17.

The live show “features the season seven winner and top fan-voted performers,” notes the Palazzo Theatre’s official web site. “Bringing the variety show format back to the forefront of American culture each week, the show features a colorful array of hopeful future stars – singers, dancers, comedic performers and unique acts of all ages.”

The first semifinal results show of this year’s seventh season of the show aired last night (August 29) and revealed the first three finalists for this season. Surprisingly, none of the finalists revealed on the first semifinal episode are singers. Instead, the three finalists were comedian Tom Cotter, Earth harpist William Close and sand artist Joe Castillo.

“America’s Got Talent” made news even before it debuted this year when it was announced that Howard Stern would be joining the show as a judge, replacing former judge Piers Morgan. Stern joined judges Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel for the season.

Because of Stern’s commitments to his Sirius XM radio show, recorded in New York, the live episodes are now broadcast from the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, N.J. They had previously been held in Los Angeles.

The choice of Stern as a judge immediately met with criticism when it was announced late last year, particularly from the Parents Television Council. Stern responded to the criticism in an interview, saying that, “I can assure you and the rest of America what I’m looking at here is to be a very good judge.”