Kids Got Talent? The case of A. Burns (video)

Ansley Burns gets another chance

(AGT, 8/16/19) We first met her as Aretha Franklin. Now watch what became of Southern kid-singer Ansley Burns, 12, from South Carolina when she came to Los Angeles, where she made a strange reference to the missing the "sweet tea" she expected to find in pervy Hollywood. Where's Chris Hansen?

Burns is back on America's Got Talent to try to break into show biz. She gets a second chance to sing a song acapella due to her poor quality backing tracks. The show's necessary-evil, Simon Cowell, comments and reacts so that America will stop hating him for being a creepy, child-loving grouch, the money-maker who seems to singlehandedly have created this genre of talent competitions.

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Considering a career in performing?

Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, adapted from Ven. Thanissaro (trans.) of SN 42.2 (accesstoinsight.org)

America's Got Talent  - your gateway to Hollywood

Then Talaputa, the director (natagāmani, "stage manager"), went to the Buddha, greeted him, sat respectfully to one side, and said: "Venerable sir, I've heard lore passed down through the ancient lineage of performers that:

"'When a performer on the stage, in the midst of a performance, makes people laugh and gives them delight with an imitation of reality, then with the breakup of the body, after death, that performer is reborn in the company of the Laughing Angels' (devas, literally "shining ones," "light beings"). What does the Blessed One have to say about that?"

"Enough, director, set that question aside. Do not ask it." But a second and third time Talaputa asked it.

"Apparently, director, I'm not able to get by you by saying, 'Enough, director, set that question aside. Do not ask it,' so to answer simply [referring to three roots of karma]:

KARMA:  thoughts, words, deeds

"Any beings who themselves are not free of passion to begin with, who are bound by the fetter of passion, focus with even more passion on things inspiring passion presented by a performer on stage in the midst of a festival.

"Any beings who are not free of aversion to begin with, who are bound by the fetter of aversion, focus with even more aversion on things inspiring aversion presented by a performer on stage in the midst of a performance.

"Any beings who are not free of delusion [manifesting as wrong view] to begin with, who are bound by the fetter of delusion, focus with even more delusion on things inspiring delusion presented by a performer on stage in the midst of a performance.

"Therefore, the performer — intoxicated and heedless, having made others intoxicated and heedless — with the breakup of the body, after death, is reborn in what is called the Hell of Laughter.

"But if that person holds such a view as, 'When a performer on the stage, in the midst of a performance, makes people laugh and gives them delight with an imitation of reality, then with the breakup of the body, after death, that person is reborn in the company of the laughing devas,' that is that person's wrong view.

"Now, there are two [rebirth] destinations for a person clinging to a wrong view, I say, either hell (niraya) or the animal womb (tiracchana yoni)."

Hollywood Secret (M. Truman)

When this was said, Talaputa, the stage manager, sobbed and burst into tears.

[The Buddha then said:] "That is what I could not get by you by saying, 'Enough, director, set that question aside. Do not ask it.'"

"Venerable sir, I'm not crying because of what the Blessed One said to me, but because I have been deceived, misled, and fooled for so long by that ancient lore in the lineage of performers who say:

"'When a performer on the stage, in the midst of a performance, makes people laugh and gives them delight with an imitation of reality, then with the breakup of the body, after death, that person is reborn in the company of the laughing devas'" (SN 42.2).