"America's Got Talent" is celebrating its 10th season this summer on NBC and returning judge Melanie Brown a.k.a. Mel B promises more incredible acts from around the world.
"It was really interesting as they came from all over - Russia, Japan and even my hometown of Leeds [England] - just everywhere," the former Spice Girl told Headlines & Global News exclusively. "Surprisingly, no one I knew which is actually shocking. It's a small place."
The judges panel will remain the same for the third straight season with Mel B, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Howard Stern as well as Nick Cannon who's hosting for the seventh straight year.
HNGN spoke with Mel B last month at the NBC Summer Press Day and she previewed what's ahead for the show's 10th anniversary. She also tells us how she'll be celebrating her own big milestone - turning 40.
HNGN: How were the auditions this season?
Mel B: The audition rounds are going to be a little different this year. The middle round is like an amped-up boot camp with lots of surprises. I know that the last day of filming is on my 40th birthday. I was like, 'May 29? Can we have that day off? Can we move everything to either the day before or the day after?'
HNGN: Do you have anything planned to celebrate your birthday?
MB: I have to be with the show all day long, but hopefully we'll finish in time that I can hang out with my kids before they go to bed. Everyone's telling me it's a big one.
HNGN: How do you keep the show fresh for you every season?
MB: The produces do a great job of doing that for us. Sometimes were sitting at the desk for 15 hours straight with maybe a 30- or 40-minute break, if you count toilet breaks.
So literally when you see us at the end of the day, we are exhausted because for that last act of the night, it could be around 10 p.m. It's their last shot and they have to exude all this energy because they only have 90 seconds, but they keep it fresh and entertaining.
HNGN: Have you ever watched the show and seen an act that you didn't press your buzzer for and then think, "I should have, they're really good?"
MB: No, because I'm always good with my choices. I don't care what anyone says. Howie and Howard may disagree, but my judgment is always good and fresh. Always! That's one thing I pride myself on. I never preempt anything. When I'm sitting at the desk, it's like I'm sitting at home with my family hurling abuse at the TV, be it positive or not. I am that person.
HNGN: How do you unwind after a day of judging all that talent?
MB: Sometimes we will all hang out and have a glass of wine or I'll just go home and catch up on whatever I need to do. I have been known to do a spot of laundry, which people get surprised by. But sometimes it just helps to wind down.
HNGN: You mentioned your kids, do you have a bedtime ritual with them?
MB: Bedtime rituals, that makes me think of my husband and sex (laughs).
We always do story time. If we don't have a book we will make a story up. So me, Angel and Madison will create a story. We do them in rounds, each of us adding to the story, until it gets really boring and really tired. But it's fun to hear how the kids interpret their own version of whatever story they want to tell. It gets them thinking of how the story left off and what they can add to it. It's really cute.
HNGN: You should record them telling their stories as a children's book.
MB: That's a good idea. But I have enough on my plate to handle right now.
HNGN: What else do you have coming up?
MB: I have my new app that launched recently as a part of Facebook. It's called Pink Tank. We partnered with Facebook Messenger and we launched it in San Francisco. It's going really good. I'm super excited as I partnered with my creator Jeremy Green. We've been working together for about a year, and this is not like an endorsement deal, it's me actually putting my thoughts and ideas into it. Jeremy called the head of Facebook and there was a lot of interest in the app.
So if you have Facebook, go to Discovery, and you can tap on it and download it. It's free. It's a little like Instagram with more bells and whistles. You can take a picture and choose things from the icon and blow it up and put kisses on it. It's really cool.
The audition rounds continue on "America's Got Talent" next Tuesday at 8 p.m. on NBC.
