America's Got Talent

Producers of "America's Got Talent" are going to edit stuttering G.I. fraud Timothy Poe's appearance in the upcoming Las Vegas show ... the open question is whether Poe will be 86'd from the show altogether.

TMZ broke the story ... Timothy is NOT the soldier in a photo used during his melodramatic audition segment Monday night -- and the army has no record he was ever injured in Afghanistan ... as he had claimed.

"AGT" producers told TMZ Tim gave them the photo -- and they aired it without questioning him.

Sources connected with the show tell us ... there will "definitely be edits" and producers are currently discussing exactly what they will cut and what if anything they will keep.

We just spoke with "AGT" judge Howie Mandel, who tells us, "I was blown away that I was totally taken in," adding, "I'm really angry with the guy."

Stuttering "America's Got Talent" contestant Timothy Poe is NOT the soldier in the photo displayed during his tearjerker audition this week -- it's someone else ... and the REAL soldier is pissed.

Staff Sgt. Norman Bone tells TMZ, he first heard about the photo from his ex-wife who was watching "AGT" -- Norman thought it was part of a tribute to the troops ... and didn't think twice about it.

Tuesday night, one of the guys Bone served with in Afghanistan sent him a message on Facebook -- telling him the "AGT" segment was must-see TV ... so Bone finally checked it out online ... and now, he's livid. (Skip to 1:29 to see the photo)

Bone -- who currently serves in El Paso, TX -- tells us, "First thing that came to my mind was 'Why would this lying son of a bitch do this?'" ... adding, "I'm absolutely furious. Been seeing red all day."

Bone says he's never even heard of Timothy Poe -- and he's going to meet with the Army legal department to explore his options.

The photo in question was originally posted here -- on the U.S. Department of Defense website -- along with the caption, "U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Norman Bone directs movement as his patrol turns around on a narrow path in the mountains of Parwan province in Afghanistan on Oct. 25, 2006."

Timothy Poe has insisted from the beginning his story is legit. We called him about the photo. He hasn't gotten back to us.

Timothy Poe -- the stuttering "America's Got Talent" contestant who says he developed his speech impediment from a war injury in Afghanistan -- is firing back at allegations he made up the whole thing ... telling TMZ, his injury and stutter are 100% legit.

Poe's audition aired Monday night -- the singer told the judges about a 2009 incident when he sustained serious injuries during an RPG blast in Afghanistan.

Poe spoke with a pronounced stutter during the audition -- which he claims he developed as a result of his war injuries.

But reports surfaced yesterday that the singing veteran was full of crap -- because no such RPG injuries were ever reported.

Poe tells TMZ, the fact that there is no record of the incident is a common problem -- one that Poe says is endemic when it comes to reporting soldiers' injuries in Afghanistan.

We asked Tim to prove it really happened. He said he received treatment at a military medical facility in Afghanistan before being transferred to a medical center in Landstuhl, Germany. Tim says he was then transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. He did not produce any documents to support his claim.

Tim says he plans to sue his ex-wife and several others for telling the media he was lying.

We asked Tim for ANY hard proof to back his claims -- he gave us nothing, saying he can't release pics or documents for legal reasons. So we gotta ask ...

The "America's Got Talent" contortionist who blew away Howard Stern to advance to the next round ... is already making serious cash on the streets of Las Vegas, TMZ has learned.

In case you missed the episode ... Alonzo Jones, aka "Turf," wowed the 'AGT' judges with his double-jointed dance moves ... earning him a place in the Vegas round of auditions.

Turf tells TMZ he was so excited to get the green-light, he moved to Sin City early just to try some new moves as a street performer ... but he says people started recognizing him as "that guy" from 'AGT.'

Which is awesome ... 'cause the formerly homeless dancer says he's now raking in several hundred dollars a day in front of the casinos and can finally pay rent!

Don't worry America -- the guy who got his nads bashed about a million times on "America's Got Talent" this week, tells TMZ ... his family jewels are totally fine.

In case you missed it ... Zac Gordon -- known as "The Horse" -- shocked the audience with his talent when he let people KICK HIM IN THE NUTS ... break boards on his nuts AND smash a cinder block with a sledgehammer ... on his nuts!!!!

Now Horse assures TMZ ... contrary to how painful his act looked his balls suffered no injuries and tells us, "No cup! I've been doing this 10 years and I'm healthy as a horse!"

Gordon also tells us he's previously consulted with his uncle -- who is a doctor -- and his "talent" is not a medical concern.

Good thing because Howard Stern, Howie Mandel and Sharon Osbourne all said yes to his nut-smashing skills ... sending him through to the next round, where he's sure to take another beating.

Howard Stern has proved ... he's NOT the dangerous, vulgar maniac the Parents Television Council warned he would be on "America's Got Talent" ... so says Howard's wife ... who insists the King of All Media is now "kid-friendly."

Beth Stern flew in to L.A. yesterday to promote her new HGTV show "Mom Caves" ... when we asked how she felt about all the flack Howard was getting from the powerful TV watchdog group.

As we previously reported, the PTC begged "AGT" advertisers to boycott the show ... claiming he would corrupt America's children with his provocative ways.

"Once they obviously start watching, they're going to see they have nothing to worry about ... I think it's kid-friendly," Beth said.

Howard Stern's first night on "America's Got Talent" started off with a bang ... he was articulate ... he was funny ... and he totally made fun of a male stripper for having a small wiener.

Howard entered the "AGT" studio in Los Angeles to a thunderous ovation ... impressed with a series of real, thoughtful critiques. He even had a touching moment with a father-daughter act ... praising them after an emotional performance.

But not everyone got a piece of Howard's nice side -- some stripper magician guy tasted some of Stern's wrath after what could only be described as a terribly disappointing performance.

PIZZA FEARS NO ONE ... especially not a group of angry Howard Stern-hating parents -- which is why Pizza Hut is refusing to pull its advertisements from the controversial new season of "America's Got Talent."

A rep for the Pizza company tells TMZ, Pizza Hut has no plans to remove its ads from the show -- despite the Parents Television Council clamoring for sponsors to yank their support over the show's new judge ... shock jock Howard Stern.

The rep tells us, "Pizza Hut strives to maintain the highest standards of quality and excellence in our communications to the public. Our advertisements are no exception, and are designed to draw attention to our products and appeal to a broad audience."

The rep adds, "Unfortunately, we may not always success in generating a positive impact on every guest, and we apologize if our methods offend some."

The Parents Television Council is seething with anger over Howard Stern's new gig on "America's Got Talent" ... so they fired off a scathing letter to ALL the show's sponsors, threatening them to cut ties or face their wrath.

TMZ obtained a letter -- written by the PTC -- that was sent to a whopping 91 advertisers and commands them NOT to invest their millions with NBC's tent-pole talent show ... because they feel Howard Stern will corrupt America's children with his provocative ways.

In the letter, PTC cites Stern's violent and crude language as reasons to boycott the show, quoting his comments on former "American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino: "Hey Fantasia, you’re not getting little boys hard. Nobody’s beating off to you. Little boys want boners. They want a Britney Spears or a Rihanna."

The PTC blasts Stern's talent-judging qualifications -- saying he's only an expert at "looking at insecure, naked young women and telling them whether or not they were hot enough to pose for Playboy."

PTC's threats can't be taken too lightly ... the advocacy group targeted MTV's "Skins" and NBC's "The Playboy Club" ... and BOTH were later cancelled -- though neither of them drew the ratings of 'AGT.'

If advertisers choose to cut ties with AGT ... it could mean MILLIONS of dollars lost for NBC.

So we gotta ask:

There's a 99.9% chance Simon Cowell was being sarcastic when he told us he was surprised about the Kobe Bryant divorce ... but when we told him about Kobe's non-prenup situation -- dude was GENUINELY blown away.

The "America's Got Talent" honcho was at The Grove in L.A. this weekend -- where he told us Jennifer Hudson was RIGHT ... Howard Stern IS a more intimidating judge.

Jennifer Hudson says she never considered Simon Cowell to be mean when she was on "American Idol" ... but the thought of facing Howard Stern has her quaking in her boots.

"Scrubs" star Zach Braff says he's never, EVER watched an episode of "America's Got Talent" ... but he's such a fan of Howard Stern ... he's willing to give it a try.

"American's Got Talent" honcho Simon Cowell thinks the Parents Television Council has NOTHING to worry about now that Howard Stern is joining the show ... telling TMZ, "If he goes too far, he'll be kicked off."

Cowell just called in to "TMZ Live" ... telling us he thinks Stern is way too smart to cross the line on the show -- "He's not stupid, this guy."

Howard Stern pooh-poohed the notion that he was only pulling in 20 million measly dollars a year for his freshly-minted role as a judge on "America's Got Talent."

Stern was out in NYC today -- hours after the announcement -- when a camera dude asked if he was making $20 mil. Stern's response: "Do I work for that little?" Stern laughed -- yes, to the bank.

The reason the camera guy asked the question -- there were reports he was settling on $20 mil. But let's put this in context. Stern signed a 5-year deal with Sirius XM for an estimated $400 million.

A powerful parents organization is furious with NBC for hiring Howard Stern on "America's Got Talent" -- claiming the move is an "act of desperation for a flailing network."

The Parents Television Council has released a statement to TMZ ... claiming primetime TV is no place for Howard Stern ... "a performer who is synonymous with shock, profanity and obscenity."

The PTC says, "The once-proud broadcast network has lost its way and has made it clear it holds no concern whatsoever for children and families."

Dare we say ... we told you so. Howard Stern just signed on with "America's Got Talent."

The King of All Media will replace Piers Morgan, much to the chagrin of those folks at the Parents Television Council, which felt he was too raunchy for primetime.

And producers wanted Stern so bad, they've even agreed to move 'AGT' to NYC -- so Howard can continue working on his radio show.

Fact is ... as we've been saying, Stern is a smart dude who knows his audience and when he should push the limits.

Bottom line -- AGT could become the biggest show on TV.

6:32 AM PST -- Howie Mandel is fired up about his new co-star ... telling TMZ, "I couldn't be happier. As my Mom always says, you can never have enough Howies."