SHARON OSBOURNE spoke with us about being a judge on AMERICA’S GOT TALENT on NBC.  She is definitely my favorite judge and obviously, Sharon is not afraid to speak her mind and that is why we all love her.  Sharon doesn’t take crap from anyone and she even gave cancer walking papers, so you know she is one tough cookie and a fantastic role model.  Watch Sharon every week on AMERICA’S GOT TALENT on NBC.

Q:  Piers Morgan, in an interview recently, said that he felt that you were a much harder judge this season than in some of the past years. Do you agree with that? And do you think that might be because of the fact that you’ve seen so many different styles of acts before in the past?

Sharon Osbourne:       Yes. I think probably I am definitely harder than I’ve been in previous years. And I’m actually comfortable in that position that I’m in right now of being a little more judgmental and not so tolerant and really making it about the talent and not about somebody’s life story.

Q:  When it comes to a musical act, are you stricter with your criticism and what your expectations are based on your music background? And who would you say is the most talented of all the bands that your husband’s toured with?

Sharon Osbourne:       Yes. When it comes to music, I guess I am more – a lot more stricter. I do require a – you know, that they have to be at a certain level to be taken seriously. And of all the bands that have opened for my husband, my favorite and the one I’m most proud of is Metallica.

Q:  Given the attention last year surrounding Michael Grimm and Jackie Evancho, what type of impact do you think they had on this season?

Sharon Osbourne:       A lot because, you know, you strive to get better and better. And their level of professionalism was very, very high. So you don’t want to go down from that level. You want to go above that level. So, yes, it sets the bar very high.

Q:  What is the hardest thing about being a judge?

Sharon Osbourne:       Well there is a – there is more – sorry, there is more that goes along with being a judge because everybody’s got a dream and you don’t want to destroy somebody’s dream. You don’t want to humiliate them publicly. But then, at the same time too, you don’t want to give somebody false hope.  But, you know, you don’t want to destroy somebody either, you know. And dreams keep a lot of people going. And you try not to destroy people at that point.

Q:  Between your work with America’s Got Talent, The Talk, the music industry and writing, how do you keep everything so balanced?

Sharon Osbourne:       Well, I don’t. I mess up on a lot of things. You know, you think that you can handle it all. And you can’t. Certain things fall through.  And I’m going to have to review my next year because I definitely packed it too tight this year. You can’t do it all at the same level. Something has to suffer.

Q:  How do you look so amazing? Do you have any special diet or secrets on that?

Sharon Osbourne:       Oh my God, no. God, I wish I did. You know, overweight – 25 pounds overweight. Don’t work out – had a great surgeon. And, I suppose the face has lasted pretty good. That’s it. But I don’t have any secrets at all.

Q:  What else would you like to accomplish or pursue?

Sharon Osbourne:       I think to be a better person. I think I’m in work in progress. But I try to be a better person. As far as my personal goals in life, I’ve reached them all. I never wanted to be the head of a huge organization. I never wanted to be number one at everything.  But I’ve had amazing life experiences, amazing opportunities. I’ve been blessed personally. But I strive to be a better person.

Q:  There’s a British invasion on TV with you, Nigel, Simon, Piers. What is your next conquest? And were you satisfied with Martin’s work on your apartment?

Sharon Osbourne:       There is a, kind of, British invasion here. I think it happens, you know, every decade. But I just think that Americans just love English accents. That’s all it is. But – and I think that America, for English people, has always been, you know, the ultimate goal to any entertainer is to make it in America.  Many come over and try and make it. And many go home again. But I’m blessed that I’m, you know, in the lot that has made some sort of dent here. And I love this Country. I would, you know – I don’t ever want to go back to live in England. My home is here. I love the Country.  And as far as Martin Lawrence Ballard, the Interior Designer, he’s quite fabulous. And, especially as a person, he’s a very, very good friend of mine.

Q:  With so many talent shows on the air, what type of impact do you think they’re having on young people in terms of hope and opportunity?

Sharon Osbourne:       You know, I was talking about this this morning because I listened to this speech from MTV from the brilliant little actress. Help me out here. She won for best actress, Reese Witherspoon.  When she accepted her award, she said something which is so true that you can make it. You can be a success without making a sex tape or without being in a reality show. It’s really about talent. And it’s about knowing your craft and learning your craft and determination.  And I admire her so much. And when she gave her speech, I was like right on because, you know what, it’s all about talent. And I think that a lot of people might make it through reality shows in the short term. It’s – you get there very quickly. If you’re successful in a reality show, you get that quickly.  But ultimately you have a short career. It doesn’t last long. You have your five minutes, as Andy Warhol would say.

Q:  Being the most sane person on the show, if you had to live with Piers, Howie or Nick, who would you pick and why?

Sharon Osbourne:       That’s a hard question. It really is a hard question. Nick is a great catch but I think Mariah would beat the shit out of me. So that wouldn’t work.  And, Piers is funny, funny, funny and, you know – that dry sense of humor. But his wife’s pregnant right now. So I wouldn’t want to upset her by moving in. And Howie, he wouldn’t want to touch me so that wouldn’t be fun. So I’d probably stick to my husband.

Q:  Do you have any ideas for any new reality shows? Or do you plan on starring in another one?

Sharon Osbourne:       No. It’s – you know what, it was great to be the first one. It was great to be the one. And you could never go back. You know, I was there at the beginning of it all and made a mark. And that’s enough for me.

Q:  When you heard you were going to be sharing judging with Howie Mandel did you have any thoughts on him or working with him?

Sharon Osbourne:       Well, I know Howie because he’s my neighbor.  And he’s just the funniest, naughtiest guy that I’ve met in years. And it just made me so happy when it was announced he was doing the show. We literally live next door to each other.

Q:  How does judging on America’s Got Talent compare to the many other shows you’ve done? You’ve been on things like The Celebrity Apprentice, The Talk, X Factor. They’re all very different shows. What’s the difference for you?

Sharon Osbourne:       The difference is and the thing that I love about America’s Got Talent is that it’s not just singing. And so it’s – the element of surprise is still there for me because you never know what somebody is going to do, you know – the next act when they’re coming on to audition. And that’s what I love. You just don’t get one singer after another because I think it can be a bit monotonous.

Q:  With all the competition shows that are out there now, what is it about America’s Got Talent that continues to set it apart from the others?

Sharon Osbourne:       Because, like I said, it’s not just about singing. You know, how many times can you hear, you know, a – another rendition of Hallelujah or Hero? It’s like – it’s refreshing in the fact that you can hear a, you know, a little girl that sings like an angel with an unbelievable operatic voice.  And then you can have the best drag queen in the world. So – all on the same show. And it just, you know, shakes it up a bit. And that’s what makes us different from every other talent show. You know, you can see somebody on a bike jumping across bloody, you know, makeshift bridges on the stage.  And then you’ll see somebody flying on a trapeze. So you’re never bored with it because there’s always something different. The next act is totally different genre than the one you’ve seen before.

Q:  Could talk a little bit about the level of talent you’re seeing in the auditions this season versus seasons past?

Sharon Osbourne:       Well, I think for our show each season gets better and better. And, you know, it’s – of course, I’m going to say the show is better this year than ever because I’m on it. I’m not going to, you know, put down the show I’m on. But truthfully, it really is packed with an unbelievable array of talent in all different genres of art.  It’s amazing. And I’m so proud to be a part of the show. Last year, I think the show was spectacular. And this year it’s just as good.

Q:  Which act or contestant inspired you the most out of all six seasons?

Sharon Osbourne:       Inspired me – that’s a good question. Probably two seasons ago, we had – three seasons now. We had a lady opera singer who had survived cancer and chemotherapy. And she had her dream of wanting to sing. (Barbara), her name is.  And she did it. She actually came, I think, second or third three seasons ago. And I just thought that she was a great inspiration for everyone that’s got a dream.

Q:  Having raised three children, you’ve sort of seem to have taken on that role on the show, especially with the little adorable contestant, like those three little boys that were on the opening night. Is that how you see yourself? Do you, sort of, see yourself as the mother hen of the show?

Sharon Osbourne:       I suppose so because I am the oldest.  So I think it’s something that comes with age. So I’ll gladly…I will gladly take on that title.  I kind of – when the younger contestants are on, it takes so much courage to get up there and perform anyway let alone when you’ve got really young kids doing it. And I always think, you know, oh my God, if that was my kid out there, how would I want them treated by a judge?  So I always think of them as, you know, being my kids. And so you have to be very, very careful when it comes to kids.

Q:  You’re a cancer survivor and I’d like to know a little bit on how that experience changed your life? And will we see you on the – the Beverly Hills Housewives?

Sharon Osbourne:       Oh God, you’ll never see me on the Beverly Hills Housewives because I never have been a housewife, ever. So I have always worked. From the age of 15, I have always worked.  And I’ve never been a woman that spends, you know, her day deciding am I going to go for a facial or a pedicure and that is the amount of your day. So that’s not me. Yes. It did change my life because it stopped me from being so selfish in thinking that the business that I work in is the most important thing in the world because it is not. And in the big picture, it’s just a little grain of sand.  And when you work with amazing people that dedicate their lives to saving others, it makes you realize that, you know, we’re very unimportant when there are people, you know, with doctors and nurses that just dedicate their whole lives to helping other people. So it makes you feel very small.