Kevin Skinner,  is a singer/songwriter born and raised in Kentucky, where country is a way of life. He picked up the guitar at 12 and has never put it down. Kevin quickly realized that conveying his feelings through his songs was a very special gift. Music is a powerful potion that Kevin loves to [...]]]>

Kevin Skinner,  is a singer/songwriter born and raised in Kentucky, where country is a way of life. He picked up the guitar at 12 and has never put it down. Kevin quickly realized that conveying his feelings through his songs was a very special gift. Music is a powerful potion that Kevin loves to share. He said that winning “America’s Got Talent” would be a great gift, but just being a part of the show is something that he will never forget.

Tonight the farmer from Kentucky has received his gift, he is the winner of America’s Got Talent 2009;receiving one million dollar prize as well as the Las Vegas headline show.

After the long season, The America’s Got Talent 2009 Top 10 finalists were:

Kevin Skinner, Grandma Lee, Texas Tenors, Recycled Percussion, Barbara Padilla, Fab Five, Voices of Glory, Drew Stevyns, Hairo Torres, Lawrence Beaman.

Final performances took place on Monday, September 14, (a detailed recap is here) with the audience then given the opportunity to vote for the winner.

COVER

Jay Leno Is Shrinking Your TV (The Well / Culture)
His new show may seem like the oldest thing on television. But it’s a radical gamble for NBC–and a turning point for broadcast
Behind the Scenes with Jay Leno
Photographer Andrew Eccles gets a sneak [...]]]>

COVER

Jay Leno Is Shrinking Your TV (The Well / Culture)
His new show may seem like the oldest thing on television. But it’s a radical gamble for NBC–and a turning point for broadcast
Behind the Scenes with Jay Leno
Photographer Andrew Eccles gets a sneak peek of Jay’s new NBC digs in Burbank
Jay Leno’s Cover Shoot
Video: Go behind the scenes at Jay Leno’s photo shoot for the cover of TIME Magazine. The Jay Leno Show premieres on September 14, 2009

NATION

Can Arne Duncan (And $5 Billion) Fix America’s Schools? (The Well / Nation)
The new Education Secretary is pushing to transform the way kids learn. He’ll need to face down the teachers’ unions to do it
Prairie Revolt (The Well / Nation)
Senator Charles Grassley once looked like President Obama’s best hope for winning GOP votes for health-care reform. But that was before Grassley got an earful in Iowa

ESSAY

Lead Time (Commentary / In the Arena)
If he wants a successful presidency, Obama will need to start taking responsibility for tough decisions
Shaq vs. Joel: An Essay-Writing Smackdown (The Awesome Column)
I challenged the NBA giant to an essay contest — and learned an important life lesson. Shaq’s that good!
Twitter Essays
Read Shaquille O’Neal and Joel Stein’s Twitter Essays and vote for who you think is the better writer

WORLD

The Home of South Africa’s Gender Bending Runner (Postcard: Masehlong)
Caster Semenya won a gold medal by beating women who say she is a man. But she’s still a hero at home. Where a gender-bending runner is the girl next door
A Very Murky Business (The Well / World)
Was there a deal for the release of the Lockerbie bomber? The evidence still isn’t clear

NOTEBOOK

The Moment (Briefing)
9|2|09: Los Angeles
The World (Briefing)
10 ESSENTIAL STORIES
Spotlight: Japan’s Elections (Briefing)
Verbatim
Brief History: Stockholm Syndrome (Briefing)
The Skimmer (Briefing)
Book Review: The Death of Conservatism by Sam Tanenhaus
Dominick Dunne (Briefing / Milestones)
Sheila Lukins (Briefing / Milestones)
Milestones (Briefing / Milestones)

Search inside this issue:

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Can The Beatles: Rock Band Save the Music Business? (Music)
With The Beatles: Rock Band, plus a little help from your friends, you can be too
Back on the Floor (Television)
Yes, Tom DeLay really will be on Dancing with the Stars. Here’s the inside story of how — and why
Short List
TIME’S PICKS FOR THE WEEK

BUSINESS

America and Its Deficits: Are We Broke Yet? (The Well / The Curious Capitalist)
How long can the U.S. get away with running giant deficits? We may be about to find out

HEALTH & MEDICINE

Developing Vaccines to Fight Cancer (The Well / Annual Health Checkup)
We get vaccinated against all manner of diseases–except the one we fear most. But that may be changing
The Landscape of Cancer Treatment
As photographer Jeff Jacobson underwent his own rounds of chemotherapy, he began exploring the painfully beautiful scenes where the battle against cancer is fought
Graphic: How a Vaccine Battles Cancer

SOCIETY

Hungry? How About Some Protein-Rich Cotton… (Life / Health)
Genetic engineers have removed a powerful toxin from cottonseed, which is rich in protein
Managing Your Online Afterlife (Life / Technology)
How much access should family get to your accounts?
Tools for the Afterlife
What happens to your online accounts after you die?
Grounds 4 Divorce (Life / Law)
The French take on texting
Crash for Clunkers (Life / Sport)
Demolition derbies are getting hit by the Obama initiative and the high price of scrap metal
Demolition Derby: Crash for Clunkers
Video: At the Delaware County Fair in New York state, demolition derby entrants crash their clunkers on the muddy track of the grandstand

PEOPLE

10 Questions for Alex Trebek (10 Questions)
The Emmy-winning Jeopardy! host celebrates 25 years on the air. Alex Trebek will now take your questions

SPECIAL SECTION

Nuclear Wares (Global Business / Energy)
French atomic power Areva should be thriving in the pro-nuke climate. Instead, it’s fumbling
Franchising the Care and Feeding of Grandma (Global Business / Thinking Big)
Attention will have to be paid to millions of seniors. Or you can pay Home Instead instead
A Tree-Hugging Tea (Global Business / Small Business)
In yerba mate, Guayakí found a beverage that restores the rain forest by commercializing it

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Business Books
How not to get canned: survival behavior for an increasingly harsh world. Why those firms that behave nicer will fare better. The recession as an opportunity to thrive