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By Paul Revoir
Suitable? On this week's Britain's Got More Talent, High Shakespeare audition their act - a woman quoting the Bard's work as she is spanked It's only Week Two of the new series of Britain's Got Talent and it looks like the acts are just as wacky as ever.
A man spanking a woman, a guitar-playing dog and a topless fire dancer are among the many acts appearing on tonight's episode of the popular show.
One act, which is sure to raise eyebrows among parents of children watching the show, is a pair calling themselves High Shakespeare, whose act consisted of a woman quoting Shakespeare as she was spanked by her co-star.
Fetish? The act seems a dubious form of family entertainmentEven the show's host Stephen Mulhern gets in on the act, pulling up the woman's dress to spank her behind.
One act Cowell was taken with was Laika, a Collie Labrador billed as the only dog in the world that plays guitar, who is the star of tonight’s show.
But as viewers will see, guitar heroes Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page can rest assured that their status is under no threat from the pooch.
Laika pads on to the stage dressed in a hat and coat and immediately steals the limelight from owner, busker Melissa Serbico, who launched into a decidedly eccentric version of The Beatles classic, Let It Be.
Strumming along: Melissa and her guitar-playing dog LaikaAs Miss Serbico, 38, originally from Ireland, who now lives in East London, fails to enthral the audience, Cowell’s attention quickly shifts to Laika.
A known animal lover, Cowell, 50, tells fellow judge Amanda Holden: 'See those are the kind of dogs I like. I like old, nobody wants me dogs.' He then mouths to his fiancée, Mezhgan Hussainy: ‘I want that dog.’
Miss Serbico boasts: 'Laika is the only dog in the world that plays the guitar. I’ve checked it on the internet and all the other ones are fakes. Simon has never seen a guitar playing dog before and he’s going to love it.'
However, Laika – who shares the same name as the soviet space dog which was the first animal to orbit the earth in 1957, but unfortunately died in the process – seems to have other ideas.
Too hot for TV? Fire dancer Tia playing with fire and sings at the same timeWhen the London audition begins, seven-year-old Laika initially sits next to Miss Serbico, only to look away in the opposite direction.
Presenter Ant McPartlin says: 'I’ve never seen a dog look embarrassed before, until now. That dog looks embarrassed.'
Miss Serpico is then seen asking the dog to join in and play guitar and even Cowell is seen trying to coax the dog into playing. The method by which the dog plays the guitar is by brushing her paws against the strings.
Programme makers are remaining tight-lipped about exactly what happened next or whether the dog was put through to the next round.
Not so original: Lady GaGa impersonator MaxxieMiss Serpico makes her living by regularly busking in an underpass in Romford, Essex. However, she was told by police last year that she can no longer busk in the area even though she says her dog has become a local 'celebrity'.
She adopted Laika from the Wicklow Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
She was recovered in 2006 and was cared for at an animal sanctuary before Melissa took care of her.
And the duo are set to hit the streets once again this weekend despite her new found fame.
Speaking about her audition, Miss Serbico said: ‘I started my song but the crowd started chanting 'Off! Off! Off!' Simon said 'show us your guitar-playing dog.'
‘They weren't at all interested in me - it was all about the dog.’
Balancing act: Sinead plays the guitar while jumping on a pogo stickMiss Serpico yesterday revealed that she recently called Cowell’s management to see if the multi-millionaire wants to adopt Laika, as she claims that with the escalating cost of caring for her pet, she would prefer to see her in a good home.
Among the other acts on this week's show are a 51-year-old woman who moonwalks and plays the castanets during her Michael Jackson tribute act.
It also features The Regurgitator, Stevie Starr, a man who brings back up any particular coin he has swallowed on request, before he moves on to a full size billiard ball.
Animal madness: A gymnast shows off her skills on a horseBut one act who are being tipped as possible winners are The Arrangement a classically trained group of musicians who give an operatic treatment to cutting edge pop music like Beyonce, Lady GaGa and Flo Rida. The singers all come from Oxbridge.
There is also a Lady GaGa drag act impersonator called Maxxie who does a medley of her songs.
Another hotly fancied act are Spellbound - an acrobatic gymnastic group - who are being described as the best act of their type that has ever entered the competition.
While a singing accountant, a pig and a horse also grace the stage in the episode.
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