An “America’s Got Talent” singer whose Afghanistan war injury claims have been called into question wouldn’t face vetting by producers unless he made it into the final round.

Timothy Michael Poe was among about 4,000 people who vied for a spot on the NBC series, which doesn’t scrutinize contestants until they reach the ranks of the top 48, said the person, who wasn’t authorized to discuss the issue publicly and spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity.

NBC relies on the show’s producers, FremantleMedia North America and Syco Television, to conduct background checks on contestants when the field is narrowed, the person said, which is typical among TV reality series.

It’s unknown whether Poe, a guitar-strumming country singer, is among the top 48 picked in a Las Vegas audition round in April or if he’s out of the competition. The person would not reveal Poe’s fate on the show, nor would NBC or the show’s producers.

Poe, who was seen on a pretaped episode Monday of “America’s Got Talent,” was among about 100 acts that the show’s judges sent on to the Las Vegas round. The 48 who made that cut will start competing in live telecasts beginning July 2.

The refusal by NBC and others to say whether Poe’s still a contender allows the drama surrounding him to be milked for a while longer — a potential boon for the top-ranked network series that drew 11.5 million viewers last week.

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On Monday’s show, Poe told judges Howie Mandel, Howard Stern and Sharon Osbourne that he spent 14 years in the military and suffered a broken back and brain injury when he was hit by a grenade in Afghanistan in 2009.

According to military records, Poe served with the Minnesota Army National Guard from December 2002 through May 2011, working as a supply specialist. Records show he was deployed in Kosovo from Oct. 10, 2007 to July 15, 2008, and then served in Afghanistan for a month in 2009.

“Sgt. Poe’s official military records do not indicate that he was injured by a grenade in combat while serving in Afghanistan in 2009, as he reports,” Lt. Col. Kevin Olson, a spokesman for the Minnesota National Guard, said.

Lagerfeld dresses a Barrymore bride

Karl Lagerfeld couldn’t be more pleased with his latest creation: Drew Barrymore’s wedding gown.

The 78-year-old Chanel designer described the pleated muslin and organza dress with a ruffled collar as “perfect” for the pregnant bride.

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“I love her. She’s great,” said Lagerfeld Wednesday at the opening of an exhibit at a SoHo gallery in New York celebrating Chanel’s signature Little Black Jacket that was curated by Lagerfeld and former French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld.

Barrymore, 37, married art consultant Will Kopelman, the son of former Chanel CEO Arie Kopelman, on June 2 at her home in Montecito, Calif.

Fonda workout shows in gown on red carpet

Jane Fonda got a thrill when she wowed the crowd at France’s Cannes Film Festival in a form-fitting, two-tone Stella McCartney gown.

“It’s very nice at my age to have glamour attention — something I missed out on when I was younger so it’s nice to getting it now,” the 74-year-old said.

But the two-time Academy Award-winner said she can’t take it too seriously: “It goes as fast as the walk on the red carpet does, it’s over and real life comes back.”

Fonda is promoting her new independent film, “Peace, Love & Misunderstanding” that debuts in limited release and on Video On Demand today. She also is taking on a recurring role as a media executive in Aaron Sorkin’s new HBO drama “Newsroom,” and has signed on to play former first lady Nancy Reagan in the Lee Daniels film “The Butler,” due out next year.

– From news service reports


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