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Offline apskip

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America's Got Talent 5
« on: May 31, 2010, 06:17:36 PM »
Here we go again with AGT5 starting tomorrow night. The judges are Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel replacing David Hasselhoff.  Who knows why Hasselhoff is out? I hope it was because he has been a milquetoast spineless judge afraid to tell acts why they do not measure up. Let's see what Howie Mandel can do. If he proves to be not from the same mold maybe it will inspire Sharon to be more honest.

Nick Cannon, when not acting as Mariah Carey's husband or performing as a comic, has a reprise of his role for AGT4 as host.

I look forward to season 5 with great anticipation. I have to say once again that last season's victory of Kevin Skinner, who had a soulful personality but was frequently off pitch, was embarrassing to the voters on this show.

Offline TexasLady

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2010, 02:18:41 PM »
 :hearts:  Something to watch! Thanks apskip.
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Offline apskip

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2010, 07:19:02 PM »
I am issuing this on a provisional basis. There are some blanks which I have to go back and fill in, but I did not want to lose the writing I have already completed.

We know that America's Got Talent, but how much talent do this year's judges have in judging? What is the impact of the replacement of David Hasselhoff ( a singer and hunk) by Howie Mandel (a comedian) going to have on AGT5? Those are the questions uppermost in my mind right now. The first episode of AGT5 has provide some answers. As I expected, Howie Mandel is a new broom sweeping fresh air into AGT judging. Piers Morgan has not changed; he is honest and calls it look he sees it. I saw a tendency for Sharon Osbourne to follow Howie's lead and be less bleeding heart. One factor that obscures what is really happening is that NBC decided to pick up the pace of this show and replace a combination of too many bad acts and manic compression of some acts with a steadier diet of mostly good acts. This season the Preliminary Rounds were in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Portland and Dallas but I did not hear Atlanta. I envision without any real statement by those making decisions about AGT5 that many bad acts will be compressed from multiple venues into one or two shows and the rest ignored, for there were thousands auditioning in Los Angeles and only about 30 were highlighted in the Los Angeles episode. The winner of AGT5 will be the headliner for a new show in Las Vegas.

GOOD ACTS (as judged by the AGT5 Judges)
The start of this episode 1 was the act Future Funk, a cute 9 year old with fabulous dance moves and a 5 year old who could synchronize with him quite well. This was very compelling act and I predict they will be going far in this competition.

Swing Shift Side Show - a variety of different sub-acts including stapling a guy's chest, using a drill to a guy's nose, putting a needle through a woman's cheeks and sword swallowing done with excellent execution. Howie says that "you can't even afford the other side of the haircut to the one with hair on only one side of his head. NIck Cannon implores that you "don't try this at home." Howie says "wow." Piers calls it compulsively compelling. Sharon thinks it goes too far, but she is outvoted and they are moving forward.

Ring Masters -  2 males 26 and 22,  dancers who do pantomime and twisting an arm into unbelievable positions

Mona Sampath Company - a gaggle of dancers whose aim to "bring Bollywood to Hollywood" was achieved

Mark male aged 28 - belly dancer

Kung Fu Heroes - 6 guys aged 18 - 32 - martial arts combined with acrobatics; Piers - absolutely bloody terrifying

HasPop, age 32 - street mime and dancer. Nick calls him zany.

Marjcar, female age 38 - in sadomasochistic costume, she paints three overlapping clear panels to make a portrait of herself. Sharon calls this act stunning and says that it is the quietest these two (Piers and Howie) have been all day.

Hannibal Means male age 59 - He plays the piano and sings the tune to Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. He is pretty good but  has diva flourishes like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston do ( and which I as a singer detest). However, Sharon and Howie like him so he's going forward. Piers disliked him because his piano playing is immature.

Cheer SF adult  cheerleading team aged 19 - 52-  this is a rah-rah group of athletic and synchronized cheerleaders.

Danyavaad and the Shimmy Sisters mixed group age 22 to 39 - dancing with drums and a python

Michael Lipari and Ashleigh Dijon, age 29 and 30, aerialists

Dead Off Center - 4 young lads aged 14 or 15 who are musicians with 3 guitars and one singer.

Roninth - male aged 58, an impersonator who does the voices of Marlon Brando, Clint Eastwood, James Bond and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He also uses costumes to convey those characters. Howie tells him that he can do a better job by forgetting the costumes and focusing on the voices, at which he is a huge talent. Piers gets to use his one-liner of the night here, as he forced Howie to say "Deal or No Deal."

the New Directions Veterans Chorus is a very talented vocal group that came with a very interesting storyline. They were all homeless military veterans who somehow found this group and got their lives turned around by music. They have great musical talent as well as the emotion, inspiration and passion and I would say that right now they are the front runners in this competition.

Michael Grimm age 30, singer in bars and small restaurants in Las Vegas area; he is doing this competition to possibly be able to help his grandmother (who raised him but needs help now) financially. Piers states that Michael has a lot of talent. Howie states his expectation that Michael will continually reach for more and more in his future performances and not just sit back on a stool and play his guitar accompaniment.

BAD ACTS (as judged by the AGT5 Judges)
Ranses Valentt - he was doing a falsetto voice, which sounded eerie and unpleasant.

Timor and the Dime Museum - aged 22 to 57 musicians with Timor doing the lead in falsetto voice for "vaudevillian operatic fantasy"; it was weird and crappy

Dare to Flair - 8 bartenders doing bad juggling/tossing

Luis Atanasi + 2 dancers doing some Latin dance to songs of the 1980s and 1990s - little talent here

Chainsaw Chicks - 3 women aged 18 to 30does cutting ice with chain saws strike you as displaying great talent? It didn't to the judges either.

Evan Berent male aged 72 - hip hop dancer; he is good for his age but so what? it looks better when Nick comes out after his elimination and does a brief duo act with him.

Kevin Nevin, aged 54 - uses whips and sings, a bad combination given his hands and voice.

No Shade - aged 22, they did complete flips and good dancing, but their singing was abominable.

Noteworthy, aged 20 to 22, all University of California - Berkeley students who create an absolute cacophony that Piers referred to by sending them back to school and that the name of which is not "America's got Annoying Little Geeks."  

Christopher and the Crystoppers, male aged 47 who sings badly while on roller skates.
« Last Edit: June 02, 2010, 10:39:56 PM by apskip »

Offline apskip

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2010, 09:54:43 AM »
Episode 2 took place in Dallas.  Howie is expecting the talent to be as big as the state of Texas.

GOOD ACTS (as voted by at least 2 of the judges)

It opens with Arbortax, 3 guitarists starting and the judges feigning looks of complete surprise that nothing significant is happening. Just you wait! A fourth guy goes behind some controls and a 5th in a beekeeper type suit goes and gets his helmet (which must have been hidden under the top of the suit) zapped from either side with bolts of electricity, making his helmet effectively a lightning rod. This is spectacular, like nothing ever seen on AGT before! The judges declare it incredible.  Howie states that "this is what it would be if MIT had a marching band!" As a graduate of that fine institution, I do not find it an apt analogy. Artortax was much more entertaining than an MIT marching band would be. Howie also stated "it's so different, so amazing and unique." Piers agrees: "one of the most incredible auditions I have seen in my lifetime."

Jeremy the genital daredevil - he uses host  Nick to light an explosion that takes place inside his underpants despite NIck trying to get Piers and Howie to nix him. Two judges had buzzed him but one changed their mind and he is going to the next round (where he won't last long).

Bob and Penny Durst and the Muttley Crew - this is a very cute dog act. The most impressive stunts by the dogs were to line up 7 across, then have a seventh go under them in the tunnel created their legs followed by leaping over them. I rate them as adorable and predict they will go far in this competition. The judges love them too.

Le Freak - musicians aged 39 to 54 with big hair and a fun attitude

Chip Townsend and his Team Chip martial arts academy  age 9 to 44- they make martial arts moves and he breaks a tall stack of bricks. Howie tells Chip that in the next round he wants to see more breaking things.

Erin Go Braughless age 25- a fleshy burleque queen who finishes up in Piers' lap.

Taylor Matthews  age 18 - if you looked carefully behind the judges from the on-stage camera angles, the first row of the audience was composed of some very beautiful young women who appear to be fans of his. He is the heartthrob of this competition with his original version of Over the Rainbow in a quality tenor voice and decent guitar accompaniment.

At this point, there are several bad acts, which caused Nick to state that the Dallas auditions had hit rock-bottom and had nowhere to go but up, which to nobody's surprise the producers made it look that way by the order of TV show presentation.

Ms. Donna - a twirler of flaming Samoan knives who is a semi-blind momma. This scares the judges and front rows of the audience with the possibilities of an accident. Howie want to get out of the room. Piers finds it oddly exciting. Two votes are found to send her to the next round.

CJ Peppa age 11 - he raps, he writes some lyrics, he dances. This is a cute multi-talented kid. There will be room for him until crunch time in the later rounds.


BAD ACTS (as voted by at least 2 of the judges)

Jenna Arlene Soma, age 23 -  a singer who has a nice lower range but a screech when only up to about high C. She is out quickly, with Sharon stating that the only thing missing in her act was the pole (used by pole dancers) and Piers identifying her lyrics ("You're No Good") as his summary of her talent. She wears a very tight skirt, which motivated Howie to borrow $1 off an audience member to present to her s a tip.

Ray Sanders, age 62 - band director who plays a unique instrument, the Turkey Baster. Now this is as unique as it ever gets. I have never heard anyone play a classical music piece, much less the William Tell Overture, on a Turkey Baster. However, the judges do not share the same sense of amusement that I have and two of them voted him out because they considered his act to be a turkey.

Nancy LaFancy age 38, a sexy beotch

Jason Andrews, age 23, a magician who places swords into a basket with his apprentice inside, but her wiggling gave away the suspense, so this act fizzled.

Jason Dowty, a bad singer on cruise ships


So the good acts televised outnumbered the bad ones by 9 to 5 and in the first episode it was 16 to 9.





Offline TexasLady

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #4 on: June 03, 2010, 04:16:59 PM »
Thanks for the recaps apskip! I missed the first one, have the 2nd one on the DVR so we can watch this weekend.  :tup:
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Offline apskip

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #5 on: June 04, 2010, 01:23:19 PM »
Thanks for the recaps apskip! I missed the first one, have the 2nd one on the DVR so we can watch this weekend.  :tup:

TexasLady,
You can see the first episode (about 90 minutes with the commercials minimized NBC-style) on www.nbc.com Full Episodes. Why miss it? It was entertaining.

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #6 on: June 05, 2010, 10:18:35 AM »
Thanks apskip, I forgot that we can watch even when we miss the airing on TV.  :-[
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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #7 on: June 13, 2010, 10:57:32 AM »
 :hearts: :hearts: :hearts: OMG this guys is definately one of my favorites already!!

Prince PoppyCock!

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Offline TexasLady

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #8 on: June 13, 2010, 12:05:28 PM »
I was with Piers Morgan, when I saw him I thought.... it's all downhill from here.  :lol:

Prince Poppycock is good!  :tup:
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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #9 on: June 13, 2010, 06:53:55 PM »
AGT5, Episode 2 shifted to New York, where host Nick Cannon announced that they had a Mission to Audition. Never Mind! Nick also announced that New York is a city of 11 million population, which is only high by about 3 million. Come on, NBC, please do your research so that Nick does not make more of a fool of himself. A modicum of foolery is OK, but just plain ignorance is a bad thing.

The auditions showcased a lot of good talent. As usual, I will summarize those moving on to the next round first before I address those eliminated.

GOOD ACTS (as determined by a majority of the Judges)

Fighting Gravity, fraternity brothers age 19 to 22- they did this with 9 invisible helpers dressed in black against a black background vs. the 4 leads who are dressed in white against a white background; it appears there is a puppet master and 3 marionettes, each of whom has two brightly colored balls. Howie says it's unique; Sharon says it's different; all the judges loved it.

Price Poppycock 32, dressed in a costume appropriate to an aristocrat in the late 18th century with an abundance of makeup, he sang "Largo al Factotum" from the Barber of Seville by Rossini. It was excellent singing of a difficult piece with lots of diction-challenging words in a high baritone voice. The judges loved it. Sharon called it magnificent and "you are a true artiste". Piers stated that his expectations were low initially, but he changed his mind with the execution. Poppcycock responded with this repartee: "the don't call me Poppycock for nothing." Howie noted the passion.

Ladies in the Peek-a-Boo Review - 7 young ladies age 22 to 27form  a burlesque group; they will get to the next round but no further. Sharon said sexy and naughty but this is just average entertainment.

Jia Yi-Hie, age 56, plays 4 harmonics simultaneously - this is quite interesting and unique. I think he will go far in this competition.

Danger Committee age 37 to 42, they juggle knives and finish with a  very dangerous knife throw. Sharon said unique. I don't find it that good.
 
Antonio Restivo plus 5 female assistants - he works with fire with 4 assistants, used his torch to send flames out toward the audience and finishes with a secret-compartment and contortionist trick. It was Sharon said it's over the top; Piers said it's very polished. I found ti quite average, so I don't think it's going far into this competition.

Doogie Horner, age 30 - he is a comic with a slow start, but once he got rolling he was insanely funny. The audience was razzing him without giving him sufficient chance to show what he could do. He  told a joke about wanting to be an eagle that was gross but very funny. He was taunting the audience at the end. Piers voted against him, but was outvoted by Howie and Sharon. As Nick Cannon would say, "I like this guy."

BAD ACTS (as determined by 2 or 3 negative votes by the judges)

Gino and Tony Antonesi, age 72 and 49, a father/son singing duo doing "All by Myself" (how's that for appropriateness?). Tony is not in the big leagues of singing talent and his dad is a mediocre singer but as Nick says "I like these guys." Sharon liked them but Piers and Howie did not like them enough to give them the next round.

Gentlemen Jim Menchetta, age 40, speed eater who eats 5 pizzas in 90 seconds but got the ax before he could finish. the judges were grossed out.

RC Storm, age 41, plays a huge mandolin but not well enough to convince anyone that he has talent.

Lisa Falzani, age 45, a mediocre singer (not "the worst I've ever heard", a fit of hyperbole by Piers)  

On Request males age 20 and 22 - one sings and one raps (he calls himself the only white rapper alive but that is of course rubbish) - these guys have very limited talent singing "You Get What You Give" but lots of cojones. They expect to be "internationally famous recording artists. Sharon allows them 10 seconds them rap. It makes no difference. Piers summarizes their performance as "terrible."

Raymond the Amish Comic, age 51 - not funny

Karen Morgann, age  46 - not funny

Darrin Finizio, the fall-down comic,  a guy attempting to do comedy lying on the stage - not worth any consideration

There will be more acts from New York City either next week or later.




« Last Edit: June 13, 2010, 08:25:45 PM by apskip »


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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #10 on: June 16, 2010, 08:24:47 AM »
AGT5, ep. 3 New York City

As usual, I have classified the acts into good and Not Ready for Prime Time
 based on whether 2 or more judges voted for them or not.

GOOD

Rudi Macaggi, age 48, acrobat - balanced upside down on a basketball on a small platform of 2 champagne glasses above a small platform of 2 champagne bottles on top of a small platform with 4 large bottles.

Spangles Dance company 9 females  age 23 to 32 - an OK act

Eric Koloski, age 20 - yoyo performance

Micahel Grasso, age 36, magician - he does the switcheroo act with as assistant by switching in a box behind a curtain.. This is one of those unbelievable "how did they do that?" moments of television history. Piers calls it absolutely brilliant. Sharon said he had a lot of style. Howie said "wow."

Anna and Patryk, age 12, dancers- Sharon said amazing and fantastic but they are really only very good in my estimation.

Nina Mojares age 10 - singer/dancer with 4 dancers up to age 17 - she has a very mature voice but the dance moves are quite simple. Her act is no Jackson Family 5. Piers said it wasn't great. Sharon called her talented and with a good stage presence. Howie said "you're adorable", but he challenged her to perform well at the next level.

Alice Tan Ridley, age 58 - a singer in the NYC subway system for the last 20 years - demonstrated an excellent voice doing what I regard as a soul music piece. Howie said her voice is amazing. Piers stated that her raw talent is "the best audition of the day." Piers and Sharon agreed that it was unbelievable.

Chipps Cooney, age 61 - an illusionist who does a lot of cheesy tricks. Howie loved it, particularly his stage persona. Piers asked if he is trying to be terrible. Piers expressed fear that "these two clowns" (Howie and Sharon) are going to put you through.

NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME
Just the Two of Us, a couple married for 35 years -they play the Renaissance Elizabethan lute, the flute well but sing poorly and their instruments are used only for very simple chords.

Joseph Re age 39 - singer of "the Look of Love" dedicated to Sharon and voiceover talent. He does do fine voiceovers but his singing sucks.

Lovell and LIttle Willie, age 61 - a man in various costumes. Howie made a biting observation: "It's like a parade. you want to see it coming and then you want to see it go away."

Main Squeeze Orchestra 10 female accordionists age 24 to 54 under the direction of an accordion shop owner- Nick said "for some reason I thought this was going to be sexier." He was wrong and so was this act on stage.

Nina Mojares age 10 - singer/dancer with 4 dancers up to age 17 - she has a good voice but the dance moves are quite simple. Her act is no Jackson Family 5. Piers said it wasn't great. Sharon called her talented and with a good stage presence. Howie said "you're adorable", but he challenged her to perform well at the next level.
 

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #11 on: June 19, 2010, 04:33:14 PM »
AGT5, ep. 4 Orlando

Nick Cannon introduced Orlando as the next site for auditions, the first time ever there and designed to tap untapped talent. The question of "Does Orlando have talent?" will soon be answered.

The better acts (I label them Good based on the majority of judges voting for them) will be in one group and the lesser acts ( I label them Not Ready for Prime Time) in another.

GOOD
Nick Pike juggler age 30 - his description of what his act is is totally complex. It started with juggling flaming torches from a flaming unicycle, then some excellent fast juggling until he dropped one pin, then a backflip, juggling 6 balls, breakdancing, then juggling 2 balls with a running chainsaw. Sharon said he was entertaining but he dropped one. Howie said truly an entertainer. Piers reminded him that his golden rule is that if a juggler drops one, you're out, but there is something unique about Nick that got him a plus vote from all judges.

Kuti Traditional Indian Dance Academy about 18 females age 15 to 33

Lil Chris singer/dancer age 12 - to the song "All right, Uptight," he won over the judges

Jayne Lee age 33 entertainer - she bent herself backward all the way to the ground and had Nick Cannon stand on her very strong midriff. However, even though she made the next round her act is too simple to go any further.

Elaine Terranova,singer/dancer age 73 - to the beat of Jerry Lee Lewis' Rock and Roll she won the next round with a good performance.

Nathaniel Kenyon singer/guitarist age 19 - he has a nice voice but it's hard to tell how much talent he really has on guitar due to the simple chords he used in his selected song. He won the audience vote but is his talent enough to please the judges? Howie said not the world's greatest singer but is a good looking young singer likely to attract votes from young ladies. Sharon said yes. Piers said no, but he is going on.

Twisted Trystan and Krystan sideshow performers age  - sword swallowing which sent him to a hospital previously; he gets it fully half way down. Then Krystan brings a long-bit power drill and snakes it down his throat all the way. As Nick said, "please don't ever try this at home as it is extremely dangerous and only the most talented can pull it off without injury. Nick also said "I will not do that for $1,000,000."  Piers said the pair of you are mad. Sharon said she did not watch much of it but it was terrific.

Wreckless is a dance group of 10 self-taught dancers age 17 to 26   - excellent synchronization,  their style looks like hip hop to me but since I don't know much about dance it may be something else. Piers said this group "kicks butt." and "best dance act I've seen this season." Sharon said raw and edgy, not polished but appealing and absolutely yes.

NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME
Jason, age 32, water park lifeguard  and freestyle dancer - he cavorted around the stage but showed nothing interesting (Nick thought the judges were missing the mark).

Jonathan Timpanelli age 16 - he waved his eyebrows. Pure excitement (NOT).

Herpsfury and Perigo Live from "Outer Space" performance artists age 27 and 42

Solomon A., age 23 - he is really awful. I am surprised the judges gave him 10 seconds. he referred to Howie's last name  as Mendez

the Morphs, dance group of college students age 18/19 - Nick said there's nobody that knows what they are. They say "they'll be back." Piers responded "No you won't."

Billy Bob Steinberg, "entertainer" age 48 - made noises by using his bike as a percussion instrument. Sharon told him to get on his bike and go.

the Hula Monsters hoop dancers age 24 to 33 - they use colored hula hoops, but who cares?

Stacy Weaver singer age 35 - he is pretty awful

Lonnie Lear age 44 from the same hometown as AGT4 winner Kevin Skinner claims to be "the truck driver's cowboy" - he claims he is better than Kevin but it's clear that he has no appreciation for the distance he has to go to be as good as Kevin. He just can't get there from here with his limited talent. He was easy for the judges to say NO to.

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #12 on: June 25, 2010, 02:18:53 PM »
The pattern for recent episodes has been warped a bit. the first episode of a 2 hour showing has usually been a repeat from last week, but not for episode 6 -continuation of Orlando. back to back with that was ep. 7 - Portland OR and the next night the only episode was 8 - Portland continuation. You need a scorecard to keep it straight because many TV magazines (including both of mine) seem to be getting it wrong.

AGT5, ep. 6 - Orlando

As Nick says to open the show, "we are at Orlando's Universal Studio's Resort with the theme park rides, Jaws and the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter (from the reviews I have heard, a very nice addition to that resort). What a great place to hear "Orlando's Got Talent!."
Once again it's the good and the Not Ready for Prime Time acts.

GOOD Acts

Frankie Ellison, magician age 17 - his goal was to take string in his mouth and it will come out another orifice of his body; he decided to "get a bit more comfortable", took off his shirt and pulled it out of his skin bloody beneath the belly button. Piers says revolting, disgusting but compelling. Howie says "you are really good." Sharon said No. Howie votes Yes and he's on his way to the next round.

Murray Sawchuck  magician age 30  - Howie says it's top-notch and entertaining. Piers says he wants the maciain and assistant to change places.

South Philly  Vikings 12 people ages 16 to 56 - they dance to Mummers sting band music (the kind played for New Year's day in Philadlephia famous Mummer's Parade. Howie said power rangers meet s Liberace.

Max Winfrey knife thrower age 45 - he has an assistant who goes up so that his outline can be traced on a 8 foot by 3 foot upright sheet of drawing paper, then that guy stepped away before max actually threw the knives, carefully putting 3 just outside the outline and one just inside the right leg. They agree that's it's good he wasn't there bu t then Nick pushes the support for the drawing paper 180 degree and reveals that Nick Cannon was secured to the back side in the theoretically exact same position. We did not see that one coming (as Howie said) and they are voted in, but what will they do for encores in future rounds. I can't see them taking this to a new level that many times. It is great to see Nick getting so many acts.

Erin Barylski, female age 28 - this is truly unique as she used she body and red and blue paint to hop around on a white canvas and paint an American flag to the music of the Stars and Stripes Forever Sousa march

Simeon Mulder, pianist dressed as Mozart Age 16 - he is playing two well-known classical music pieces but neither is by Mozart. why? is he saving the Mozart for later rounds or is a pianist going to gravitate toward the great piano concertos, none of which to my considerable classical musical knowledge were composed by Mozart.Piers says great talent and you're clearly having fun. Howie said great stage presence, smart, witty, talented. I don't think the costume matters a bit. he is a really good pianist with the right attitude and will go far.

Studio One Young Beast Society 8hip hop dancers age 10 to 21 - Howie said lots of energy, great to look at, 10 year old adorable

Harmonik, 6 guys age 22 to 33 from Haiti originally performers gospel music with a lead singer, a guitarist who double as backup singer, bongos/backup singer , drums, keyboard- they choose the barn-burner "Hallelujah" to rouse the live audience support. They cited their ties to dead relatives and those with destroyed homes in Haiti. They did good harmonies and even modulated ti into a higher key. Sharon said "you are obviously all accomplished musicians." Piers said "great harmonies, loved it."

NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME Acts

Tiahizzi Cherrelle, singer/dancer age 32 -however, when she comes out on stage it's with an abundance of clothing so she takes off clothing as she goes. Oh, she's that type of dancer!

Master Yogi Laser - age 45 postures of legs over arms, to the music Superfreak

Paul Pierog-Not Your President  6 performance artists age 20 to 66- a bunch of weird guys taking off their clothes gradually and cavorting on stage; they appear to have little to no talent

Fafo male age 28 - Howie asked him if he is a Boy Scout who wants to work at Hooters and also cavorts around the stage. Nick said that if he took anything else off, Nick would go home (if you had Maria Carey waiting for you, you might be interested in going home, too). Piers says that is the smallest talent we've ever had on this show.

Efim Tabachnikov singer age 73 - he is an emigree from Russia  sings Some Enchanted Evening badly; he claims to know breathing techniques but has not got any discernable vocal talent and has the terrible vibrato typical of many older singers. Sharon nailed him with "first-rate professional singers have a beautiful tone and you don't."

Sponjetta Parrish  female age  - she composes original music and sings it; this piece is all about ; it's "In My Studio" and has boring and repetitive lyrics; Howie says "it's a song I won't be able to get out of my head (the bad version). Piers said "it's back to the studio for you. Nick came out on stage and said she deserved a second chance so he joined her singing to that song, which got buzzed off a second time. She got her 90 seconds worth and a lot more exposure. Nick can be so funny when allowed to just improvise. He's not as great with the canned lines.



Offline apskip

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #13 on: June 25, 2010, 05:16:13 PM »
My own lack of attention to PC keys and marginally hitting the wrong one cost me having to rewrite this entire review in an abbreviated form. I am upset at myself, but what can I do? Anyone who want to do better is welcome to.

AGT5, ep. 7 Portland Oregon

This is the only Pacific Northwest audition location this year, so those in that region make it here to show off their talent. Does Portland have talent? You betcha!

GOOD Acts -
The Hot Shot Tap Dancers, team of 3 brothers and a sister, reasonably good tap dancers ages 19-25. Their mentor/father is there and acting to the camera as if he is really the offstage star of the show. They are quite good, with synchronization and an occasional flip. The girl said "it's time to bring tap to the masses."

AssenDance, Wall Dancers (age 29) Isabel and y are engaged climbing wall dancers - Isabel said that "if he dropped her she would not marry him". Their act did not require a lot of risk but it required great strength on his part, hanging off either the top of a climbing wall or off one of the higher knobs on the wall.

Rated Next Generation (RNG), troupe ages 11-13 -  they are cute doing hip hop dance and moving to the next round but they really do not enough talent to go further

Paul Safy, Jr., male age 26 - singer with a big baritone voice and sang Tony Bennett's version of "San Francisco"

Sky Sirens, Double Trapeze Act ages 33 and 34 -  I was not impressed by these two; they are OK but not really good enough to make it for anything but a quite small circus

Kent Jenkins, male age 16 - he and his father made this PVC pipe percussion instrument sounding like a lower version of marimbas

Harmonica Pierre Herminot, harmonica player age 73 - another guy with limited talent; he plays 4 harmonics at once to perform "Flight of the Bumblebee." He will not make it past the next round.
    
Christina and Ali, singers ages 13 and 20 - these are singing sisters with cystic fibrosis; they have winning smiles and shy but effective personalities and will do quite well.

NOT READY for PRIME TIME Acts

Soriah, male singer age 38 - he is an extremely talented tube-and-throat singer who gets at least one octave below my low bass voice. This is totally impressive to be as a classical musician, but the the audience nor the judges understand this. Piers and Nick and Howie all try to do it, but they make fools of themselves. Sharon says "I did not get that; I have no idea."  Get better musically  educated, Sharon!

The Amazing Amy, Yoga Performer female age 55- she performs with an accordionist and is nothing special

Hart Keene, male magician age 29 - his act is swallowing sharp needles. Why? Who wants to see that? Nick said "two things I don't do good with are naked guys and needles."

Natasha Delepine, female singer age 21 - she sings badly, so Piers says this is not  "America's got strange people in pink hair making it up as they go along."

Ryan Compton, male singer age 38 - he could get reach the 5th high note falsetto, so the rest of his martial acts dance act was meaningless
« Last Edit: July 06, 2010, 10:20:08 PM by apskip »

Offline apskip

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #14 on: June 25, 2010, 08:14:44 PM »
AGT5 ep. 8 Portland

Jeremy Vanschoonhoven from Talent Oregon, Bicycle Act age 27 - he was excellent in taking his trail bike and jumping it up about 4 feet high and across from one platform to another 4 foot platform, the up and over to 6 foot, up and over to 8 foot and up and over to the final 10 foot platform. he was doing wheelies galore and rocking moves. He also had Nick lie on the floor and worked his bike above Nick without touching him. Piers: "It would be amazing if the winner of America's Got Talent came from  a town named Talent. Howie said: "Your friend (Nick Cannon) came this close to losing his talent." 

Bhangra Empire, Indian Folk Dance Group ages 18-28 - Indian cultural dance (remember Ishaara form last year; I still can't believe they got nowhere near the final round)

The Strange Familiar, Musicians a guy and his long-term best female friend ages 27 - she has a nice alto folk voice and plays the keyboard and he plays simple guitar chords

Northwest Dance & Acro, Dance/ Acrobatics Group girls ages 7-18 -

Airpocalypse, Air Guitar Band 3 guys  ages 22-40 - these 3 guys were spectacular. their gyrations on stage playing the music to Deliverance to get warmed u, then switched abruptly to heavy metal with 2 playing air guitar and one air drums. Are they ever going to have a fun time in future rounds of this competition! Sharon said music choice sensational, stage presence electric. Howie said its a unique form of entertainment. Piers really enjoyed it despite low expectations. she put on pink dark glasses with flashing lights on the frames to show solidarity. Howie says air guitar deserves airfare to Las Vegas.

Iron Horse, Band ages 22-27 - 2 male guitarists and a male drummer

Connor Doran, Indoor Kite Flyer  male age l7 - this was entrancing as Connor, who has epilepsy , serenely flowed around the stage and made his kite "sing" with its movements controlled by his hands on each of two bars each with a control string on each end. It was impressive. Sharon called watching it relaxing and spiritual.

William Scott Anderson, Magician age 31 - this guy is a military medevac pilot who has served in Afghanistan and Iraq. She did not get any attention, but his contortionist assistant is the real star of this act. She apparently squeezed into a very small cube which he put 4 knives through. Sharon loved his execution and style. Howie loved the use of the military, flag, uniform. He said it's a bit small as an act, but maybe it can get to another level.

Sally Cohn, Hand Whistler age 75 - I did not understand how this old lady, who does have tremendous personality but has a musical act with little musicality performing America the Beautiful, got sent on to the next round. She won't last long. Let's face it, she only made it through because she is an old lady. A 50 year old doing the same act would haev gotten booed off the stage.

NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME Acts

    * Magique Bazaar, Magicians/Entertainers ages 40 & 42 -  he came out to quick-change 5 masks in 90 seconds, but he fell off the stage while doing so. NIck: "I don't know about the magic part but you have the bizarre part right.

    * Living Dead Girlz, Dance Troupe 5 women ages 23-30 - hot zombie dance troupe. Piers: "It's like watching a horror film."

    * Bloody Maggie and Her Pet, Performance Artists ages 18-28 - this is a pointless act where a social worker has a faux animal on a leash

    * Vee Bee, Singer/Trapeze Artist female age 38 - she sings while on a trapeze upside down but did not demonstrate much talent with her singing

    * Tiny Talent, Animal Act , a troupe of chihauhaus with trainer age 35; the dogs scattered all over the place and one or two had to be chased down offstage and in the audience. They are extremely cute but the chaos was not indicative of a fine act.

    * Rebecca Roudman, Musician ages 32 - plays the cello; strong classical background, but her music choice here is the equivalent of Jimi Hendrix style guitar.What was she thinking? piers says when he dies for punishment for all the mean judging he's done he will have to listen to her on the cello.


I want to share an observation with you about Howie, the new judge. He has so much more common sense and ability to judge than David Hasselhoff whom he replaced, but he is butchering the English language by overuse of the phrase "unique." If only it were so, but not all the acts Howie types as unique really are.

Offline ugot2bekidinmeny

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #15 on: June 30, 2010, 07:48:15 PM »
Another suprising  audition :wohoo:


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Offline georgiapeach

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #16 on: June 30, 2010, 08:06:56 PM »
Goosebumps for me too...

I love these moments where you can literally see a life change.

More videos please! :hearts:
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Offline ugot2bekidinmeny

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #17 on: June 30, 2010, 08:16:37 PM »
ohhhhh i didn't know  I had a captive audience for more videos!! :wohoo:

p.s. i hope you don't regret asking!! :lol3:
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Offline ugot2bekidinmeny

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #18 on: July 01, 2010, 07:37:07 AM »
highlights

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #19 on: July 01, 2010, 07:40:53 AM »
Fighting Gravity

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Offline ugot2bekidinmeny

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #20 on: July 01, 2010, 07:45:21 AM »
YEAOZZZZA!

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #21 on: July 02, 2010, 06:27:02 AM »
Carlos Aponte is, in my opinion, a genuine major talent. So is Fighting Gravity. Having a 16 year old Dutch kid dressed as Mozart and then playing no Mozart was a bit disconcerting. His talent appears to be limited to his effervescent personality and to costumes, which is not enough to carry him through this competition. Now that the preliminary rounds appear to be finished, I will develop my favorites for later in the competition (which based on my last year's results vs. projections will then have no shot at the $1,000,000/Las Vegas show)

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #22 on: July 02, 2010, 07:08:33 AM »
Carlos was humble, charming and a wonderful singer, I'm looking forward to hearing him again. Sixteen year old Simeon Mulder is talented, has stage presence, I'm glad he made it to Vegas, will he be able to stay in the competition? Probably not, but I still enjoyed listening to him.

I'm also looking forward to seeing what Prince Poppycock will do and sing next.  :lol:
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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #23 on: July 06, 2010, 02:52:32 PM »
AGT5 ep. 9 Chicago

The last new site for the preliminary rounds of America's Got Talent 5 were in Chicago. Does Chicago have talent? Maybe not as much as in Talent Oregon, but let's find out how much.

THE  GOOD Acts

Strikers All Stars 8 males ages 22-26 - hip-hop dance group formed at Florida A&M University, showing excellent synchronization plus several tumbling moves. Sharon said "Wow". Howie said dynamic and energetic and crowd-pleasing. Piers said "you've got the whole thing(look., sex appeal)".

Gentlemen of NUCO, classical musicians 7 males ages 21-22 - there are 2 violinists, 1 cellist, 1 string bass, 1 drummer, and 1 glockenspiel. They are very good and entertaining.

NU Covenant, Gospel Choir 4 males ages 18-23 - singing a gospel version of Shout with high energy. Sharon said "it makes me want to go to church." Piers responds "sharon, if you do that to pray for the forgiveness of your sins, you will be in there several weeks." Sharon has the last word with "I'd be in there all day."

Naishon Jones  male age 18 - it looks like hip-hop dancing to me.

Carlos Aponte, male Opera Singer age 24 from Puerto Rico - my expectations were low as NBC introduced him to Macarena music. However, this was a misdirect, as Carlos opened up with a huge operatic voice singing "Il mare calmo della sera". He was spectacular and in my opinion is the #1 contender for the $1,000,000. Sharon said "you don't need the microphone to sing." Piers gives him praise and Carlos says that he doesn't understand the phrase but he does understand that it's a very favorable comment.

Polina Volchek, Hula Hoop Act female age 24 - she is a rhythmic gymnast with hoops and ribbons her props, demonstrating lots of talent. Howie said "you are like Hooters on steroids," meaning it as a big compliment.

John Beatty,  the Strongman male age 43 - he comes onstage carrying a huge 290 pound ball of concrete. Next he takes a metal frying pan and bends it into a conical shape. Piers claims this is not talent, but Howie challenged Piers to unroll it. Not a chance by Piers, but John had no trouble unrolling it. Piers was impressed enough to change his vote from no to yes after admitting it's a little harder than it looks. John also used his hand to act as a hammer for driving a nail through a license plate and two thick wooden slabs. He bent a nail while holding the stone.

Debra Romer, female age 21 - a singer/guitarist with a very nice low alto voice. She sang a  song that caused Howie to question if she owned her performance and was afraid. Piers disagreed strongly, focusing instead on her innocence. Sharon said that she has to "own it" with her head up and smiling.  

The Not Ready for Prime Time Acts

Zach Carty, Sneezing Act  Male age 20 - Howie says this act does not involve any talent. Zach's act is to delight, astound and disgust the audience. His act is to count the number of times he can sneeze with his eyes open. Howie, taking time off from  directing the audience to look the other way, pushed Sharon's buzzer to get Zach off the stage.

The Spellbinder, male age 50 - a magician who claims to be an illusionist; he claims it will be cool, wild and spellbinding and has a Barry White voice. However, his act is about a dancing handkerchief, nothing more. Nick queries "How do you make a tissue dance? Put a little boogie in it."

Tom Zemke, age 54 - singer/dancer who is really awful. it takes him a while to clear the stage.

Laura Ernst, female age 25 - she come onstage inside a zorb and rolls around the stage with 4 red balls added. There doesn't seem much talent involved.

Buddy Holly Cheesehead, male age 4 -  singer/guitar who is a bad singer doing a song about cheese.





« Last Edit: July 06, 2010, 10:05:20 PM by apskip »

Offline georgiapeach

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #24 on: July 06, 2010, 07:06:08 PM »
Thanks for the recaps and the videos!!

I loved them all.... Fighting Gravity is the most unique for sure...can't wait to see what they do next!! ;jumpy:

When does this come on again?? :lol:
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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #25 on: July 06, 2010, 08:39:31 PM »
AGT5, ep. 10

This is a miscellaneous show where acts from all the sites were mixed up.

Good Acts
The Belly Dancing Duo 2 females age 32-26  -Sharon and Howie agree they have "T & T", timing and talent in their fast-paced solo accompanied by bongos. Howie says oozing and overflowing with talent. Piers said he could have watched that for months.

LIndsey Sterling, female age 23  - high energy hip-hop violinist

Team X-Pogo, Pogo Stick Performers 4 males ages 15-22 - they do flips and backflips on pogo sticks and double flips coming off them. Impressive!

Da Maniacs, 15 males ages 25-56 - dance troupe - Sharon said it's really move movement than dance, but she likes it anyway.

Rick Smith Jr., Card Thrower age 29 - world record holder in throwing playing cards, with Nick as his assistant holding celery. His speed was impressive as he made 2 clean cuts. He throws 92 miles per hour.
 
Phil Trau, male age 74 -tap dancer to the tune "Blackbird", who did a split causing Piers to take back his "x". Howie claimed to be dazzled. Sharon says he's "sexy Phil."

Luigi Seno, male age 20 - singer/guitarist singing a pop song that I am not familiar with (but the audience was). Nick said "that's talent" and he was right. Howie said "you are a great entertainer." Piers said "you've got this charm about you" and "he's a natural performer."

Arthur Nakane, male age 73 - one-man band that takes 3 hours to set up his instruments. He sings, plays guitar, has a keyboard somewhere and uses his feet to play a bass instrument. He is not a very good singer, but his act is very impressive. Sharon said entertaining. Howie voted no. Piers said he is not a great musician, but for sheer dedication and hard work he is sending him to Las Vegas.

Not Ready for Prime Time Acts

Jimmy Dinh, male age 36 - standup comedian who is so slow-paced that he got buzzed off. Howie tells him to be himself rather than playing another character. Piers says he is saying yes to make Jimmy feel better after Sharon and Howie had assured Jimmy of not going through. Sharon then called Piers an asshole.

Clownvis, Singing Clown age 28 - he pretends to be Elvis with his down-home approach; he actually has a decent voice but his choice of a song was Old McDonald had a Farm. He is really a Rodney Dangerfield style insult comic. He was joking around about Ozzie Osbourne, which prompted Sharon to tell him in no uncertain terms that "nobody disrespects my husband."

Sumo Champs, 4 male, 1 remale ages 25-39 - 3 sumo wrestlers with two assistants. The judges asked "what is the point?" I rather enjoy seeing sumo wrestling, not exactly a common performance in the U.S.

The Tap Dancing Sarah Palins, Comedy Dancers ages 24-38 - dance variety act with a costumed bear character that fizzled quickly.

Frequent Flyers Productions, 5 females ages 21-52 - aerialists who hung upside down. Howie stated that there "wasn't a move I couldn't do," so the women challenged Howie to do it. He did successfully and then voted them off.


There was an opportunity to vote for 40 acts on www.youtube.com/agt but it had to be done by July 4 (so I missed out). I bet we will see the highest vote getters very soon, like in a special show tonight.
« Last Edit: July 06, 2010, 10:52:44 PM by apskip »

Offline apskip

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #26 on: July 06, 2010, 08:41:12 PM »
Thanks for the recaps and the videos!!

I loved them all.... Fighting Gravity is the most unique for sure...can't wait to see what they do next!! ;jumpy:

When does this come on again?? :lol:
Peach, it's been on tonight for 40 minutes and will be until 11pm. If you missed it, watch Full Episodes on www.nbc.com.

Offline georgiapeach

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #27 on: July 06, 2010, 09:26:36 PM »
Missing tonight's, but thanks!!
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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #28 on: July 07, 2010, 05:59:20 AM »
First, let us be clear that I have not looked at all at last night's episode of AGT5, which is the first of the Las Vegas rounds. What I have done is to go back to episode 1 through 10 and make decisions on which acts I think are superior. I have grouped them by type, as that is the way that the Judges (although not the audience) makes comparative  judgments.

Singers
Carlos Aponte
Prince Poppycock
NU Covenant
Harmonik
Alice Tan Riley
Taylor Matthews
Paul Safy Jr.
New Directions Veterans Chorus

Dancers
Fighting Gravity
Striker All Stars
Future Funk
Wreckless

Instrumentalists
Airpocalypse
Gentlemen of NUCO
Arbortax
Simeon Mulder

Circus Acts
Assen Dance
LIpari/Dijon
Twysted Trystan and Krystan
Bob/Penny Durst and the Muttley Crew

Other Categories
Magicians - Michael Grasso
Variety - Rick Smith Jr.
Strongman - John Beatty
Grossout - Swing Shift Side Show

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #29 on: July 07, 2010, 06:10:27 AM »
The YouTube episode of GT5 will be August 10, but the voting for it closed July 4. I have listened to and looked at all 40 of the displayed videos at www.youtube.com/agt and you should too. Here are my choices for the best of these acts in the order I saw them:

Scott Land Marionettes - really cute magic act by the puppet
Ryan Rodriguez - tumbling
Tyler Scheuer - balance
Joe Magic -magician
Austin Anderson - standup comedian
PLUtonic - college age barbershop octet
Let's Get the ? - percussion
Talent Pup - the dog pulling on an accordion is OK, but the real talent here is the geezer singing and strumming on his guitar
Zack Stack - crooner
Tom Stevens - voices and faces

Each one of these acts is good enough in my opinion to be equivalent to the live acts that made it to the second round. However, it is my understanding that NBC is going to use the vote on these acts to select only one act to be placed into the competition as of August 10.

I think the best two were the Talent Pup old man and Tom Stevens and I pick Tom Stevens as the best of the best from the You tube auditions.


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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #30 on: July 09, 2010, 11:34:56 AM »
Thanks for the tips. I got behind last week so need to catch up.  :(
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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #31 on: July 10, 2010, 07:24:38 PM »
AGT5 Las Vegas Round part 1

For this season, the 88 acts that advanced to compete in Las Vegas, were classified as members of any of three groups. Those in "Group A", referred to as the "the judges' favorites" received a chance to perform on the first day of this stage of competition for any of an open 38 slots, in an attempt to advance on to compete in the live shows. The audition performances of those that were placed in "Group B" of standbys, the second group, were not seen by the judges as appealing as those of the members of "Group A", and whether or not the "Group B" members receive a chance to attempt to advance to the live shows depends on the performance of the acts in "Group A". In this season, there are eleven places remaining for those in the Top 48 for the members of "Group B" to compete for. The audition performances of the third set of acts, "Group C", 10 that were seen by the judges as superior to those in the other two groups and sent straight to Hollywood, bypassing any performances in. Members of this group moved on to compete in the live shows automatically.



Group C is composed of:

Arc Attack
The Bell Dancing Duo Kaya and Sadie (male judges’ favorite, but will America be voting for them?)
Cheer SF (another male judges’favorite)
Da’ Maniacs (this is one of the 3 best dance troupe in AGT5?)
Fighting Gravity
Future Funk
Haspop (huh?)
Polina Volchek (I actually believe it was her talent that caught the judges’ eyes)
South Philly Vikings (huh?; the rowdy reputation of Mummers precedes them)
Strikers All Stars

I think NBC/AGT5 did a very poor job of identifying the acts as they were performing. If you had memorized all 78 acts performing then no problem, but for real people some graphics listing the name of the act would have been really helpful.  So I will get off my soapbox and here we go with the 50 Group A acts to the best of my ability to track them:

Magic Acts
Kung Fu Heroes – their usual ferocity
The Danger Committee – they made no impression on me
William Scott Anderson, the Army soldier magician - does a well-known trick where he appears to split his own body in two; it's disappointing because it’s common
Michael Grasso does some sleight of hand to "Breathe" by Telepopmusik – comments were slick, but not wow
Murray Sawchuck – brings a car onto the stage with an illusion
Chipps Cooley – he tries comedy illusions and I like him

The judges expected WOW and did not get it from most of these acts.

Harmonica Players
Harmonica Pierre – harmonica classical tunes OK but not fabulous
Gi Ji Yi – 5 harmonicas

It looked to me that neither of them had the requisite WOW.

Acrobatic Acts
AscenDance – I thought this act was classy once again, but how many different rock walls can you climb?
Aerialists Michael and Asti – it looked like he could not finish the act to conclusion to prevent an accident
Rudy – handstands and slow release from them on top of a female assistant’s back

Strength/Grossout Acts
Female torch person dropped one
John Beatty, the Strong Man – restrained 2 accelerating motorcycles, which shows he is strong, but where is that extra dimension?
Antonio Restivo – used fire and disappearing illusion, but “it didn’t go perfect”

Male “Classical” Singers
Prince Poppycock - he sang an aria from Figaro despite not feeling well due to an infection; Piers said it affected his voice a lot and PP agreed
Hannibal Means – singing an aria in a silly rooster costume (symbol of a new day)
Carlos Aponte Jr. – singing Man of La Mancha, he did not live up to the promise of his preliminary round performance

Dancers
Hot Shot Tap Dancers – one of the males screwed up and missed the routine
Studio One Young Beast Society - Hip hop group
Mona Sampah Dance Company – Bollwood-style Indian dance group; very energetic
Female dancer who played the violin (not that well in my estimation)
Wreckless – they did well
Street Dance Hip Hop style Group from LA - – they performed really well in my view but were eliminated by the judges

Female Singers
Lindsey Stirling – her performance did not register in my memory
Alice Tan Riley - “Rolling on the River” but not enough for me to remember her name
April Lane – her performance did not register in my memory
Deborah Romer – she has more of a smile on her face and if she was nervous it did not show; her voice is quite good singing a melancholy song
Mary Ellen – she started by calling Howie “Holly” so you know it’s not going to go well; those expectations were met; what was she doing in the Las Vegas round?; she had to be dragged off the stage by “Holly” after about 10 minutes of the same song repeated; the judges made a major mistake in not taking someone with talent to allow Mary Ellen to the next round

Kids
Simeon Mulder – classical pianist with focus on costumes
Lil Chris – “Stand By Me”
Connor George – kite flyer
CJ Dippa – rapper; I did not find it that good
Anna and Patryk – dancers did well enough to move ahead

Howie complained about judging the winners with so much talent present. Piers said “Welcome to the real world.”

Comics
Dougie – he had some funny beard jokes, but not uproarious

Novelty Acts
Maricar - female painter; her competitors called her act “incredibly clever”; I see it as the most original act in AGT5
Dog act – good but not that different from earlier performance
Lariat rope guy – ho, hum
Juggler – he dropped a ball that was supposed to go into his mouth
Arthur Makane (one man band) – I thought his poor singing ruined an otherwise good performance
Sally Cohn (hand whistler) – the whole idea of having a hand whistler get into this round was pretty weird; she performs “Over the Rainbow” quite well, but I am not interested in seeing her act any more times

Male Vocalists
?- he was asked if he thought he had blown it
Taylor Matthews – singer/guitarist as OK
Michael Grimm – singer/guitarist; I do not like his choice of song style and he overran the time limit

Band
Strange Familiar – I do not remember their performance at all, but they are going on

The acts chosen to go to Hollywood were:
Magic/Illusion Acts – Antonio Restivo, Chipps Cooney, Murray Sawchuck
Acrobatic Acts – AscenDance, Rudy
Strength/Grossout Acts – John Beatty, a couple
Male “Classical” Singers – Hannibal Means, Prince Poppycock
Dancers – Wreckless, Mona Sampah Dance Company, Hot Shot Tap Dancers, Studio One Young Beast Society
Female singers – Mary Ellen, Deborah Romer, Lindsey Stirling, Alice Tan Riley
Kids – CJ Dippa, Lil Chris, Anna and Patryk
Comics – Dougie
Novelty Acts – Harmonica, Maricar, Sally Cohn
Male Vocalists – Michael Grimm, Taylor Matthews
Band – Strange Familiar

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #32 on: July 10, 2010, 07:26:46 PM »
AGT5, LV round part 2

This episode deals with the 28 acts in group B which were competing for 11 available positions. The hyperbole was thick as the other groups in each category watched their competitors perform, commented and attempted to underscore the superiority of their own performances. The editors of AGT5 generally do a good job, but why do they subject us to this drivel? Don’t they have real material to show us?

First up is the Danger Acts. The acts considered:
Sword thrower
Martial Arts
Nick Pike - walking on broken glass blindfolded juggling butcher knives and fire
Jeremy van Schoonhoven – his bicycle act showed new tricks

Juvenile Dance Acts were:
Northwest Acro and Dance – juvenile female hip hop group looked just OK to me, but the judges are sending them to Hollywood
RNG female juvenile dancers – I like them better than the judged; they are not going on.

Singing Groups were:
NU Covenant – they sang well and made it
Gentlemen from NUCO – I don’t remember them
New Directions – it was heart-wrenching to watch this group get the news they would not go forward
Christina and Ali (sisters with cystic fibrosis) – I don’t think they have the level of talent needed but they have sentimental power going for them and made it to the next round

Novelty Acts were:
Erin Barylski – body paints a beach scene
Juggler – drops a racket
Balloon popper – does a poor job
Rick Smith Jr., who throws playing cards at high speed to break balloons; he missed at least twice on this performance, pretty much sealing his fate.
Ronith – he got the judges convulsing with hysterical laughter with his body moves and voices; I think he is very talented and very funny

Musicians
Harmonix – was only OK tonight, which is not good enough to move forward
Airpocalypse – I strongly disagreed with the judges placing them in this category when they should have been in the Category C; anyway, I got to see them perform again and they are excellent

Male Singers
Nathaniel Kenyon – I didn’t see why he was chosen; he was mediocre in my opinion
 
Circus Acts
Rick Smith Jr. got the first of 2 balloons set up over the side of the judges’ stand, but he missed 3 straight after that.

Musical Acts
? - is shown to be her screaming and him doing simple guitar
Harmonix – I like this group but they were not as good as their preliminary round performance
Airpocalypse – this air guitar group, which claims to have transcended instruments, is very entertaining
Gentlemen from NUCO – they were a cipher
Iron Horse – they did not stand out in my mind

Solo Male Singers
Paul Safy Jr. – he did not register for me at all, but he is going to Hollywood
Luigi Seno – he did OK in a highly competitive category
Nathaniel Kenyon - Howie told him it’s the toughest category (so don’t be disappointed if you don’t make it) but he did end up making it

The judge now made their decisions within each category and by comparing across categories. Piers asked his fellow judges to “not let your heart rule your head,” which Sharon in particular tends to do. The final 11 choices were:

Kun Fu Heroes
Nick Pike
RNG
Luigi Seno
Paul Safy Jr.
Nathaniel Kenyon
Ronith
NU Covenant
Airpocalypse
Christina and Ali
Iron Horse

The mathematics of the groupings showed that 27 of 50 Group A acts made it, or 54%. For Group B acts, 11 of 28 acts, or 39% made it. That isn’t a terrible penalty for being classified in the standby group.

I hear that the next round will be composed of 4 parts, with 12 acts competing in each one.

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #33 on: July 14, 2010, 10:05:42 AM »
It's AGT5 Hollywood (quarterfinal) round, part 1, 12 acts of which only 4 will survive to the semfinals. NBC messed up the sound system for the first 30 seconds, so NIck Cannon was talking but nobody other than the live audience could hear what he said. It wouldn't make any difference anyway. Most of the pre-performance stuff is just hype anyway. These are live performances and the public gets to vote during the 2 hours succeeding the end of the show (until 1am here in the Eastern time zone). Howie offered his advice to the acts: "Just do It." Acts can be forced to stop performing if they get 3 judge Xs, but the public can still vote for them (although I cannot imagine that ever happening since these judges are mostly rational). The motto of all following rounds is "Step It Up" meaning do something new, different and better. That works to give the 10 Group C acts (those who did not have to perform in Las Vegas) a big edge, since they have one less new performance to create and develop. I will use a letter grading system with A+ my best possible score. I will offer my personal comments before those of the judges. So here it is:

NOTE- I am putting up the structure now so I do not lose it (that has happened to me multiple time in the past). I will find in the blanks of the judges' comments ASAP.

Kung Fu Heroes - this act was fresh and daring and cutting edge in the preliminary rounds. What happened to them here? They used real swords and spears and a long hammer but it was lots of motion and just not very entertaining
Howie - choreography from the e preliminary round. It's like Power Rangers with no shirts and eye shadow.
Piers - not as enthralling as before; too much of a martial arts routine waving swords etc.and not an entertainment routine; I liked you when you were complete lunatics
Sharon - liked the ending
My Grade - B

Christina and Ali - they never should have been here to begin with, so I am not surprised that they did not do well on a pop song. They did have nice harmony with the older sister singing thirds above the younger.
Howie- There were some notes missed but it doesn't matter, as I love you.
Piers - Your singing was second-rate until you got together on the harmony. It was an improvement on your audition.
Sharon - I am not going to say anything negative.
My Grade - B

Airpocalypse - this group is scintillating to my ears and ears. They added 8 backup dancers to go with the 3 primary performers and from the opening to the slow descent from up top to the stage for the drummer/angel, then picking up the tempo to the end of the performance, it was mesmerizing for me. Excellent!
Howie - it is not clear whether air guitar has a place in AGT; you demonstrate how much you can do with absolutely nothing (except hot girls and music).
Piers- this was really lip syncing and it was as good as any lip syncing he had ever heard. I will buy your album
Sharon - you are great acting and it is great fun
My Grade - A

Hot Shot Tap Dancers - in the prior round one of the males missed a difficult part of the routine and thought his mistake had eliminated them, but they were fortunate to get through despite that. The audience is fortunate now, as they are very entertaining with their tap routines. I particularly loved the opening slide routine and their fine synchronization.
Howie - that storyline was distracting; it would have been better focus on pure dance
Piers -  I loved the look and choreography, but it lacks oomph. It was too safe in a comfort zone but you never exploded or caught fire onstage.
Sharon - I loved your relaxed style. Your tap routine is current and could motivate more interest in tap dancing.
My Grade - A

Paul Safy Jr. - he has a terrific crooner voice but his choice of music is poor. This cost him a spot in the next round, as he cannot get there with this performance.
Howie - likes Michael Buble, loved shadow puppets (women dancing behind screens), your ending was cheesy
Piers - I like cheese, your voice is fine but you need to relax and let the performance come to you, feel the song and chill out a bit
Sharon - great tone, but performance was dated and a bit cheesy for a 27 year old; work on delivery
My Grade  - B

Future Funk - this dance duo is cute and adorable and excellent dancers for their age of 10 and 5. They were accompanied by a high-energy rock version of the opening of Beethoven's 5th symphony. However, during the performance the imbalance between what the 10 years old can do and what the 5 year old can do was too obvious, so it's out of balance.
Howie - you were talking (the younger one said "Deal I love you."); America will love you and you have talent. YOu can have any women you want.
Piers - You have star quality.
Sharon - that was sensational and amazing.
My Grade - A-

Sally Cohen - the judges loved her singing an obscure melody I am not familiar with, but I did not think her performance was very good. I think there is  reason for her to be here because hand whistling is a unique talent, but it should not displace much better vocal and dance and variety acts. I think she may get sympathy votes for being old, but I will be surprised if she makes it to the next round.
Howie - unique, quirky, great personality
Piers - that is a fine rendition of that tune, much better than what Nick can do with it. You are a wonderful inspiration. He got her to say hand whistling is music that can be used to entertain.
Sharon - asks about her "inner kitty cat"
My Grade - B

Nick Pike - this was a huge disappointment. Nick got in as a replacement for the better Trystan and Krystan who had to withdraw for an unknown reason. He had lots of fire, a minimum of torch juggling and lots of motion, but not a coherent interesting act. He gets my lowest score and a ticket home.
Howie - what are you? Nick said he is a juggler/acrobat/comedian
Piers - America may love it, but I thought it was a shambles; without fire everywhere, only simple juggling and running around
Sharon - it was so dangerous (note - this is total b.s.); Piers had told her to set himself on fire for the semis so he did that literally
My Grade - B-

RNG - I will agree that they earned a spot in the Hollywood rounds, but now it's time for them to go home. Their performance had absolutely no redeeming value; It's just some cute girls age 11 dancing in a choreographed way to music. I found their story line insipid. Give them the hook and my lowest score.
Howie - you have a future in dance, but this is not very much talent or a headline act now
Piers - I agree with Howie. Judges are looking for amazing dancing and you are not quite there yet. Keep practicing.
Sharon - a good routine is difficult but you did it; I loved it.
My Grade - B-

Maricar - this is one of the 2 truly unique acts in this leg of the competition. She painted underwater in a large fish tank, coming up every so often for air. It was barely recognizable as a portrait of Piers, who had given her excellent marks the last round. I expect that we will see a portrait of Howie next round if she makes it since he also gave her very good marks.
Howie - I admire the act and admire your terrific pair of lungs
Piers - I can watch you forever; it was surreal.
Sharon - You have made act very very sexy.
My Grade - A-

Fighting Gravity - this is the other of the truly unique acts and I love it. These 12 guys are so talented. I think they may go all the way. They were the only act that received my highest mark.
Howie - you are phenomenal
Piers - creativity, innovation and uniqueness; it was without doubt the performance of the night
Sharon - incredible with unlimited prospects. Blue Man Group, move over.
My Grade - A+

Nathaniel Kenyon - he's out of his league here and did not belong in the Hollywood round. He has a nice voice and future potential but he is not ready for prime time. His one appeal is to female teens.
Howie - wore a mask because Nathaniel had a cold; Justin Bieber called and he wants his hair back; Nathaniel retorted that "Mr. Clean just called."
Piers - we are watching the metamorphosis of a shy young man into a pop star
Sharon - you have the "It" Factor. I expect you to be back next year.
My grade - B

So here are the groupings of acts that result from my grades above:

Likely to Get to Next Round - Fighting Gravity, Airpocaplypse, Hot Shot Tap Dancers
On the Bubble  - Future Funk, Maricar
They Have a Small Chance  - Kung Fu Heroes, Christina and Ali, Paul Safy Jr., Sally Cohen, Nathaniel Kenyon
No Chance at all - Nick Pike, RNG

Who would I rather see get the coveted 4th spot? I guess I give the nod to Maricar for showing more talent and originality but of course it's so close.



« Last Edit: July 29, 2010, 08:44:45 PM by apskip »

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #34 on: July 15, 2010, 11:13:37 AM »
last night NBC gave us the traditional time-wasting results show for this week's 12 acts. The ultimate decision by home audience vote ranked the acts based on "who the performers are (personality, overcoming circumstances)" rather than how they perform. This has led to several miscarriages of justice in past seasons and the audience vote is up to its usual tricks again this season. If you look above you will see that my picks for the top 5 spots based on Tuesday night's performances were:
Fighting Gravity
Airpocaplypse
Hot Shot Tap Dancers
Future Funk
Laricar

So, you can look at the actual choices for the live audience of Christina/Ali, Fighting Gravity and Nathaniel Kenyon as agreeing on one out of the top 3. The 4th group had the #4 and #5 teams of Future Funk and RNG given to the judges to decide and Piers and Howie sent future funk onward.. To me, that is a no-brainer that future Funk was in fact selected for the last spot.

What these voting patterns says to me is that weepy, sentimental performers with a story line like Christina/Ali and Nathaniel Kenyon are what turns the audience on over the superior in my opinion performers like Airpocalypse (controversial due to the status of air guitar but very fine performers) and Hot Shot Tap Dancers. I rated Christina/Ali and Nathaniel Kenyon as medium quality performers with the 5 teams above rated better. Apparently, my tastes are not those of America. I am not amused by the official choices.


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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #35 on: July 20, 2010, 10:59:16 PM »
well who are you voting for tonight?  A couple of the acts were no brainers not going to move on but it will be interesting to see who will move on.

I felt a few of the people that made it to the top 40 should not have as there were acts that could have made it.

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #36 on: July 21, 2010, 09:45:40 AM »
AGT5, Hollywood (Quarterfinal) Round, part 2 of 4

12 acts were reduced to 4 remaining last week and the same will happen this week, with the Weekly Results show on Wednesday. Once I discovered which acts were on this week, I immediately recalled my ratings of them in the preliminary and Las Vegas rounds. I expect there 3 acts to excel:
Alice Tan Ridley
Ronith
Wreckless
 
Here are my actual ratings plus judges’ comments on the 12 acts that performed live last night:

Cheer SF – this is a group of post-college-age cheerleaders, mostly. They are not that amazing by current high-level college cheerleading standards, just average for older people struggling to do not-difficult moves. Why were they here in the first place? I did not think they should have been rated in Group C (that happened only because Piers and Howie thought the females were very attractive) and they would not have done made it out of group A or B. Piers and Sharon buzzed them off.
Howie – it wasn’t technically amazing cheerleading; this is more like a club
Piers – asked by Nick to explain why he was the first to buzz them, he said no cheerleading act has ever made it on AGT; it was soporific; he said that when his age 50s friends com over and he tries to toss them around, he can’t
Sharon – age group goes to 52 and that should results in a more sophisticated act with moves never seen before; they did not succeed
My Grade – B- (they are going down)

Alice Tan Ridley – a soul singer whose talent has been passed down to daughter Alicia Keyes. I find it surprising that she has not previously been discovered, as she performs in the NYC subways. Her voice is powerful singing a variation of the “Midnight Train to Georgia.”
Howie – You look gorgeous. You sound gorgeous. Your daughter if watching tonight has to feel great pride for you.
Piers – You have everything we are looking for.
Sharon – I want to be on that train with you. You are the embodiment of “soul.”  
My Grade – A+ (it was as close to perfection as acts get)


Mona Sampath Dance Company – I have to remind readers of my extreme disappointment when Bollywood dance group Ishaara went down last year, so I doubt that America wants to vote for Bollywood. It’s good, but it just isn’t going to make it.
Howie – not as good as previous routine; no “wow” moment this time; there was a wow moment (to which Howie retorts “if Piers can do it, it’s not a wow”)
Piers – timing is critical, it has to be perfect; he disagrees with Howie; he wants to hear more “Black eyed Peas” accompaniment
Sharon – she wants to see some more traditional dance
My Grade – B+ (so nobody is going to anything more of this act)


Iron Horse – identical twins plus a third guy; one more case of my opinion that this is an act that “never should have been here.”  Their act was boring; Piers buzzed them quickly.
Howie – passion that shows and is fun; focused on tricks but got neither great tricks nor great music; great energy but poor diction
Piers – stage was too big for you tonight; the singer is mediocre
Sharon – turns music into a spectacle; too many moments; too much time on moves, not enough on diction and singing
My Grade – B- (they will be exiting)


The Strong Man –he said this act would be to “fix Los Angeles’ parking problems.” The strong man method of parking involves rotating a car into a space. If that won’t do it, then he turns over an old car on stage. Piers buzzed him. Nick asked how many stagehands it would take to move that car off the stage? After the break the answer was 13 directly involved by my count, with several more onstage.
Howie – it’s amazing and fascinating but is it a show yet and I don’t know what it is?
Piers – says tongue in cheek: “I am massively stronger myself; I am waiting for him.” How amazing is this?; Piers did not see him as an entertainer and claimed he has the “personality of an amoeba” (I disagree as I though the Strong Man had a low-key humorous style). Be exciting (Nick said punching Piers in his face would be exciting).
Sharon – could have done more interesting things with a huge production.
My Grade - B


Ronith – he can act, do standup, do impressions, or be a mime. He chose to impersonate John Wayne, Jim Carey, the Gobernator (Schwarzenegger), Charleston Heston and Sylvester Stallone as Rambo. Piers and Sharon buzzed him. Nick had to step in and end the debate. Ronith stated that he’ll be back, but Piers said he would not.
Howie – he got into an argument with Ronith about how he makes him laugh
Piers – all 30 impressions he has done are all basically the same character
Sharon – she was confused about “the Cable Guy” impression
My Grade - B

Hannibal Means – in an orange costume singing “Circle of Life” with 8 backup dancers, his high baritone voice is really a treat and his laugh is infectious. I was impressed beyond what I expected.
Howie – he scares me; human thrill ride that I do not want to ride; what planet are you from?
Piers – underneath all the magic is a brilliant singer; I enjoyed it
Sharon – your voice is amazing and rich
My Grade - A


Wreckless – this dance troupe came out with a high energy routine in clown costumes
Howie – he wanted to see more of “the street” and “edge”
Piers – looking for acts which can fill a big stage; he thinks they did
Sharon – good doing a highly choreographed act
My Grade – A-


Lil Chris – he is a singer who is uncomfortable doing the dance part of his acts, but it’s his voice that has to take him further. I was not impressed. If he was “turning the lights in this place” as Nick stated, it would be as a janitor and not a performer
Howie – not your best performance
Piers – I agree with Howie. Chris is very talented but nervous but it was not quite there.
Sharon – for a 12 year old, you held your own (but so what?)
My Grade – B-


AscenDance – Isabel and Ryan have a unique act, which has added 2 new dancers. He did his patented upside down hang up the top of the wall. This act was sheer poetry. I knew they were very good, but this was better than that
Howie – “the fact that since last time you were able to have 2 children and put them on the wall that’s really interesting”
Piers – this act can be expanded by the number of performers and size of the wall; brilliant
Sharon – coordination and timing super; excellent, unique
My Grade - A


Antonio Restivo – fire, magic and illusions; I find the contortionist part of his act the real heart of it, not the fire or the props.
Howie – consummate Las Vegas
Piers –
Sharon – liked the action and his use of time; music sensational
My Grade - A


Michael Grimm – he is a crooner with limited talent.
Howie – you clean up nice, looking more like a start than a country boy. You are my favorite singer because your voice has a lot of soul.
Piers – I note the difference. You are a very good singer, one of the best on AGT ever, but not connecting with the audience more.
Sharon – Many life experiences are needed to make soul work. connect more with the audience.
My Grade – B

The prevarication of Howie Mandel has now been on full view. Nick Cannon puts him under extreme pressure (seconded by Piers) for not being able to make his mind.  Howie repeated this egregious behavior before Piers jumped in and summarized the evening with the word “magnificent”, then Howie added “great” before the show was cut off. Stop this drivel, NBC and AGT! Howie never has any trouble making up his mind on comments for each act. His fake put-on is absurd.

So, at the end of the night, who do I think will be going to the semifinals? Here are the acts I rated top-notch:

A+ - Alice Tan Ridley
A – Hannibal Means, AscenDance, Antonio Restivo
A- - Wreckless

I think the #4 and #5 slots as rated by America should be AscenDance and Wreckless and I think that is a toss-up.

We can say goodbye to CheerSF, Iron Horse, and Lil Chris. Fighting for an outside chance to keep going are Mona Sampath Dance Company, Ronith, the Strong Man and Michael Grimm.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2010, 07:51:17 AM by apskip »

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #37 on: July 21, 2010, 09:31:08 PM »
AGT5, Hollywood round (Quarterfinals), part 2 of 4 Results

The big question for me from the first week's quarterfinals is whether the "handsome young man" effect will propel any low-talent acts to finish above higher-talent acts. Last week I thought that Nathaniel Kenyon placed far higher than warranted. Will the same happen to Michael Grimm? And more importantly, will NBC/AGT switch the order for the 4th vs. 5th place deciding votes? We will see on both of them monumental questions. On with the show:

The first announcement of results pits Ronith vs. AscenDance vs. Mona Sampath Dance Company. My ratings were clear, so I think it should go to Ascen Dance. it does.

The second group of results pits CheerSF vs. Alan Tan Ridley vs. Iron Horse. Again, this is no contest and Alan should win easily. She did.

The third group of results pits Michael Grimm vs. the Strong Man vs. Lil Chris. I rated both Michael and Strong Man as B performers and Lil Chris as a B- so none of them should be making it to the semifinal round. MIchael Grimm does, proving once more the voting power of younger females ( see above).

The final group, containing the 4th and 5th place teams, is Antonio Restivo, Wreckless and Hannibal Means.I rated Hannibal and Antonio above Wreckless. Hannibal was dismissed so it was a 2-act race. As I expected, Antonio won.  So did Sharon, who got to be the tie-breaking vote this time, and did not string it out to the last second. She acknowledged early in the show that being between Howie and Piers is like being between a rock and a hard place.

So, joining Christina/Ali, Nathaniel Kenyon, Fighting Gravity and Future Funk in the semis is AscenDance, Alice Tan Ridley, Michael Grimm and Antonio Restivo. I got 3 out of 4 in my most congruent with the actual results ever picks.


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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #38 on: July 28, 2010, 06:58:43 PM »
Hollywood Round (Quarterfinals) part 3 of 4

This is the 3rd of 4 rounds of the quarterfinals in Hollywood. Sharon is so full of hot air tonight that her commentary is ridiculous and needs to be ignored. She wants to make friends, not influence people. Here are comments on the 12 acts:

South Philly Vikings – they cavorted, did spins, had high-energy music and lots of glitz. Count me out. They are going no further.
Howie – I think it’s spectacular and fun; it’s amazing what you can do with lights
Piers – he buzzed them because it was infantile, people wearing silly costumes who don’t sing well and don’t dance well
Sharon – she started by telling Piers he is insulting; they are blue collar union guys doing really good entertainment
My Grade – B-

CJDippa – he’s a rappa singing his own rap song with 4 young female dancers supporting him; this act did nothing for me, so I predict he is not going further
Howie – original with own songs, beat, dancing
Piers – no diction but it doesn’t matter; you have stage presence and are a little star; are you in this for the money or the women? (that may be the best lien of the night, as CJ is 11 years old)
Sharon – Sharon asked him about how he created the song; brilliant, well done (there’s quite a difference between those two superlatives)
My Grade - B

Harmonica Pierre – doing several variations on a classical theme; what is an above-average harmonica player doing in the quarterfinals of AGT5?; the American public which voted him here will now vote him out; he promised to sing the blues if he gets one more round
Howie – fantastic, truly an expert and talent; is harmonica big enough to carry a show; I felt like I was in my doctor’s office
Piers – you are the best technical harmonica player I have ever seen after Larry Adler
Sharon – stunning
My Grade – B+

Polina Volchek – this was a highly sensual dance/acrobatic act with a rope and without her hoops; I thought it was just OK
Howie – hoops, ropes, makeup is all great
Piers – buzzed her because it was boring
Sharon – as usual, she says only positive things about everybody
My Grade - B

The Strange Familiar – 2 leads have shared this dream since the 6th grade and added a keyboardist and percussion; she has a great alto voice and he plays guitar; although I don’t like their style of music I thought this act provided great entertainment
Howie – looking for the wow factor but it was familiar and good, but not WOW
Piers – 20 seconds were great and the rest mediocre’ wardrobe completely wrong, not a superstar Las Vegas looking act
Sharon – adores voice but did not like song choice; chorus did not suit your voice; tribute band from the 1980s with a little grunge
My Grade – A-

HASPOP – his arm and body gyrations are certainly original but I never thought he should have been here in the quarterfinals
Howie – that is WOW
Piers – best thing they have seen so far
Sharon – spectacular, you put your own twist on it
My Grade – B+

Luigi Seno – I really disliked his song; it did not give his voice a very good vehicle
Howie – lots of times you were flat, worried about guitar playing making singing worse
Piers – you’re a good season but you don’t compare well to this season’s brilliant singers
Sharon – anyone can win but you started with an out of tune guitar; I have seen you better than your performance tonight
My Grade – B-

Chipps Cooney – his claim of “that’s great magic” is ludicrous; I admire his aim to just have fun; Piers has said he’s not funny and not talented; Howie his character is a bad magician and I wish America would get that; tonight he did a strip routine with 6 hot female dancers; all 3 buzzed him
Howie – I loved Sad Sack magician, so why did you give that character up?; you should have stuck with that; you threw it away tonight
Piers – buzzed him first; he did stick with the character, a complete imbecile; I woke up this morning and said how could it get any worse and decided only if he took his clothes off
Sharon – asked if he had a diaper on under his shorts (answer was yes)
My Grade - C

Kaya and Sadie – “want to put belly dancing on the map” and added two male dancers to help; I don’t like belly dancing so this was a useless effort in my opinion
Howie – you’re going to Hollywood (which is where they already are); I wasn’t judging, I was just watching
Piers – thank you for restoring our appreciation for the beauty of human flesh; I found both your bellies extremely charming; may you go a long way
Sharon – fantastic and very entertaining
My Grade – B+

Jeffrey Van Schoonoven – his wire-wire bicycle act is electrifying due to its risk; he does the last half of his act blindfolded, jumping from one small support to the next; this is a winner
Howie – you ratchet it up every time to make it more dangerous
Piers – you are dangerous, exciting, unpredictable; you are a natural crowd-pleaser who has made me like what you do
Sharon – fantastic, the new Evel Knievel
My Grade - A

Debra Romer – singer/guitarist who sings with a smile this time even though the music is soulful and mournful; she has a terrific voice and, supported by backup singers, produces a real sound
Howie – America loves you; you are definitely better on not showing nervousness
Piers – I have just watched a young woman who looked like a star and sang like a star; you are a star
Sharon – you should be very proud of the confidence you displayed; vulnerable, sexy, sweet simultaneously; the camera loves you
My Grade - A

Studio One Young Beast Society – 8 dancers who synchronize well with high-energy music along with some gymnastic moves
Howie – you brought it; the best dance performance he has seen
Piers – you just ended on a brilliant high
Sharon – we’ve seen many dance groups but few have shown personalities
My Grade – A-

My summary of the acts is:
A – Jeffrey Van Schoonoven, Debra Romer
A- - Studio One Young Beast Society, The Strange Familiar
B+ – Harmonica Pierre, HASPOP, Kaya and Sadie
B – CJDippa, Polina Volchek
B- - South Philly Vikings, Luigi Seno
C- Chipps Cooney

So, I think Jeffrey van Schoonoven and Debra Romer are in and either Studio One Young Beast Society will be in the first 3 places. The other will compete will either Harmonica Pete, HASPOP, or Kaya and Sadie for that coveted 4th place.
« Last Edit: July 29, 2010, 08:42:15 PM by apskip »

Offline apskip

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #39 on: July 29, 2010, 07:58:45 AM »
AGT5 Hollywood round, 3rd of 4th parts, Results

I enjoy comparing my predictions to how the results actually come in, even though I am frequently way different from the AGT5 voters in my assessment of talent. How did I do for the 3rd quarterfinal round. Better than average:

The first grouping is HASPOP, CJDippa and South Philly Vikings. This is a no-brainer going to HASPOP since the other two were awful.

The second grouping was Studio One Young Beast Society (SOYBS), Chipps Cooney and Polina Volchek. Another no-brainer to SOYBS.

the third grouping was Debra Romer, the Strange Familiar and Luigi Seno. It's obvious Luigi was out, but I rated Debra A and Strange Familiar A-. Debra won and my hot streak is alive.

The final grouping had Harmonica Pete eliminated (one more no-brainer) before focusing on Jeremy Van Schoonoven (who I rated A) vs. Kaya and Sadie (who I rated B+). Jeremy got both Sharon's and Piers' vote so Howie's favoritism to Kaya and Sadie never actually was put to a vote. I had a perfect score on these results, selecting all 4 of the winners. I can't remember the last time that happened.

Offline redwings8831

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #40 on: July 29, 2010, 12:36:19 PM »
Try getting the names of the acts right. First, its Harmonica Pierre, not Pete. And you kept calling Maricar Laricar.

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #41 on: July 29, 2010, 08:49:39 PM »
redwings8831,

Most of my errors are typos and not genuine spelling errors but in the case of Maricar and Pierre they were spelling errors. Any time you or anyone else thinks they can do a better job than me on recaps, they are welcome to try, so I challenge you to do that next week. I do appreciate your feedback on my spelling errors, which have been fixed. Getting two names wrong (maybe there was even 3 or 4) out of close to 200 is not bad performance. Also, perhaps you can put your time and effort to add value by doing the AGT6 recaps. Then I can criticize your spelling, which may be perfect but probably won't be.


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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #42 on: July 29, 2010, 09:38:27 PM »
Try getting the names of the acts right. First, its Harmonica Pierre, not Pete. And you kept calling Maricar Laricar.

apskip does a great job with his recaps. I think we can overlook a few misspelled names from time to time.
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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #43 on: July 30, 2010, 09:15:45 AM »
redwings8831,
I wasn't kidding about doing the recap for next week's fourth of 4 quarterfinal rounds. I will be unable to either see it or write about it next week and possibly for the first semifinal round the following week. I do expect to be back around August 17 and will catch up on viewing and recaps then.


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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #44 on: July 30, 2010, 04:49:13 PM »
I want to provide an analysis that should best be done after next Wednesday evening's results show, but it cannot wait due to my extended unavailability starting one day earlier. So here is the list of the 12 Tuesday night live acts which will not be part of this analysis and the group they were rated into:

ballroom dancers Anna & Patryk A
Tesla coil performers ArcAttack C
dance group Da Maniacs C
comedian Doogie Horner A
hip-hop violinist Lindsey Stirling B
Mary Ellen A
magician Murray Sawchuck A
gospel quartet NU Covenant B
opera singer Prince Poppycock A
acrobat Rudi Macaggi A
dance crew Strikers All-Stars C
singer/guitarist Taylor Mathews A

In this group of 12 were 7 from original group A, 3 from group C and 2 from group B, who had the most difficult road to get to the quarterfinals.

So I am going to go back to the original grouping decisions of the judges into A (guaranteed the opportunity to perform in Las Vegas), B (would get that opportunity if originally A rated acts left room by being not good enough) and C (skipping the Las Vegas performances and going directly to the quarterfinal rounds in Hollywood) to see what happened to the already performed in the quarterfinals 36 acts:

Group A
Alice Tan Ridley - to semis
Antonio Restivo - to semis
Ascen Dance - to semis
Chipps Cooney - out
CJDippa - out
Debra Romer - to semis
Hannibal Means - out
Harmonica Pierre - out
Kung Fu Heroes - out
Lil Chris - out
Maricar - out
Michael Grimm - to semis
Mona Sampath Dance Company - out
RNG - out
Sally Cohn - out
Studio One Young Beast society - to semis
Strange Familiar - out
the Strong Man - out
Wreckless - out

The mathematics of the groupings showed that 26 of 50 Group A acts made it to the Hollywood quarterfinal round, or 52%. Of the 19 shown above, 6 of them, or 32% actually did make from there to the semis, but only 12% of the original group did.

The mathematics of group B was that 11 of 28 acts, or 39% made it to the Hollywood quarterfinal rounds. The ones performing in the first 3 parts of the quarterfinals were:

Airpocalypse - out
Christina and Ali - to semis
Iron Horse - out
Jeremy van Schoonhoven - to semis
Luigi Seno -out
Nathaniel Kenyon - to semis
Nick Pike - out
Paul Safy Jr. - out
Ronith - out

Of the 9 acts above, 3 made it to the semis, or 33%. That give the original group B 11% making it to the semis, only slightly lower than for group A despite the greater hurdles for group B.

Group C has 3 acts yet to perform in the 4th quarterfinal round. Of the original other 7, here is what happened to them:

CheerSF- out (they were a figment of Piers and Howie's joint imagination in terms of talent)
Fighting Gravity - to semis
Future Funk - to semis
Haspop - to semis
Kaya and Sadie - out
Polina Volchek - out
South Philly Vikings - out

So far out of those 7 acts, 3 of them made it, or 42%, the best percentage of all the groups when compare against the second round percentages of 32% for Group A and 33% for group B. I would have guessed that Group C would have done quite a bit better given their edge of being the supposedly best acts. Why didn't that happen? It was because Piers and Howie let their eyes run away from them with CheerSF, Kaya and Sadie and Polina Volchek. If they hadn't the edge for Group C  over A and B would have been much more decisive. I also have no idea where their minds were when selecting South Philly Vikings as a Group C act.





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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #45 on: August 11, 2010, 02:38:30 PM »
Somewhere on this thread was an analysis that I did after the YouTube.com preliminary round chowed. It will get an airing on August 7. I rated all acts I saw but they need a new look based on only their second performance (and first at Hollywood). Here is what I saw:

Plutronics - a cappella group that sounded less good this time our - my grade C

Dylan Plummer - dancer who was injured and should not have attempted to performed - my grade B-

Pup and Owener - pup was a very nice dog trained to pull a lever to put something out on an accordion; technical difficulties made it impossible for them to compete ; my grade N/A

Cam Hodges - he sang "You break my heart" in an insipid way - my grade B-.

Andy Andersen - repairguy who was a brief by funny comic; my grade A

Ryan Rodriquez - plumber ; my grade B-

Beeker Forte - hip hop dancer; my grade B-

Pizza Patt- a guy who juggles pizza dough instead of inaminate objects; my grade B

Andrea(my notes are not clear) Young - female singer my grade B

Margaret Du Barry - my notes too gibberish to tell me what her act was, but it was good enough I rated it My grade - A-

Alexander Bui - in most competitions of this sort he would win, but not last night when he only got my grade  - A

Chatalle Lee Tony - a superb age 10 opera singer compared to Judy Garland; my grade A+

Same on NBC and AGT5 for organizing all the good stuff in the last 3 acts. How many make it into the competition is unclear to me. It could be 3, 2 or only 1.

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #46 on: August 15, 2010, 09:03:35 AM »
Quarterfinal round part 4 of 4 in Hollywood, catching up on episode airing 8/3/10:

PlusTronics - this a cappella group showed nothing of the spark or verve I recall from earlier rounds My Grade B

Nu Convenant - they sang flat but were so non-inspiring that nobody cared Grade B-

Anna and Patryk - they were OK; I gfound nothign more to say about therm; GradeB

Lindsey Stirling - hip hop violinist with no redeeming musical values Grade B-

Dougie Houser - comic Grade A

Rudi Macaggi - operating in the extreme risk and danger zone but clearly comfortable there, impressed me the judges and the audience with something very special Grade A

Taylor Mathews - probably average except to the teeny bopper female fan base who adores him Grade B

ArcAttack - they went outside to showcast their unique acts; I actually liked it less there but it was still totally riveting Grade A

Price Poppycock - he did a fine perforrnce, but I don't think it was as good as either prior one Grade A

Murray the illusionist - he was good but not good enough Grade B+

Striker's all Stars - they severely underformed and will ber out; Grade B-

My "A" acts were Dougie Houser, Rudi Macaggi, Arc Attack and Prince Poppycock. They will in the the semfinal pool but of that group of f I like Arc Attack as most original.







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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #47 on: August 15, 2010, 09:27:57 AM »
It's time to take a comprehesive look at the final group of 20, 4 from each Quarterfinal plus 4 from the YoubeTube sepcial competition group. Here are my top 3 in terms of originality of the acst or or perfection of the performance:

ArcAttack
Fighting Gravity
Jackie Evancho

The AGT5 judges are overly enamored of HASPOP, a very good performer but not super superspecial.

Others I like not not enough to rate them at the top group are Ascendance. These could be the top 5. We'll see.


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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #48 on: August 18, 2010, 02:21:04 PM »
Last week I said that the final group of 20 semifinalists had been reached with the addition of 4 from the YouTube.com performance group, but I was wrong. The judges got a second opportunity for selected performers and 4 of 12 will take advantage of it to reach a semifinal group of 24. This is called the Wild Card Round. Here is goes:

Kruti Dance Academy - promoting classical Indian dance, obviously not a big favoriten of the American public, I predict they will go down in flames with my Grade of B-

Rudi Macaggi - his last performance would be difficult to top and he did not come close. He insted went for a very difficult backflip into the ropes that help him upside down and 8 feet up. I awarded him a grade a B-

CJ Dippa - A decent performance for an 11 year old, but nothing special, grade of B-

RNG - the youth corps had nothing to offer but smoke and mirrors Grade C

Harmonica Pierre - Piers Morgan is an excellent evaluator of talent usually, but when the performer is Harmonica Pierre he goes off the deep end. My Grade B

Michael Grasso - the first really super performance, he won me over to think that he is a major talent Grade A

Anna and Patryk - they do a really brilliant (for their age of 11) flamenco dance with Howie claiming that he believes Patryk has tken over leading the group Grade A

Hot Shot Tap Dancers - this family group actually went backward ith their act My Grade B-

Dougie Houser - even Piers admist now that as a comic Dougie is brilliant within the limits of what can be achieved in 90 second My Grade A

Connor Doran-  flying kites is interesting concpetually but what do you do for imporvement of the act? My Grade B-

Michael Lipari and Ashleigh Dijon - super Grade A

Right Stuff Side Show - this provided grounds for clashes between Piers and Howie on who would subject whom to the larger grief challenging their rating of an act my Grade C

All of the 4 I have rated A can make it. So my choices for the 4 acts to advance in the nick of time are:

Dougie Houser
Michael Grasso
Anna and Patryk
Michael Lipari and Ashleigh Dijon

« Last Edit: August 18, 2010, 03:03:35 PM by apskip »

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #49 on: August 19, 2010, 08:04:22 AM »
AGT5 Wild Card Results Show

The entertainment for this show was 2 astonishing Houdini repeats by Criss Angell and a "who put this crap on my TV screen " number by Leann Rimes. The real reason for this episode was to announce the results for 3 remaining semi-final slots and then have the judges fight to decide who got the 5th (20th overall) one. My predictions were Michael Grimm, Connor Doran and his double kite, Anna and Patryk and Michael Lipari/Ashleigh Dijon aerialists.

Michael Grimm was grouped with Kruti Dance and Rudy Macaggi. - Michael Grimm

Swing Shift Side Show, Hot Shot Tap Dancers, RNG, Anna and Patryk - Anna and Patryk

CJ Dippa, Connor Doran - Connor Doran

That left 3 for the last spot picked by the judges:
Harmonica Pierre
Micahel Lipari/Ashleigh Dijon
Doogie Horner

It should be no surprise that Harmonica Pierre, the biggest lightweight in the competition at that point, was eliminated by the audience. Sharon voted for her pick as expected  and Piers for his act Doogie Horner. It wa all up to Howie, who chose Micahel Lipari/Ashleigh Dijon to go to thte semis.

« Last Edit: August 19, 2010, 10:44:18 AM by apskip »

Offline Kacper

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #50 on: August 19, 2010, 06:51:50 PM »
It was a good show yesterday but some acts were just  :groan:

BTW apskip great job on what you are doing about the show on this forum :gj: :rodeo :ty  :hearts: :hearts: :jumpy: :jumpy: :tup: :keeta:
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Offline apskip

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #51 on: August 25, 2010, 09:00:48 AM »
AGT5, Semifinals

Last night was the semifinals performances for half (12) the remaining acts. There were a few surprises, all negative, but as Piers put it there were only 2 outstanding performances all evening. Which were they?

Anna and Patryk - they were cute, they danced well (although not the paso doble they promised) and they got the show off ot a good start
Grade B+

Christina and Ali - I have never liked these two and suspect that their audience is all a function of their handicap. They did OK
Grade B

Antonio Restivo - he was accused by Piers of having using a commonplace magicians trick and lots of fire. His response was that the magician's art is in making people believe. He make me beleive he was sawing Nick Cannon's arm in pieces (can you imagine doing that to phobic Howie?)
Grade B+

Michael Grimm - just an average performance
Grade B

Taylor Mathews - he was too ill to rehearse (a blatant ploy for the sympathy vote?) but performed well although nothing special
Grade B

Connor Doran - the kite flyer was told by the judges that he was boring and had nothing new; it's true
Grade C

Dan Sperry - he is the performer the judges love to hate; he was sub-par last night and will pay the price for not having something a state-of-the-art trick
Grade C

Kristina Young - the judges seldom agree on anything, but they did on how awful her song choice was
Grade C-

Future Funk - the last of the kid acts, these genial twerps are brash and can hip hop dance, but their act is just not enough to make it any further in this competition
Grade B-

ArcAttack - the audience had to move outside to a special theater, then back inside for the judges comments; the judges carefully noted that this performance is spectacular in person but the home viewing audience cannot fully appreciate it; it had all the WOW factor Howie stated he wanted to see
Grade A+

AscenDance - they wanted to speed up their act and it will cost them everything. That faster performance to lower grade music lost the poetry of what they had previously accomplished. There was no longer any WOW factor to AscenDance,
Grade B-

Prince Poppycock - he was transcendant in singing nonsense songs with great exuberance and strutting around the stage like only he can do. This performance should easily move him into the finals where he can return to an opera aria
Grade A



The top 5 acts as graded above and those I expect to reach the finals in 2 weeks are:
ArcAttack
Prince Poppycock
Anna and Patryk
Antonio Restivo
it's a pity that one of Christina and Ali, Michael Grimm and Taylor Mathews will be selected for the final spot. None really deserves it.
« Last Edit: August 26, 2010, 03:16:31 PM by apskip »

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #52 on: August 26, 2010, 03:32:50 PM »
Let's start with my summary comment from my analysis of the Tuesday night performance show: "it's a pity that one of Christina and Ali, Michael Grimm and Taylor Mathews will be selected." I still believe I am right on the relative talent of these performers, but the net impact is that better acts will not get their chance at the finals.

The most obvious of those better acts is ArcAttack. They wuz robbed by the home audience, who could not properly appreciate the overwhelming force of what they were witnessing.

Out of the first group of reported results, Dan Sperry, Future Funk and Kristina Young all deserved their fate of being out. 

The home audience called it right on Ascendance vs. Anna and Patryk. AscenDance attempted the equivalent of "A Bridge Too Far" in moving beyond normal boundaries of their act. Anna and Patryk were totally solid and had that cuteness factor.

The next group was Prince Poppycock, Michael Grimm and Taylor Mathews. I expected Prince Poppycock and one of the other 2 to make it, but all 3 did.

The final group would be decided by the judges after the lowest vote getter was eliminated. My analysis said Antonio should be the choice for the finals, but he was voted out by the home audience. The judges went for - yuk - Christina and Ali for the fifth slot. So be it. Home audience, you are getting what you deserve.

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #53 on: September 01, 2010, 06:37:30 PM »
Maestro Alexander Bui - boogie woogie version of Flight of the Bumblebee
Grade B-

Jackie Evancho - the prime talent of AGT5; a modern-day 10 year old Judy Garland
Grade - A+

Fighting Gravity - as good as any of the super performances done earlier in AGT5
Grade - A

Murray - make a locomotive vanish on stage
Grade - B

Nathanial Kenyon - why was he here in the first place?; his talent is very limited
Grade - B-

Michael Grasso - the old switcheroo with his assistant; super execution
Grade - A-

Jeremy Vanschoonhoven - he flubbed in the first 15 seconds, then recovered to give a fine performance
Grade - B-

Debra Romer - clearly outclassed and did not belong here
Grade - B-

Studio One Young Beast Society
Grade - B+

Michael Lipari and Ashleigh Dijon - aerialists with a smooth, sexy act
Grade - B

HASPOP - changed his act to fight a projected figure; this did not work
Grade - B

Alice Tan Ridley - super
Grade - A

Offline apskip

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #54 on: September 02, 2010, 03:04:25 AM »
AGT5 Semifinals Results Show

If the American public voted the way I graded these acts based on Tuesday night performances, the top 4 slots would go to:
Jackie  Evancho
Fighting Gravity
Alie Tan Ridley
Michael Grasso

and the 5th would be decided by the judges to be Studio One Young Beast Society.

4 out of 5 isn't bad. The actual vote allowed Jeremy van Schoonhoven to make one of the top 4 places. That pushed Alice Tan Ridley into a runoff for 5yh, which the judges decided 2 to 0 for Studio One.

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #55 on: September 02, 2010, 07:35:51 PM »
Good job apskip  :tup: :hearts:

and the final 10 this year looks reaallly cool...a lot of diversity  :colors
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Offline apskip

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #56 on: September 03, 2010, 01:42:19 AM »
Kalcer,

I agree with you. Here are the 10 finalists:

Jackie  Evancho
Fighting Gravity
Jeremy vanSchoonhoven
Michael Grasso
Studio One Young Beast Society
Christina and Ali
Michael Grimm
Taylor Mathews
Prince Poppycock
Anna and Patryk

Bianca Ryan, winner of AGT1, would not be at close to the same level as Jackie Evancho, who I expect to easily win this. Her only real competition is Prince Poppycock for originality. Fighting Gravity should be third and Anna and Patryk 4th. We'll see. It looks like the finals will be done over 2 weeks to stretch out NBC's high ratings to the maximum.


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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #57 on: September 04, 2010, 09:06:26 AM »
My position, that AGT5 is between Jackie Evancho and Prince Poppycock, is supported by this New York Post today article which has additional information about both performers::

The battle of the high Cs
'Talent's' Jackie hunts Quale

By SEAN DALY

Last Updated: 4:24 AM, September 4, 2010

"America 's Got Talent" singing sensation Jackie Evancho fears she could lose the $1 million top prize to fellow opera singer Prince Poppycock.

"He's very theatrical," says the 10-year-old prodigy. "He has a great voice and he's funny. He'd be a perfect Vegas act."

The alter-ego of aspiring opera singer John Quale, Poppycock is what you might expect if Lady Gaga and Boy George had a child: a towering, powder-faced concoction of glam-rock, synth-pop and light opera wrapped up in flamboyant period costumes.

He's a perfect nemesis for Evancho, the fifth-grader from suburban Pittsburgh whose Susan Boyle-like performance at the show's YouTube auditions made her an overnight viral video sensation.
Ten-year-old opera singing sensation Jackie Evancho  is battling flamboyant opera singer Prince Poppycock for the crown on NBC's 'America's Got Talent.' They'll perform again Tuesday night. -

Both are among the 10 acts still standing on "Talent," all of whom will perform live Tuesday night.

Quale, who was raised on a Virginia horse farm, developed the Poppycock character in 2006 so he could perform in an LA nightclub show. The openly gay performer admits his parents (Dad is now deceased) were "a little concerned" about his outrageous new persona. "But my mom couldn't be more pleased now," he says.

Evancho, who is missing her first days of fifth grade to perform on the show, discovered her bigger-than-life pipes two years ago while singing tunes from Phantom of The Opera around the house.

"My mom said I was really good. But she's a mom," the precocious soprano says. "She asked me if I wanted to do a talent competition in Pittsburgh. I was first runner up to a 20-year-old!"

Quale trained for two summers at Michigan's famed Interlochen Arts Camp and admits the flair for theater and arts made his teen years particularly rough. "I was hazed quite a bit," he remembers. "High school was a very dark point in my life. I dropped out and junior year and got my GED."

Despite his newfound national fame, Quale continues to live like a struggling LA thespian. Winning the summer's top-rated variety show would help revive his bank account -- or maybe he could just team up with his pint-sized opponent.

"I want to do a duet with [Jackie]," Quale says. "I want to do 'Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows' on a Candyland set with her on my shoulders.


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/the_battle_of_the_high_cs_iSm80QrSSz88ddftlBVBJK#ixzz0yZMghYXD

Offline georgiapeach

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #58 on: September 04, 2010, 09:30:39 AM »
If you haven't heard Jackie yet....goosebumps!





SemiFinals



« Last Edit: September 04, 2010, 09:39:38 AM by georgiapeach »
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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #59 on: September 07, 2010, 11:20:46 PM »
The finals part 1 to cut from 10 acts to 4 acts are done. Here is my take on them:

Studio One Young Beast Society
I did not think this was as risky a performance as their semifinal one. It was well done but not all that special.
Grade B

Christina and Ali
What an unbalanced act they have become. Christina (the younger one) has improved her singing to a high quality level, leaving her older sister in the dust.
Grade B-

Jeremy Vanschoonhoeven
He took his bicycle onto the narrowest of supports, always perfectly balanced. It took his act up a notch in my view to where he might make the Final 4.
Grade B+

Taylor Mathew
Back on his guitar, he sang his original redo of "what a Wonderful World" to a vaguely Caribbean rhythm where he wrote the music.
Grade B

Anna and Patryk
She slid down the steps as they opened their act, but recovered for dance as well as is possible after that, including Patryk flipping Anna all the way backwards. I like it a lot. they are troopers.
Grade A-

MIchael Grimm
He followed Sharon's advice and ditched the guitar, leaving his crutch offstage and relying on just his voice and smile. They were good but not good enough to get him into the Final 4.
Grade B

Michael Grasso
He did a stunning magic act with 2 assistants. One got into a box with movement restricted by swords at all angles. The magic screen appeared, Michael stepped behind it and then out stepped the original assistant from the box. In the box now was the 2nd assistant and Grasso was onstage as something approximating a swami. Brilliant! Great magicians can do these tricks but you have to be the best to execute it.
Grade A

Fighting Gravity
They had a totally new concept with the lunar landing and moon rocks. Despite their set difficult to construct in a week and then to practice the totally new routines, this is top-notch entertainment.
Grade A

Prince Poppycock
We are now down to the last 2 (and best 2 acts from the semifinals). He did a patriotic show, starting with the Star Spangles Banner, then I'm A Yankee Doodle Dandy and finishing with the Stars and Stripes Forever performed to a kick line. Incredible entertainment! His act reeks Las Vegas but also would play anywhere in the world.
Grade A+

Jackie Evancho
Another incredible talent, a 10 year old who sang Pie Jesu by Andrew Lloyd Webber absolutely perfectly (and as an amateur singer myself I can't do it but I know it when I hear it).
Grade A+

So, my rank order for the Final 4 is:

tied for first - Prince Poppycock and Jackie Evancho
3. Fighting Gravity
4. Michael Grasso
5. Jeremy Vanschoonhoeven
6. Anna and Patryk
tied for 7, 8 and 9. Michael Grimm, Taylor Mathew, Studio One Young Beast Society
10. Christina and Ali

So I cast my 10 ballots on www.nbc.com (open for another 45 minutes on the East Coast)  for Prince Poppycock and I hope he makes it to the final 4. I believe he and Jackie Evancho pretty much have a lock on that. The other 2 positions could be interesing. I see Fighting Gravity and Michael Grasso as having earned them.

The drivel from the judges tonight was the worst I can remember. They should shorten the show by leaving all of it out.

Offline bee1233

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #60 on: September 08, 2010, 04:09:23 AM »
I think the top two for me is Prince Poppycock and Fighting Gravity.  They could both have their own show in Vegas. 

Jackie Evancho is too young.  She has a great voice but ... she has been too prepped for her talking segments.  The pressure of a Vegas show would be way too much for someone as young as her.  Just my opinion.

I always hold my breathe while Jeremy is on his bike.  I get excited for him when he finishes without hurting himself.

I agree with you on Christina and Ali.  Christina would have done better without her sister.  I had trouble listening to their song tonight.

I only have two I want in final 4.  Really could care less about the others.  Can you tell this is my first season watching the show?

Offline apskip

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #61 on: September 08, 2010, 08:59:23 PM »
Here are the results of America's votes and the pairings:

Prince Poppycock vs. Michael Grasso - I thought they both should make it, but only Poppycock did

Michael Grimm vs. Taylor Mathews - Gross goes to the final 4

Jeremy VanSchoonhoeven vs. Christina and Ali - neither made the final 4

Fighting Gravity vs. Studio One Young Beast Society - Fighting Gravity to the Final 4

Jackie Evancho vs. Anna and Patryk vs.  - Jackie Evancho to the final 4.

Offline apskip

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #62 on: September 14, 2010, 10:25:27 PM »
Final 4 performances are history. the big loser tonight was Prince Poppycock, whose mediocre performance singing the famous opera aria Nessun Dorma compared poorly to that of better professional singers. Piers even buzzed him, as he heard no sense of fun. I heard difficulty in reaching the penultimate note, something he never did in previous performances. I expect Prince Poppycock to finish 4th.

The Jackie Evancho  juggernaut rolled along, undoubtedly to first place. She sang Gounod's Ave Maria, evoking the same angel analogies of last week. It was another flawless performance.

Michael Grimm and Fighting Gravity were fighting for second or third place. Both had outstanding performances, but neither will be able to catch Jackie. I think fighting Gravity should be rewarded for a more unique concept but concede that Michael Grimm has an outstanding voice.

Tomorrow night the Results Show will be from 8pm to 10pm.

Offline apskip

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Re: America's Got Talent 5
« Reply #63 on: September 16, 2010, 05:50:21 AM »
The Final 4 Results show went down with one major surprise but otherwise as expected. Prince Poppycock was voted by the American public into 4th place.  Fighting Gravity was 3rd. The surprise for me was Michael Grimm #1 and Jackie Evancho #2. Michael must have had a huge following of young female fan base voting(they announced it was the highest total vote ever for any America's Got Talent season). The other angle is that Howie called Michael the best pure singer in the competition. I don't agree with that but others may have. He has a gravelly voice that my wife likens to Bruce Springsteen's.

So that's a wrap for AGT5.