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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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Offline ugot2bekidinmeny

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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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Offline apskip

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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)

Offline TexasLady

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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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Offline apskip

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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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