Other Great Reality Shows > Other Reality TV Shows & News

America's Got Talent 5

<< < (3/13) > >>

apskip:
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.
 

apskip:
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.

apskip:
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.

apskip:
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

apskip:
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.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page