Singing Sisters and Cystic Fibrosis (CF) on America’s Got Talent

I’ve made it quite clear in the comments that I’ve finally found my favorite act for this season: the Singing Sisters. I’ll happily admit that I’m completely biased in this case. For some reason, I really like blonde girl singers (see Jessica Price and Julienne Irwin), but I love Christina and Ali’s determination and perseverance more than anything. The beauty of America’s Got Talent is that you can vote for whoever you want (at least now that we’re to Hollywood).

Let me just help you understand a little more about cystic fibrosis (CF) and my personal experience with a friend who has CF. Then, maybe you’ll understand my personal emotional connection with Christina and Ali’s performance on America’s Got Talent. Plus, hopefully you’ll have a greater appreciation for what Christina and Ali are able to accomplish.

A short description about Cystic Fibrosis:
The average life expectancy for those with CF is mid-30s, and only 47 percent survive to reach 18 years or older. Sticky mucus builds up in the lung, blocking the airways and making the child prone to many life-threatening infections. It also affects the pancreas, causing the CF sufferer to not properly digest her food.

My friend with cystic fibrosis is 56. He’s literally a walking miracle and a complete inspiration. As his neighbor and friend I would go over to his house regularly to give him what he called percussion therapy. That’s just a nice term for me going over and basically “beating” him for 30 minutes to an hour.

I’m not exaggerating. I would cup my hands and pound his chest, sides, and back (if I remember right) in three different positions. I guess the pounding helps to dislodge the mucus that builds up in the lungs that isn’t dislodged since he’s missing a chemical that the rest of us have. In one position, he would literally hang upside down off the couch and I would pound his sides while he clenched his teeth.

At one point he said, “Do you know why I do this one?” I said, “Why? He replied, “Cause all my friends that refused to do them, aren’t here anymore.” After “beating” him like this, my hands would literally hurt.

Just describing this on here, I can barely imagine Christina and Ali having to go through this type of therapy. Add in them singing with the lung problems that Cystic Fibrosis causes and their absolutely an inspiration for me.

I saw these girls first perform when I got to go and see the Las Vegas auditions taped live. Their audition performance hadn’t aired yet and so I didn’t know their story. However, when I watched Christina and Ali perform in Las Vegas I admit that my eyes welled up with tears. The same thing happened when I saw their audition. It’s too bad you didn’t get to see their full Las Vegas performance.

Certainly Christina and Ali aren’t the most talented singers that have ever graced the America’s Got Talent stage (Julienne Irwin probably wins that award for me). However, the talent they’ve shown overcoming their challenges is what makes them my favorite act on America’s Got Talent season 5.

Best of luck Singing Sisters!

Blast From the Past: Ali and Christina, the Singing Sisters

After a post written about the “The Singing Sisters”, Christina and Ali,  from Season 5 of America’s Got Talent resurfaced on our Twitter account, a follower asked for an update on them.

And just for anyone who is unfamiliar with Christina and Ali, here’s a little background on them:

These two beautiful girls from Idaho Falls made it to the top 10 on Season 5 of America’s Got Talent as a singing duo. One of the things that made them stand out is that they both have cystic fibrosis. After the season, they went on a 25-city tour with AGT. Christina has a “huge voice” and Ali is a “vocal Swiss Army knife,” according to their website, and together, were a vocal phenomenon. Here is a video of them on America’s Got Talent:

These girls truly have an amazing story of overcoming such obstacles. Since America’s Got Talent, they have written and produced a song called “Love is Gonna Find You” in 2011 with a Dove Award-winning and Grammy-nominated producer/songwriting team that worked with big names like Kelly Clarkson and Michael Jackson, which was featured in their 5-song EP that was released this past Valentine’s Day. Sadly, their older sister passed away last year, and the girls sang at her funeral. I can’t even imagine how hard that would be!

Christina just finished up her sophomore year of high school, and Ali most recently was taking a break from school at Brigham Young University-Idaho to help promote the EP. One of the seconds on the EP is an anti-bullying song, in honor of a friend who committed suicide in 2009 because of bullying. They have been interviewed by several magazines, including Twist Magazine and Seventeen earlier this year. In the Seventeen article, the girls talked about Cystic Fibrosis, and how it affects their every day life:

Ali: For me personally, I get really worn out and really tired throughout the day. It’s a struggle sometimes to remember all the medicine I have to take. Every time I eat, I have to take pills and I often have to undergo treatments. It’s a lot of time and hard work.

Christina: I always have a lot of treatments to do and I like to hang out with my friends which is hard when I have treatments.

For those unfamiliar with what Cystic Fibrosis is, it’s a genetic disease that affects digestion, weight gain, and the lungs. The lungs have a rally thick and sticky mucus that builds up and can cause infection and a general decline in function of the years. In the Twist Magazine article, the girls said that the disease affects their singing voices at times. The fact that they singing, despite that added challenge, shows what strong and talented girls they are.

These girls have every reason in the world to complain about the life card they’ve been dealt, but they seem to keep going forward with a great attitude, and seem to having a lot of success recently in their music career. I listened to a few of the songs on the EP, and it is a very uplifting, positive album with a good message. I really hope to see more of these two girls, because really, they are great role models of overcoming trials and just being good people over all. They are great examples, especially to young girls everywhere. I’ve obviously never met them, but beyond their incredible voices, seem very sweet. I’d love to talk with these girls someday!

Be sure to check out their website here for updates, pictures, videos, and more. Their album can be downloaded on iTunes here. And, to finish off, here is the music video of their song, Love is Gonna Find You:

America’s Got Talent Finalists – Christina and Ali

As I mentioned yesterday, I’m going to be posting details from my interviews with the America’s Got Talent top 10. I was lucky enough to be able to interview all 10 of them. Here’s some details from my interview with Christina and Ali.

First off, I’m glad I didn’t make a fool of myself, but for some reason I always thought that Christina was the older one, but she’s not. Ali is the older one and Christina is the younger one. As most of you readers know, I’ve been a big fan of Christina and Ali since I first saw them perform at the Las Vegas Auditions. I’m quite sure I did a horrible job at the interview because of that, but hopefully it was fun for them to talk to one of their fans. I know it was a real pleasure for me.

First up, I talked to Ali. Unfortunately, because Christina and Ali were first and we had technical difficulties a couple times, we had to restart our conversation a number of times. Ali was incredibly gracious despite all the dropped calls (it wasn’t even a cell phone). Props to her for that.

Of course, I’m still rattled a bit from the technical problems myself, but I did find out some interesting info.

First, I had to ask Ali more details about what it’s like performing with cystic fibrosis (CF). I’m not sure she felt totally comfortable talking about it. I got the impression she didn’t really want that to be the focus of the conversation, but I (and I think many others were interested).

Despite this, she did say that having CF was tough sometimes. However, Ali also said that singing is actually kind of therapeutic for them since the singing helps to clear out the lungs. I think she’d kind of mentioned this one before on the show, but it’s interesting to consider the idea.

I told her a bit about my friend who has cystic fibrosis and giving him percussion therapy. She said yeah, that her dad did that for them also. Honestly, I didn’t want to dive into that anymore, because it’s heart breaking for me to even think about even though it’s what will likely save their lives.

So, I moved on quickly to ask her what it would be like to perform in the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas where the regular performers are: Celine Dion, Cher, Elton John and Jerry Seinfeld? (I asked this of almost all the top 10). Ali then shared that Celine Dion is her idol and so performing on the stage where Celine performs would be a dream come true.

Ali also shared with me that her sister gives her a lot of support back stage to help her feel more relaxed and less stressed. They’re pretty lucky to have each other to experience this together.

When I asked Ali which of the top 10 (besides their act) was her favorite, she said Prince Poppycock.

I think talked briefly with Christina since I’d already spent quite a bit of time with Ali. I asked Christina if she was glad that she was able to miss out on the start of school so she could be on the show. She answered that it was a nice thing to go on vacation and miss school, but that she still has to go to school. Her and a number of the other kids are required to go to school.

It was also funny, because Christina mentioned that Ali would kind of tease her when she had to go to school. Pretty funny. Sounds like something I’d do with my siblings.

When I asked Christina what she’d do if they won a million dollars and she said, “Buy my brother a really fast car.”

Christina and Ali in the America’s Got Talent Finals

If you’ve been reading Pure America’s Got Talent this season, then you know I’ve already displayed my bias for Christina and Ali front and center. I don’t shy away from the fact that I have biases. I embrace them and enjoy the beauty of loving something or someone.

However, it’s not surprising that a lot of people are saying that Christina and Ali don’t deserve to be in the finals. They usually have the obvious argument that they aren’t great singers and that they shouldn’t win based on their sob story. First of all, I’m not sure why someone shouldn’t win for a sob story. However, let’s set that aside for a minute and consider their talent.

In order to illustrate how talented I think Christina and Ali are, check out this INCREDIBLE video of pianist Liu Wei on “China’s Got Talent.” I won’t ruin the video, but you REALLY MUST watch this video (and you might want some tissues close by). It’s pretty incredible (Thanks Marianya for pointing it out to me).

It’s hard to imagine anyone saying that Liu Wei is not very talented. Some could easily make the argument that if he was compared to other pianists he really isn’t very good. It was a pretty simple piece of music, he missed some notes and the rhythm was all over the place. I’m literally laughing as I type this since no one would say this (and they shouldn’t). Why? Because it’s an amazing talent that he can play piano with his feet.

How is this any different than the talent Christina and Ali display? They’re lungs are literally being destroyed. Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a lung condition which makes it hard to breathe and yet they’re able to go on stage and belt out their songs. That’s overcoming a lot.

Maybe people don’t respect the talent as much in Christina and Ali’s case because it’s an internal disease which people can’t see. They can’t really know how much of the lungs have problems. They can’t see the amount of lung problems they have. However, would Liu Wei’s talent be any less amazing if he only lost half of his arms?

Plus, America can’t try and do what Christina and Ali are doing. America can’t attempt to sing with mucus built up on their lungs like Christina and Ali have to do. America could try and play the piano with their feet and so they can be more amazed by the talent of Liu Wei. Just because you can’t try it yourself, does it make it any less talented?

I don’t blame America. Most people don’t know much about CF and so how can they judge the talent of girls singing with CF? I don’t claim to be an expert in CF myself. However, I’ve sung next to someone with CF. That’s why beyond loving Christina and Ali’s goodness and kindness (which they have in abundance) I love them for their talent too.

America’s Got Talent 2010 Finalists

My take on the America’s Got Talent 2010 Finalists:

Anna and Patryk – These two are just delightful. Plus, their execution was perfect in their semi final performance. Not necessarily technically, but it was the perfect mix of a slow dance opening with a nice high energy ending. It’s going to be difficult for them to replicate that again. Plus, it’s just silly when the judges on America’s Got Talent say that the dancing was flawless. They have no idea if it was flawless or not. I’m sure I know more about ballroom dancing than they do and I wouldn’t be ready to call it flawless. Either way, these two are going to provide for a great show that will be full of energy and excitement. However, I think Howie is right that they aren’t quite a Vegas show on their own. Anna is the cutest little thing though. I lover her reactions to it all.

Christina & Ali – If you’ve ready much of this blog, you know their my sentimental favorites. I won’t rehash all my thoughts, but you can go read my 2 posts about Christina and Ali and the other AGT contestants comments on Christina and Ali. I expect they’ll deliver a similar performance as they’ve done before and have a chance (albeit a slim one) at making the top 4. Song choice will REALLY matter for them.

Fighting Gravity – I’m always a little torn when it comes to Fighting Gravity. Mostly because their talent is something they took from other acts (there’s a ton of this stuff on YouTube). Sure, it’s a great concept, but it seems like I could get a group of friends together and do their act. It would take some work and some practice to do it well, but the talent isn’t as impressive if I could do it with a little bit of effort. This said, it seems like America really loves what they do and so I bet they’ll be heading right into the top 4.

Jackie Evancho – Jackie seems like basically a lock for the top 4. She’s the Bianca Ryan of this season. A little girl with a big voice and people loved it. I was a little disappointed by her singing of one of my favorite songs last night. I preferred when she went for the ethereal sound of her first song. However, she is a sensation to be able to have her little body produce that sound. Plus, she’s just so cute and her comments make you laugh. A hard combination if you’re competing against her. Just don’t call her an opera singer. It’s not really even close to Opera.

Jeremy VanSchoonhoven – I watched Jeremy’s video back again last night and it was just as exciting and terrifying and dangerous as it was the first time. I do downgrade him a touch since I know there are a lot of bike riders that rock hop (I think that’s what they call it). However, despite there being others that do it, go grab a bike and just try to hold the bike up in a standstill the way he does. It’s crazy hard to do what he’s doing. I’ll be interested to see what he can do in the next round. Against the other top 10 acts, I think he’ll have trouble making the top 4.

Michael Grasso – Michael Grasso has kind of become a sentimental favorite of mine since he was kicked off the show in Las Vegas. I’ll set aside any thought that it was planned to bring him back from the start and just be grateful that they brought him back. He’s definitely the best all around magician they’ve ever had on America’s Got Talent. I’ve seen a trick or two on the show that were better than his tricks, but as a package his tricks have been really great. Although, I will admit that I hate magic on TV. Camera tricks aren’t magic in my book. Either way, he’s a Vegas talent in my book! If his trick just wows and shocks, he could make the top 4.

Michael Grimm – I’ve had a bad taste in my mouth when it comes to Michael Grimm ever since I saw these videos of Michael performing some pretty big venues in Las Vegas. Not that I have a problem with acts having had previous success, but I hate when they give (or try to give) the impression that they haven’t done anything. Sure, the producers cut things certain ways, but Michael’s been selling stories the whole time. I guess I’ve just never seen a WOW performance from him either. He’s talented and has a unique style, but I’ve never loved his performance so much that I had to go watch it over and over again. I guess I compare him to Eli Mattson or Cas Haley (go look them up on YouTube) and Michael pales in comparison to what those two did on America’s Got Talent. Michael does seem like a cool guy and so I give him props for that. Despite my personal bias, I think Michael Grimm has a great shot at making the top 4.

Prince Poppycock – I don’t know what to say about Prince Poppycock. I sat by him and his friend in the hall when he was sick in Las Vegas. You could tell he was worried about his throat and didn’t know what was going to happen. Plus, can you imagine sitting in that costume all day for a couple days in a row. He deserves a special medal just for that. No doubt he’s an exceptional performer and America seems to love it. He’s not quite the lock that Jackie Evancho is, but I bet he makes the top 4.

Studio One Young Beast Society – They’re a respectable dance troop. I still can’t help but think of all the other great dance troops on a show like America’s Best Dance Crew. These guys are on that level, but I think we’ve seen the best of what they have to offer. America’s got a lot of dance outlets, so I’ll be surprised if they vote Studio One Young Beast Society into the top 4.

Taylor Mathews – I get scared for Taylor each time. He’s just so nervous and that makes me nervous. If he could relax and just perform, he could do very well. Although, I guess his nervousness is part of his charm. Song choice will be VERY important for him. Something popular that fits his voice well will really be key. I think America’s Got Talent has an older voting population than most shows where the tweens do all the voting. If Taylor makes it to the top 4, then I’ll be wrong in this assumption.

There you go. That’s my analysis of the America’s Got Talent 2010 finalists and which ones will make it to the America’s Got Talent 2010 Top 4. What do you think?

Possible America’s Got Talent Popularity Meter

Let’s be real and say it like it is. America’s Got Talent is really a popularity contest. At least once you get to Hollywood. It’s all about getting America to vote for you. So, the question is which people in the America’s Got Talent top 48 are the most popular acts and will command the most votes once we see the performances in Hollywood?

As I was watching some of the videos on NBC.com, I found a link to the “Most Viewed” videos on NBC.com. Sure, some of the videos have been up longer. Not to mention, some of the acts don’t really have videos. No doubt it’s an imperfect method to evaluate their popularity, but it’s still pretty interesting to consider. Here’s the list of acts from the Most Viewed videos from NBC.com:
Fighting Gravity
Future Funk
Michael Grimm
Alice Tan Ridley (Precious’ Mom)
Christina and Ali (Cystic Fibrosis)
Maricar (Painter)
ArcAttack
Carlos Aponte (too bad he’s already gone)

Very interesting list if I do say so myself.