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America’s Got Talent Season 12 Champion Crowned, Vegas Show Line-Up Announced, and an Interesting Observation…

A huge CONGRATULATIONS to the newly-crowned America’s Got Talent Season 12 champion, Darci Lynne Farmer! Check out the Access Hollywood interviews from last night and this morning below! (Love how Terry Fator pops in to congratulate Darci!)

Darci will be headlining this year’s AGT Live! On Stage show in Las Vegas this November 3-4. The pre-sale for tickets is happening now with the code TALENT. Darci will be joined in the show by Season 12 runner-up Angelica Hale, third place finisher Light Balance, and top 10 finalist Preacher Lawson.

Can’t make it to Vegas? Tomorrow I’ll be doing a roundup of other upcoming performances from some of the Season 12 contestants, in addition to a countdown of what I thought were the very best performances of the season. But for now, something has come to my attention I think might make for some interesting discussion. Right after the Season 11 finale last year, Sophie (who you may remember from the livestream we did together last week) posted the following theory on Reddit:

Now, ventriloquism – let alone singing ventriloquism – is not the most common talent. Yes, it’s the second-most common winner category on AGT, but we haven’t had nearly as many ventriloquists on the show as, say, singers or magicians. I think the rarity of it might be the reason people tend to latch onto the ventriloquist acts on AGT, since it’s one of those skills we don’t see many other places in mainstream entertainment. Still, Sophie correctly predicting such a niche act winning Season 12 (before auditions for the season even started) makes me wonder if this “10 year cycle” theory may prove to be true. Let’s look at the winners from Seasons 3-10 to see what might be in store for the next eight years! (And yes, at this rate I do think the show has a good chance of sticking around for that long. Ratings were UP this season; that almost never happens in television these days!)

Season 3: Neal E. Boyd (Pop Opera Singer)
Season 4: Kevin Skinner (Country Singer)
Season 5: Michael Grimm (Singer-Guitarist)
Season 6: Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. (Jazz Singer)
Season 7: Olate Dogs (Dog Act)
Season 8: Kenichi Ebina (Dancing Mime)
Season 9: Mat Franco (Magician)
Season 10: Paul Zerdin (Ventriloquist)

If the pattern continues, it looks like we’re in for a few more years of singers winning, which I’ve kind of been expecting anyway, since so many people are itching to sing for Simon and possibly get signed by SYCO. I think as long as he’s on the judging panel, there will continue to be a lot of singing acts who audition for AGT. At least it’s looking like they’ll come from different genres for the most part. 😛

After that we’d have a dog/animal act win, which would also make sense; Sara & Hero were one of the biggest underdog acts (hehe) going into the live shows this season and they made it all the way to 5th place. And then we’d have a really unique and “out there” winner, followed by another magic act (I seriously can’t believe we’ve only had one win the show so far) and then a fourth ventriloquist champ (I guess by that time the cries of “ventriloquists always win!” will have died down).

Of course, this is all speculation, but it’s kind of an eerie coincidence Season 12 played out just like Sophie said it would! What sort of acts do you think we’ll be getting on AGT in the coming years, and which types do you think the audience might get behind to win?

September 21, 2017 I Written By

I'm obssessed with the entertainment industry, especially offbeat and nerdy things as well as those that involve live performance. The only thing I love more than geeking out over the things that entertain me is sharing in my excitement with others who share the same passions. America may have talent, but Canada has an up-and-coming blogger who is ready to take the internet by storm!

America’s Got Talent Blast from the Past: Neal E. Boyd

“The Michael Phelps of the Competition”. This is the title judge Piers Morgan gave  Usually when I hear the word opera, I tune out (is that bad?) So, Boyd wasn’t necessarily my favorite from the season or winner of America’s Got Talent, but that doesn’t discredit his talent at all. The man has an amazing voice. Nonetheless, the following clip of him singing “Somewhere” is definitely my favorite from the season:


He sure knows how to put emotion into his performances, eh?

As I said, I’m not big into opera, but it wasn’t difficult to find out what has been keeping Boyd busy since his time on AGT. I was a little bit surprised, as his most recent endeavor has very little to do with music but more on that later.

Boyd released his first CD a little more than six months after his AGT victory in 2009 and made it into the Billboard Top 200 for awhile. His most notable performances have been for President Obama, and former president’s George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. While dealing with his musical career, Boyd remains the co-owner of an insurance agency and the Vice President of sales for a company called Voluntary Benefit Services.

But what he is most recently up to? Well, Boyd has gotten into politics. Although he dropped out of the election for the Missouri House seat in order to get himself healthier, he recently announced that he is running as the Republican candidate for 149th district in Missouri. In addition, Boyd has lost over 65 pounds and ready for the election.

Successful musical career, weight-loss advocate, owner of an insurance company, and now politician? What’s Boyd going to do next? Only time will tell, but he doesn’t seem to forget where he came from and how lucky he is to be where he is:

My voice has opened the doors to a lot of avenues that a normal little African-American, Southeast Missouri, poor boy never would have gotten to see. It’s a pretty great little American dream story. 1

1. Boyd, Neal. “The Sunday Interview: Neal E. Boyd is raising his voice.” By Lucas Presson. Southeast Missourian. 2011. <http://www.semissourian.com/story/1764132.html>

July 20, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is a journalism student at Brigham Young University in her senior year. She is originally from Littleton, Colorado, and hopes to move back there after graduation. Reality television is her favorite to watch, and has enjoyed writing about America's Got Talent and A Chance to Dance. She is a stay-at-home-mom who enjoys writing (especially blogs), cooking and sewing (while spending far too much time on Pinterest finding inspiration) and being outside with her husband and son.

Nuttin’ But Stringz Performance on Dancing with the Stars

Well, I have to say from a Nuttin’ But Stringz fan perspective, their participation on Dancing with the Stars was a little disappointing. They essentially were just background music for all the other dancers. Still a big step for Nuttin’ But Stringz to be on DWTS, but I would have liked to see more of their performance. I guess my consolation is that many of the dancers on it were from one of my other favorite shows, So You Think You Can Dance. The merging of the 3 main shows I blog about.

Anyway, in case you missed it, you can check out the video of Nuttin’ But Stringz below:

April 15, 2010 I Written By

Nuttin’ But Stringz on Dancing with the Stars Tonight

I was really excited last night when I was watching Dancing with the Stars to hear that America’s Got Talent alumnus Nuttin’ But Stringz will be performing as special guests. That’s awesome to see that Nuttin’ But Stringz is still alive and well. They really deserve their own show. I absolutely love what they do with a violin that you just don’t really see.

In case you can’t remember this group (is that possible?) or just want to relive Nuttin’ But Stringz time on America’s Got Talent, check out the following videos:

Nuttin’ But Stringz Original Audition

Read more..

April 13, 2010 I Written By

Past AGT Contestant Holly Hardin on American Idol

It’s always interesting to see what happens with past contestants from America’s Got Talent. So, you can imagine my surprise when America’s Got Talent Alumnus Holly Hardin appeared on American Idol 2010. However, she not only was on the show, but was dressed as a guitar. Seriously. This isn’t a joke. I haven’t found a good quality video of her time on American Idol, but here’s a small portion of Holly Hardin dressed as a guitar on American Idol 2010:

In case, those of you don’t remember Holly Hardin from America’s Got Talent 2008, check out this video of Holly:

She was so much cuter on America’s Got Talent. However, her answers make her look like such a ditz. Which I guess is probably not too far from what she is. I think American Idol tried to make her look as bad as possible so that in future episodes she’ll look better. Either way, she’ll be super entertaining on American Idol. Simon is going to destroy her.

January 13, 2010 I Written By

Eli Mattson from AGT 3 to Do Live Chat Online

Eli Mattson will be answering questions direct from fans during a LiveCloud VIP Talk session Questions can be submitted in advance of the event. This is good news for many of the readers of this site since Eli Mattson was one of the favorite contestants from past America’s Got Talent seasons. I’ll be interested to hear more about what Eli’s been up to. If you attend the event, stop back here and tell us what you think.

October 20, 2009 I Written By

Neal E. Boyd God Bless the U.S.A. Video

I just received the official video of Neal E. Boyd singing his latest recording of “God Bless the U.S.A.” Neal E. Boyd - My American Dream - God Bless the U.S.A. Check out the video of Neal below or download it on iTunes God Bless the U.S.A..



Also, here’s the full list of songs on his debut album called My American Dream.

My American Dream Album from Neal E. Boyd
God Bless the U.S.A. Neal E. Boyd - My American Dream - God Bless the U.S.A.
God Bless the U.S.A. (Video) God Bless the U.S.A.
Nessun Dorma Neal E. Boyd - My American Dream - Nessun Dorma
Somewhere Neal E. Boyd - My American Dream - Somewhere
Mama Neal E. Boyd - My American Dream - Mama
Amazing Grace Neal E. Boyd - My American Dream - Amazing Grace
Ave Maria Neal E. Boyd - My American Dream - Ave Maria
Bring Him Home Neal E. Boyd - My American Dream - Bring Him Home
Is Nothing Sacred Neal E. Boyd - My American Dream - Is Nothing Sacred
Anthem Neal E. Boyd - My American Dream - Anthem
Il Gladiatore Neal E. Boyd - My American Dream - Il Gladiatore
Sonny Boy Neal E. Boyd - My American Dream - Sonny Boy

Previous Neal E. Boyd Recording
Turandot: Nessun Dorma Neal E. Boyd - Turandot: Nessun Dorma - Turandot: Nessun Dorma

Looks like Neal E. Boyd is trying really hard to make his singing career happen after winning America’s Got Talent. I wish him the very best of luck and hope to see him in Las Vegas at some point soon.

August 20, 2009 I Written By

Eli Mattson’s Cellcom Commercial

I was pretty impressed with this Cellcom commercial featuring Eli Mattson. It’s interesting that they chose to use Eli for their commercial. I think they did a really good job with it. Check it out:

Also, check out my previous update post on Eli Mattson and enter to win free Eli Mattson swag. If people know what’s happening with other past contestants please let me know on my contact page.

July 3, 2009 I Written By

Free Eli Mattson CD Giveaway

I just wrote a post that updated everyone on Eli Mattson’s career since America’s Got Talent. From that I was able to get a few Eli Mattson’s to giveaway on my site. In fact, I’ll be giving away 2 packages to 2 people. Each package will include 1 Eli Mattson CD
, 1 Door County Magazine (includes an article on Eli) with writeup and photos.

Not a bad deal and it’s really easy to enter the contest. In fact, there are 4 ways you can enter to win free Eli Mattson stuff.

How to Enter
We’ll be running this contest until the America’s Got Talent Las Vegas week. Do all 4 things below and you’ll have your name entered into the drawing 4 times. The winner will be chosen at random and supervised by the most honest person I know (my wife). Here’s how you enter:
1. Leave a comment on this post (easy enough no?). Just make sure to use your real email or we’ll have no way to contact you when you win.
2. Send a tweet to all your friends about this website or this contest. Click Tweet This! to tweet a message about this contest. Make sure to include @tvblog in the tweet to enter.
3. Share a link to https://pureamericasgottalent.com on your Facebook, MySpace page or blog. Leave a comment with your myspace name, facebook page, or blog post so I can verify.
4. Join the Pure America’s Got Talent email list.

Any questions feel free to ask in the comments. Also, watch for future Terry Fator and Neal E. Boyd giveaways coming soon.

July 1, 2009 I Written By

Eli Mattson Update

A little while back I posted a request to learn more about what’s happening with Eli Mattson after America’s Got Talent. I loved Eli last year and actually wish he would have won. For those that might have missed Eli Mattson on last year’s America’s Got Talent, here’s a nice recap video:

Turns out he’s been doing all sorts of things since being on America’s Got Talent. Here’s my attempt to review all of the various things that Eli Mattson has been doing and is planning to do. Hopefully I can do more regular updates. Plus, look forward to a nice Eli Mattson giveaway which I’ll be starting soon.

The most important thing that people have been looking for of course is buying Eli Mattson’s album. You can find it on Amazon.

This CD is a little bit older. Eli made a cd called “Monsters” back when he was 19 years old with funding provided by Peninsula Arts Association and Roger Kuhns. The cd he is currently selling is a compilation of his favorite songs off of that and three that he recorded several years ago. He is currently working on new songs and wishes to record this year. The songs are all original by Eli with two songs by Roger Kuhns. The are reflective of his view of the world after going through some pretty difficult times, very personal.

Also, Eli’s been doing a number of concerts and has a number of shows planned for the next couple months. Here’s a list of places you can find a live show of Eli Mattson:
Eli Mattson
7/3/2009 7:00 PM at Harraseeket Inn Freeport Maine w ww.harraseeketinn.com
162 N Main St, Freeport, Maine 04032
Cost: $30.00
Intimate concert setting, Eli and the grand piano. Tickets go on sale at halo12384@yahoo.com attn Charleen

UPDATE: Eli Mattson will be performing at Picture Perfect San Diego on July 18th.

Eli Mattson
8/1/2009 6:00 PM at Evergreen, Co Habitat For Humanity Benefit at The Grand Preserve, Evergreen, Colorado
Cost: $100/couple $50/single
Hard Hats and High Heels a benefit for Habitat for Humanity

Eli Mattson
8/14/2009 7:00 PM at Long Grove , Illinois, Long Grove, Illinois
Cost: tba
A concert in a performance barn!

Eli Mattson
9/17/2009 7:00 PM at Meyer Theater: presented by Cellcom, Green Bay, Wisconsin 54301
Cost: $25.00
The beautiful Meyer theater and incredible place to hear Eli and his band. For tickets go to http://www.ticketstaronline.com/default.asp?ticketstar+26&objld=536

Eli Mattson
9/25/2009 7:30 PM at Third Avenue Playhouse: Presented by Cellcom
Third Avenue, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin 54235
Cost: $25.00
Just Eli and The Grand

Beyond these concerts, Eli performed 2 shows with Terry Fator in Las Vegas (I wish I would have known so I could have gone and checked it out). Eli would be a nice addition to Terry’s show. Eli also performed in Madison, DC, Naperville (Chicago), Luxemburg, amongst other venues.

Eli was signed by Cellcom. “We’re thrilled to have Eli Mattson represent our brand and excited to begin working with him,” said Dan Fabry, vice president and chief operating officer for Cellcom. “His enormous talent will appeal to not only our younger audience, but anyone who appreciates the piano or Eli’s very distinctive singing style.”

Eli was also June on what’s being called the MySpace music calendar 2009. Probably a little late to buy the calendar, but fans might want it to be June 2009 forever. Eli was also featured in an article in “Door County Living” Magazine which will come out this summer.

Of course, could I really do an update post about Eli Mattson without a least one new video of Eli Mattson performing (sorry the recording and background noise isn’t very good):

June 30, 2009 I Written By