Well, after two straight weeks of watching the Olympics, I was excited to have America’s Got Talent back. It was the YouTube auditions night, so I was curious to see what was voted in this year. Jackie evancho was discovered on the YouTube auditions, and it goes without saying how successful she has been. Was there anything up to that level tonight? To be honest, I really don’t think so, but there were a few good acts. For the most part, I felt like the acts were mediocre, but these people also have less experience than some of the other competitors performing on the big stage. I had a hard time deciding who was going to stay, as it really could come down to what the viewers of the show tonight are into. There were several acts that were good for different reasons. With that, here are my thoughts from the night:
Clint Carvalho: Did he practice this before? How else would the bird know how to get in? I’m impressed that the bird did exactly what he said, but I have no clue how he did it though. It is definitely a different animal act than what we are used to on this show. I think it’s cool that he uses birds that have been abused and he rehabilitiates them. I just wonder how much he can do with this act.
Reverse Order: Maybe I’m just totally out of touch with what is “popular” nowadays when it comes to bands and music, but I didn’t like them. There was just too much noise overall. I mean, they do seem talented, especially when it comes to the instruments, but I wasn’t a fan of the song choice or the style. I felt like Howard had some wise words from them. They need some more time to kind of combine their individual talents together to create something better. I did think it was a bit odd that they want to bea rock band, yet they chose such a poppy-voice. This was not a million dollar act for sure. We’ve seen some incredible acts this season, and I just don’t think they measured up.
Rudy Coby: He said his act is a nightmare come to life. I can definitely see that. This act was kind of creepy, not gonna lie. It was a kind of slow moving until the end, which was an interesting illusion. But I agreed with HOward, there was just a lot of filler stuff, that was boring. As usual, Howie and mine’s opinoins were totally opposite. Sharon’s comment was spot on — there really wasn’t timing. He could have a great act if he did neat tricks throughout the act like he did at the end.
7 in Unison: It’s no secret that the dance acts this year were pretty great, so this group came in with a lot of competition. And unfortunately, I don’t think they live up to what some of the other acts have shown. I didn’t find their moves to be very unique, and it was slow. I actually agreed with Howie. I mean, they are good dancers, but they aren’t different from other groups we’ve seen that have been sent home. Dance is really hard for me to really impressed with, just because there are a lot of similar moves and . It was 90 seconds but it felt like 90 minutes. The music was slow, and the act was too. I think they’ll be going home.
Drew Erwin: This young man was the overall winner of the YouTube competition. When I heard this, the first thing I thought was that there were probably a lot of teenage girls voting. He is definitely some heart throb material. However, beyond that, he did have a powerful voice. I did really like he song choice, which may have won me over a little bit. It might have just been my television, but the sound seemed a bit off. My mom’s comment on this act? “Finally, someone I can listen to!” Sharon had some great points — the other competitors do have an edge over him (or whoever wins from tonight), and for being a rookie, he did very well. I really did enjoy him, and thus far in the night, I think he did the best. Hopefully all those teenage girls who voted for him in the first place will call in tonight, and a few others that will push him through. I think with some more practice, he could do really well.
Melinda Hill: She was…not really that funny. And you could tell the audience wasn’t supper thrilled either, especially by the lack of laughter and the less-than-enthusiastic applause at the end. I think her act was more just weird faces with strange comments. She did a lot better at the beginning, but she just wasn’t entertaining overall. I feel bad, because she obviously did a good job in her YouTube video, or else she wouldn’t be here. You could tell she felt disappointed.
Eric Buss: I would have buzzed him, just like Howard and Sharon. He would be a great birthday act. Maybe I’ll hire him for my son’s first birthday. There didn’t seem to be any point to the act, so no, I don’t think he’ll be giong through. There’s nothing else I really could say about this.
Romeo Dance Cheetah: I was very skeptical about this one. Really, how impressive can air guitar be? However, I believe everyone deserves a fair chance. However, I was not impressed, one bit. To me, he was just running around the stage, doing absoultely nothing but being kind of obnoxious. My almost-two-year-old nephew pretends to play guitar and it’s adorable. However, when a 30-year-old man does it, it’s not adorable. How he got through to the live shows is beyond me.
The Magic of Puck: The second magician-type act of the night. I’m not sure if I liked it, or just thought it was weird. Who knew you could do so much with a handkerchief? It was definitely more impressive than some of the other acts from tonight. I think if he adds some more exciting aspects to the act, he could have some potential in the show. He was definitely one of the best of the night, and I liked this a lot more than the “scary” magician act.
Bria Kelly: I’m a big country-music fan, so I was excited for this girl. She seemed a little bit nervous — there seemed to be some shakiness to her voice. There was a lot of background noise, which made it hard to just concentrate on Bria. She has a good country voice, but I wasn’t a fan of the song choice (however, I know it is a popular song currently, so it’s understandable why she chose it). Just like Drew Erwin, she obviously hasn’t had the chance to get more comfortable performing like some of the other acts. She did seem like she was shouting at times, as Sharon said, but I really think that was because she had to in order to get over the background music. I don’t think she was the best of the night, as Howard suggested, but she did well. I just wish she sang something different.
Cast in Bronze: We’ve already had a new instrument introduced this season, the Earth Harp. So the thought of another one being introduced was kind of exciting. This was kind of a let-down though. Definitely not as awesome as the Earth Harp. However, he did a good job playing them. It seemed like Christmas came early (kind of what Sharon said — it did seem a bit department store-ish).The whole “masked figure” thing was kind of weird. I don’t think he deserved three X’s though, and I felt like the judges were being a bit harsh. I liked his act a lot more than some of the other acts. Do I think it’s a million dollar act? No, not really. However, I kind of want to vote for him in spite of the judges, because I disagreed what they said.
Academy of Villains: When I was a senior in high school, I was in the musical Fiddler on the Roof. I played the dead grandmother, and the beginning of this act very closely resembled that scene. The sudden switch to hip-hop dancing was kind of col though too. But with that, what is up the creepy acts tonight? Even though it creeped me out, I surprisingly really liked this act. It wasn’t a typical “dance” act. They showed something new, and I loved it. They most definitely are going through in my opinion. I think the best really was saved for last, because it was new and inventive. I loved how the leader of the group was emotional at the end. That usually seals the deal for me when I really like an act.
My Top Four:
1. Academy of Villains
2. Drew Erwin
3. The Magic of Puck
4. Bria Kelly
Could Move On
5. Clint Carvalho
6. Reverse Order
7. Cast in Bronze
Going Home
8. Melinda Hill
9. 7 in Unison
10. Eric Buss
10. Rudy Coby
11. Romeo Dance Cheetah
But I am a performer myself in a similar (but not...