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Jackie Evancho Not Performing with Tim Janis at Carnegie Hall in December

Word on the street was that Jackie Evancho was to perform at the famous Carnegie Hall in New York City on Dec. 2nd. In fact it would break a record:

Pittsburgh area fifth-grader Jackie Evancho is scheduled to perform at Carnegie Hall in NYC on Dec 2 , and will be the youngest female vocal soloist ever to have performed at Carnegie Hall. –source

However, I just got work via Facebook that Jackie Evancho won’t be performing at Carnegie Hall in December. Here’s the note from Jackie’s mother:

Just wanted to give advanced notice to all jackie fans that she will not be performing with Tim Janis at Carnegie Hall this December. This was not an easy decision and we wish that things could have been different.

Can you imagine making these tough decisions? Seems like they’re doing their best to take care of Jackie since she is so young. I certainly applaud these efforts. Hard to imagine passing up Carnegie Hall though. That’s pretty amazing.

October 25, 2010 I Written By

Jackie Evancho on Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Last night, Jackie Evancho made her first talk show appearance on the Tonight Show! Jay chatted with her about fifth grade, cheerleading, and more in the clips below. And of course, she sings another song!

Jackie Evancho on Tonight Show Part 1

Jackie Evancho on Tonight Show Part 2

September 24, 2010 I Written By

Final America’s Got Talent Finalists

It’s usually pretty easy to predict many of the people who will be going on to the next round. America’s Got Talent isn’t the best at providing surprises. For some reason, certain acts just click better with America than others and it’s often quite obvious.

Although, there’s certainly other ways to tell too. For example, here’s the top 5 from the America’s Got Talent poll Marianya posted:
Fighting Gravity: Blacklight Performers
Jackie Evancho: Youth Singer
Michael Grasso: Magician/Illusionist
Jeremy VanSchoonhoven: Bicyclist
Studio One Young Beast Society: Dance Group

Also, I find it interesting which acts NBC’s PR person decides to send me. Here’s who they sent this time:
Jackie Evancho
Fighting Gravity
Jeremy Vanschoonhoven
Alice Tan Ridley
Michael Grasso

I think that list is a pretty good indication of the top 5. Amazingly only 2 singers. Watch for Alice Tan Ridley to not make it to the finals if the judges make the choice. The show already has enough singers in the finals. Although, I’m sure AGT would love to have Precious on the show.

I’m personally a little surprised to not see Michael & Ashleigh up higher. I thought they were quite entertaining and thought America would like them more. Besides the scare when they dropped her, it was by far their best performance. It was a mistake for them to say that they weren’t a couple. It would have been better to let people imagine they were. On a side note, Ashleigh is incredibly beautiful!

September 1, 2010 I Written By

America’s Got Talent Semi Final Review

I was going to do a review of the acts from tonight’s semi final episode, but then I saw that Jason had already done so in the comments of another post. So, I’ll just share his comments for all to see and to comment on. Thanks Jason!

Tonight was interesting…started strong, got weak in the middle, then finished amazingly. My thoughts:

Anna & Patryk – It was a very good routine. Their movements are so precise, and it was a great song choice and theme. They should be in the finals.

Christina & Ali – It’s a great story, but I don’t think the singing is good enough. I like them when they sing alone, but not together. It’s probably over for them.

Antonio Restivo – A really nice trick, but I wasn’t really amazed during it. I still really like about him, and I think he could be in the finals.

Future Funk – The cuteness is wearing off, and they tried too much to make a story out of it. The older kid had a nice break dance, but the rest was only ok. They’re probably not going to advance.

Taylor Matthews – I don’t know what to make of him. He’s good, but not the best singer. He should lose the backup singers, his voice gets lost in them. Maybe he could make it to the finals.

Connor Doran – Another nice story, but the act didn’t take it up a notch. He definitely should have stuck to the quieter, more reflective music. I like him, but he’s probably done.

Dan Sperry – Are you serious with that trick? I had a flashback to season 2 with the magician Kevin James. I know that there’s some imagination to magic, but we generally know it’s fake and don’t need an obvious way to see that. At least throw up some fake blood or something to make it more believable. I cannot see him advancing at all.

Kristina Young – What was she thinking? If she had livened the song up and went to a pop version after stepping down from the piano, she might have had a shot. However, she didn’t, and completely blew it.

ArcAttack – I was skeptical that they could make the act better, but they did. I still see them as a long shot to win with some of the other acts still active, but they could be in the finals.

Michael Grimm – I don’t think he’s the best singer, but there’s still something I like about him. He’s probably in the finals.

AscenDance – The same as Connor, they should have stayed with the slower, peaceful music. It was nice, but I don’t think it was enough.

Prince Poppycock – Do I need to say anything? I guess I should. I couldn’t stop laughing during this act. Perfect song choice, perfect concept, it was a perfect act. It is going to be tough to top that in the finals. He’s the only slam dunk to make it through of the night.

I think Prince Poppycock, Anna & Patryk, ArcAttack, and Michael Grimm advance by America’s vote. Antonio Restivo and Taylor Matthews finish 5 and 6, and the judges take Antonio to the finals.

John’s Thoughts: I still love Christina and Ali. I can vote for story if I like:-) I think Taylor Matthews also has more of a chance than people are giving him. I also think that Michael Grimm is a sure thing to get through along with Poppycock. Does anyone else want to hear from the other female climber on Acendance? She’s incredibly attractive. Just saying.

August 24, 2010 I Written By

Howie Mandel on Tonight Show

I must admit that we’re definitely seeing another side of Howie Mandel. Or maybe it’s just the usual side of Howie Mandel, but I just had never seen it. Check out this clip of Howie Mandel on the Tonight Show with Jay:

Plus, Howie Mandel even brings on Hannibal Means to see Jay too. Hannibal is quite the piece of work.

August 10, 2010 I Written By

America’s Got Talent Choosing the Wrong Magician

I think it’s really clear that A LOT of people are VERY unhappy with the selections made by the judges (and should we say producers?) of America’s Got Talent. I’ll talk more about other eliminations in a future post, but for this one I want to talk about the travesty that is the Magicians that they selected.

Between Murray Sawchuck and Michael Grazzo the slight-of-hand magician, at least from the performances we saw (which is what the judges are suppose to use) it’s very clear to me who was more skilled. To me it was such a poor decision to take Murray (who no doubt has a better look) over Michael.

The funny part is that the appearing car trick that Murray did is the lamest trick in the book. It’s lame on a number of levels. First, everyone does some form of trick like that. It’s basically been done. Plus, tricks like that on TV are even more lame since you can’t really see what’s going on.

Of course, Murray complained that the slight-of-hand stuff that Michael did wouldn’t work in a big auditorium performance. The funniest part is that in person Murray’s appearing car doesn’t work in a large auditorium since you see them roll the car in. It could only work on TV where they make sure the angles don’t show the car. Totally LAME!

Plus, I actually watched the slight-of-hand work by Michael Grazzo live at the Las Vegas Auditions. I was sitting in the balcony and from an angle. Yet, even from that distance, Michael’s magic was impressive. That’s why it was crazy that Howie said that it was too small. Not to mention, Michael had proven that he could do big tricks too.

Needless to say, I was completely disappointed with this choice. It will be interesting to see what Murray brings in Hollywood. However, I don’t have really high hopes. I just wish I could afford to go to LA and see it live. Time to start taking up donations so I can go cover it for you;-)

July 10, 2010 I Written By

Greyson Chance – Talent Missed by America’s Got Talent

Today I came across a video of Greyson Chance. Looks like I’m a little behind since the video already has over 25 million views on YouTube. I actually found this tech blog post about Greyson Chance, that had me completely fascinated. It was a mix of my nerd side and my tv show/talent/music side. I love the way the guy describes the first time he watches this video of Greyson Chance. Here’s his description:

The video was titled “Paparazzi” and in it is a kid sitting at a grand piano on stage that looks like a school auditorium. My first thought was, ‘heh, he looks a lot like my son, Cyrus, who’s 12. On the piano he is playing the chords to the widely popular song Paparazzi. Behind him on the raised stage is a bunch of teenage girls about the same age of the piano player. They all look kind of bored in the beginning. After about 30 seconds, I am thinking, ‘heh, nice piano playing but I’ve seen better.” The girls in the background look like they are thinking the same thing.

But then at :33 seconds this boy opened his mouth. And out flowed a voice that immediately hits your heart. You can see the ripple effect across the faces of the girls. Theirs eyes widen. They turn to each other in shock and smile. You can see as he continues to flex his vocal skills they continue to be shocked and smile in wonderment. In their faces you see reflected the reactions of the whole world. A superstar is born before our very eyes. This boy has the potential to be his generation’s Elton John or Billy Joel. His name is Greyson Chance. It’s a name we will all know.

I immediately shoot an email to my friend, Guy Oseary, the superstar manager to Madonna and many more top stars. The title of the email said, “You must sign him today!!! He’s a superstar!!” Sixty seconds later my iPhone rings and it’s Guy. “I just met with him!”, Guy said. Guy was already on top of it and meeting with him and his mother all day. Meanwhile, over 40 other competing agents were trying to get to them. But when you could have Guy Oseary as your manager why would go anywhere else? The video quickly to over 4 million views in one day, after Ellen then featured it, and has now crossed 20 million views. The next day he performed on Ellen live! (Note: Guy and Greyson just announced that they have officially joined forces!)

I’ve watching this video many times. It’s playing as I write these words and tears of inspiration flow as I watch the transformation in the audience from boredom to wonderment in 30 seconds. The video captures a moment in time where this boy transforms before our eyes like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon. One minute he was an unknown somewhere in the world practicing in his living room countless hours to an audience of none and the next he is performing for the entire world.
This is the modern mythology of our planet; that anyone can pull out that magic sword and transform himself into King Arthur; The dream that anyone in the world with talent can and should be discoverable. We live in a world where true talent can be discoverable without barriers. Our generation must take it all way & democratize merit for all. In a world like this we don’t even need shows like American Idol. The collective hearts, minds and passions of humanity will discover that talent together and shine a passionate light on them.

Ok, I won’t hold you hostage any longer. Check out the video of Greyson Chance:

Of course, we’ve seen this type of storyline before. Her name was Susan Boyle. Similar storyline, but Britain’s Got Talent helped to make that storyline happen. Greyson Chance is the type of talent that America’s Got Talent is looking for. I’m sure they’ll be sorry they didn’t find him first.

Although, I must admit that one of the people I saw at the America’s Got Talent 2010 Las Vegas auditions was at least as talented as Greyson. A very different style, but I enjoyed listening to him just as much. I’m sure I’ll talk about this guy more once the AGT 2010 Las Vegas auditions actually air. It will be fun to see how he compares to the now very popular Greyson Chance.

It’s also the reason why there’s the America’s Got Talent YouTube auditions.

June 7, 2010 I Written By

Howie Mandel Interview for America’s Got Talent 2010

In anticipation of the premiere of America’s Got Talent 2010 tomorrow night, I got the chance to do a short interview with Howie Mandel, the new judge of America’s Got Talent (in case you didn’t know cause you were living in a box). We cover some interesting things about Howie as a judge, the coming battles between Howie and Piers and even talk about Howie watching previous America’s Got Talent seasons in his underpants. Anyone else excited to see AGT 2010 tomorrow night?

Listen to the Pure America’s Got Talent Interview with Howie Mandel.

May 31, 2010 I Written By

America’s Got Talent Las Vegas Auditions

I’m really excited, because I just got word that I’m going to be able to attend the taping of the America’s Got Talent Las Vegas auditions. This is huge since obviously the Las Vegas auditions are closed to the general public. Of course, they’re going to have me on a strict gag order (or something like that) as far as who’s made it to Las Vegas and who goes on to Hollywood. However, I don’t think that most of you would want me to tell you that information anyway since it would ruin the anticipation.

What I will be able to tell you is general feelings of what to expect. They types of judges reactions. Plus, after the fact I can probably tell you things that hit the cutting room floor. It should be interesting to see the process first hand.

The other cool part is that they think they’ll be able to get me an interview with one of the judges. That should be a lot of fun. If all goes well, I’ll do a video interview and be able to post it on here before the show even starts.

On that note, if you have a question you’d like to ask the judges, leave me a comment and I’ll see if I can ask if during my interview.

May 12, 2010 I Written By

America’s Got Talent 2010 Chicago Acts (Part 1)

Hello all! So after a week or so of digesting and relaxing I’m finally ready to give you all a sneak peek on acts of that could potentially be on television during the Chicago Auditions that were held on April 27 and 28.

Over the course of the next month, PureAmericasGotTalent.com will provide you with information of acts that that have gone through the Chicago auditions, some of the judges comments/expressions, the audience’s expression and any online information in regards to the group for you to enjoy.

However, as always there are some groups where information is scarce or impossible to find, in which case you the reader could help us out. If you have any knowledge of any of the acts feel free to leave a comment or simply contact us and let us know so we could honor them with a post for others to see.

Keep in mind that although AGT Chicago had four tapings, this blogger was only able to make it to two of the tapings, which adds up to thirty-one acts! One per day. =) So enjoy.

This first post is dedicated to the nameless acts where information was scarce or confusing online:

Tuesday Evening’s Taping (POSSIBLE SPOILERS):
Read more..

May 4, 2010 I Written By