Welcome to Pure America's Got Talent

This is a nice little candid interview with Neal E. Boyd after winning America’s Got Talent. He’s pretty good at promotion too. I think it shows you a little bit more about what Neal E. Boyd is like. I also love his talk of American Opera versus European Opera.

Buy Tickets to see Neal Boyd in Las Vegas!

Looks like the America’s Got Talent poll was wrong in its prediction of the America’s Got Talent winner. I knew that the poll was skewed, because this site was getting hundreds and hundreds of Google searches sent to the site for the likes of Eli Mattson and Donald Braswell. Therefore, it made sense why Eli Mattson got more votes than the rest. However, I still thought that Eli had a good chance of winning. I guess it was close.

Instead, Neal Boyd is the winner of America’s Got Talent. I’m actually really surprised how disappointed I am with the result. I didn’t think I was that fond of Eli Mattson, but I was. Nothing against Neal Boyd, but I honestly don’t see myself buying a ticket to see him sing. Eli Mattson I would love to see in concert. America’s Got Talent is really smart to have the top 5 from this season perform in Las Vegas. The interesting question is whether people will go to the show more for Neal or for the other members of the top 5.

I’m kind of afraid to admit this, but before the results I told my wife that I thought we should get tickets to the show and go. However, now that Neal Boyd won, I’m thinking we probably won’t spend the money. I’d enjoy seeing him as an opening act, but I don’t see myself coughing up much money to see him be the headliner.

Time will tell if I change my mind in that regard. I don’t mean to take anything away from Neal. He has a great story, a very nice voice and something about his stage presence that really draws you in. He cries too much, but he’s a big teddy bear. Kind of reminds me of the big teddy bear that won American Idol (just forgot his name). I’m really happy for Neal and I think he can do well with a singing career.

Best of luck Neal Boyd and Congratulations on Winning America’s Got Talent!

America’s Got Talent announced that there would be special guest performers at the America’s Got Talent Las Vegas show. The question is who might those guest performers be. Here’s my projections:

Terry Fator – Just makes since. He’s right down the street. Only question is whether he’s allowed to under his contract with mirage
Bianca Ryan – She’s performing in Las Vegas already too. She’s be a crowd favorite to see again and could nearly walk over from the V theater.

I’d really enjoy seeing any of the trio Cas Haley, Julienne Irwin or Butterscotch. They’re all still performing too.

I’d also not be surprised at all if an act like the Quick Change artists or the dog routine (can’t remember his name, but he has a show in Vegas now too) as a nice little opening act or an act to give the winner of America’s Got Talent a break.

Outside of people from America’s Got Talent, how cool would it be if Elton John stopped by if Eli Mattson was the winner? What about Andrea Bocelli with Neal Boyd, Gladys Knight (who’s from Las Vegas too) with Queen Emily or Josh Groban with Donald Braswell. Any of an array of rappers could join Nuttin’ But Stringz and be quite the event.

Any other acts you’d like to see?

Go and Buy Your Tickets to the show today!

I’ve been following the show quite religiously since I have this America’s Got Talent Blog and I am thoroughly entertained by the show. So, you can imagine I have strong opinions on who I think will be the winners of America’s Got Talent. Without further ado, here’s my America’s Got Talent winner projection along with my rankings of the America’s Got Talent Top 5.

Eli Mattson
Nuttin’ But Stringz
Donald Braswell II
Neal E. Boyd
Queen Emily

At the end of the day, none of these performers should feel bad since they are all great. However, this is a popularity contest and I personally think that Eli Mattson is the most popular.

Let’s see your rankings of the America’s Got Talent top 5.

America’s Got Talent producers was smart to play up the story of Neal Boyd. I must admit that at this point the crying on stage has gone a bit too far. It’s fine to be emotional and I’m a cry baby too, put on your big girl underwear and start acting like an adult now. You’re no longer an underdog come from behind winner. You are someone that has a great voice and can do great things whether you win America’s Got Talent or not. Ok, that’s enough ranting about the crying.

Overall, Neal Boyd does have something kind of special in his voice. It’s odd, but I do enjoy hearing him perform. I’m a little sad that he never has really gotten into his songs. His performance style reminds me of Andrea Bocelli where he just stands there and sing. The only bad part is that Neal Boyd isn’t Andrea Bocelli. However, even Andrea Bocelli standing there provides immense expression on his face. Have you ever seen Andrea sing with Sarah Brightman (sp?)? The guy absolutely exudes happiness and emotion in his face. Plus, Andrea is just Andrea. Neal Boyd isn’t to that level yet, so I would have loved to see him move around the stage and connect with various parts of the audience. Provide a little smile here and there. Don’t just stand there and sing.

At the end of the day, I don’t think that Neal Boyd could really sustain a whole show in Las Vegas. Yes, he has a unique quality in his singing that I can’t quite identify, but Vegas won’t respect that small asset very long. I know I live here and it’s just a fickle town. All of this said, I really hope that Neal is able to give up his insurance sales and find a job singing. Would be a shame to see someone so talented and in love with singing doing something else.

Much liked we posted the Pure America’s Got Talent Top 10 prediction, here’s the Pure America’s Got Talent Top 5 prediction. The following prediction comes from 2621 votes recorded on our America’s Got Talent Top 10 poll.

Predicted America’s Got Talent Top 5:
Donald Braswell received 1215 votes
Eli Mattson received 547 votes
Nuttin’ But Stringz received 237 votes
Neal Boyd received 177 votes
Kaitlyn Maher received 162 votes

America’s Got Talent Top 10 not making the AGT Top 5:
Jessica Price received 106 votes
Queen Emily received 84 votes
Joseph Hall received 45 votes
The Wright Kids received 29 votes
Paul Salos received 19 votes

In full disclosure, this is not a scientific poll by any means. This is definitely swayed by the type of traffic that is sent to Pure America’s Got Talent. For example, someone who finds this site searching for Nuttin’ But Stringz is probably more likely to vote for them. However, you could also argue that the more people searching google for Eli Mattson the more likely he is to win America’s Got Talent since after all America’s Got Talent is in large part a popularity contest.

Also, I should note that the comments on this blog have been smothered by fans of Donald Braswell. I think you can see that reflected in the voting results above. All of that said, I think Donald Braswell should make it into the Top 5 even if this poll is a little swayed.

I should also comment on a very personal note that it’s very sad for me to post that Jessica Price is predicted to be in the bottom 5. I’m normally very happy when my website predicts the results of a reality TV show. This might be one of the first times I hope that the predictions above are wrong.

It’s only fitting that we continue to list all of the America’s Got Talent music. Every member of the top 10 is a musician singing or playing some song. Below you’ll find a list of all the music that was performed by the America’s Got Talent Top 10.

Neal Boyd Sang “All by Myself” by Eric Carmen

Queen Emily Sang “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” by Jennifer Holliday

Paul Salos Sang “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra

The Wright Kids Sang “ABC” by The Jackson 5

Jessica Price Sang “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan

Eli Mattson Sang “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” by Elton John

Nuttin’ But Stringz Performed an original peice titled “Winner”

Donald Braswell Sang “To Where You Are” by Josh Groban

Joseph Hall Sang “A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis

Kaitlyn Maher Sang “I’ll Be There” by The Jackson 5

It looks like it’s going to take about a day before I’ll be able to post the videos from America’s Got Talent top 10 performance show. However, there’s no need for me to delay in posting my thoughts about the performances.
Best Performances of the Night
Jessica Price – I admit I’m a little biased towards Jessica, but who can argue about that performance. Beauty, grace a wonderful set and just raw talent singing on stage.
Queen Emily – Just like Gladys Knight graced the Las Vegas strip for so many years, I could see Queen Emily doing the same.
The Wright Kids – There’s a wonderful innocence about these 3 that just makes me watch and smile. Tonight was no different. I also love how at the end they totally highlighted the little one spinning the bass.

Disappointing Performances of the Night
Nuttin’ But Stringz – I normally love these guys, but when you’re competing for 1 million dollars you have to stick to your best stuff. Still better than the other performances listed below, but not up to their previous performances.
Eli Mattson – His piano work was good and singing still excellent, but it seemed like a really poor song choice. Of all the famous Elton John pieces he chose that one? I expected something a little bit more from him.
Donald Braswell – This guy always chooses good songs and I think that’s why he’s gotten this far. I’m sad to say, but the Hoff was right in the video montage. Donald doesn’t connect with the audience. I’d buy a CD, but I wouldn’t want to see him perform in a show in Las Vegas.
Neal Boyd – Another poor song choice. Sounded too high for him and didn’t showcase his vocal talent very well.

Unremarkable Performances of the Night
Joseph Hall – The crowd was more entertaining than him. Watching the crowd go wild made me laugh, but that’s about it. Unfortunately, I’m from Las Vegas and there’s too many Elvis in Las Vegas already.
Kaitlyn Maher – She finally had some movement. She sang as she walked out on stage. Piers said it all.
Paul Salos – I think I was a little distracted by Paul’s song choice since it was the same song that Indigo (sp?) had slaughtered in their audition.

Of course, these are just my observations of this performance. Not necessarily for the entire show and not necessarily who I think will be going home tomorrow. I’ll save that for another post tomorrow.

UPDATE: Someone who claims to be a friend of the family commented on another post that “Kaitlyn was very sick this week with a very bad cold and had lost her voice right up until just before the show. She was still excited about singing for everyone and did a great job even with the larygitis.”

I’m not sure that it changes my opinion of her, but she did do very well since I didn’t really notice any major difference than usual.

Don’t keep reading if you don’t want to know the details of the top 10, because they are listed below. I’ll look for a video so you can see all the reactions on video, but here’s the results from the America’s Got Talent Top 10.

The following are the first 5 members of the America’s Got Talent top 10:
Neal Boyd
Queen Emily
Paul Salos
The Wright Kids
Jessica Price
The following 5 AGT Top 20 were sent home:
Daniel Jens
Extreme Dance FX
The Cadence
James Gang
Zooperstars

The following are the fiinal 5 members of the America’s Got Talent top 10:
Eli Mattson
Nuttin’ But Stringz
Donald Braswell
Joseph Hall
Kaitlyn Maher
The following 5 AGT Top 20 were sent home:
Jonathan Burkin
Sarah Lenore
The Tapping Dads
SickStep
The Taubl Family

I’ll be posting a poll for you to vote on which of the America’s Got Talent Top 10 should win America’s Got Talent Season 3. Yes, I’m completely biased. I’m so glad that Jessica Price is in the top 10. Thank you Piers!!

UPDATE: America’s Got Talent Top 10 Announced – Great work! Readers of Pure America’s Got Talent predicted 9/10 correct. Jonathan Burkin is the big loser since we predicted he’d make it and didn’t.

In the AGT Top 10 poll I posted yesterday, I’ve received over 3000 votes. Thanks for all those that participated.

The following are the number of votes each America’s Got Talent Top 20 contestants got on the Pure America’s Got Talent Top 10 poll.

America’s Got Talent Predictions for Part 1 of AGT Semifinals
Neal Boyd received 301 votes
Queen Emily received 287 votes
Paul Salos received 184 votes
The Wright Kids received 164 votes
Jessica Price received 154 votes
Extreme Dance FX received 127 votes
The Cadence received 127 votes
Daniel Jens received 87 votes
James Gang received 51 votes
Zooperstars received 28 votes

America’s Got Talent Predictions for Part 2 of AGT Semifinals
Eli Mattson received 360 votes
Nuttin’ But Stringz received 319 votes
Donald Braswell received 250 votes
Jonathan Burkin received 163 votes
Kaitlyn Maher received 156 votes
Sarah Lenore received 124 votes
Joseph Hall received 117 votes
The Tapping Dads received 78 votes
SickStep received 57 votes
The Taubl Family received 54 votes

If you live on the East Coast, you can already verify how good this site’s readers are at predicting the America’s Got Talent Top 10. If you’re on the West Coast like myself, then you’ll have to wait another 17 minutes. I’ll update this once I’ve seen the results.