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Kevin Skinner Wins America’s Got Talent Season 4

Well, the wait is over. Tonight Kevin Skinner was announced as the winner of America’s Got Talent season 4. This wasn’t too shocking for me since I’d already predicted Kevin Skinner as AGT winner earlier today. Sorry, I couldn’t help but brag just a little. Although, a lot of the credit goes to the readers of this site that participated in my America’s Got Talent Winner poll. I’m happy to say that it predicted not only the winner, but pretty much got the top 5 right. Nicely done all of you!!

I really can’t believe that Kevin Skinner won. Somehow his humility and story got into the heart of America and he had them. I’ll be interested to see how much Kevin Skinner improves now that he’s going to have a show in Las Vegas. I’m sure that those producing America’s Got Talent Live in Las Vegas won’t want him to be a headliner in Las Vegas and sing the way he sang in his last 2 performances on America’s Got Talent. A bunch of people in Las Vegas who might have never heard of Kevin Skinner might boo him off stage if he sings like that. Some might think this is harsh, but I live in Las Vegas and at the prices they’re paying for the show there is a high expectation by the audience.

Of course, I think the best thing that Kevin Skinner could do is to take his million dollar prize (really $25,000 annuity every year for so many years if I remember right) and go back to where he knows and love and live a great life. He’s actually the one person on the show that could live very happily on $25,000 a year I think. Maybe that’s why America likes him so much.

I’m not trying to say that Kevin Skinner can’t or shouldn’t try to make it in the music industry. If that’s his dream go ahead and go for it. However, I have a strong feeling that he’s going to end up disillusioned and unhappy working in the spotlight and ugly world we call the music industry. I guess time will tell. Maybe the taste of fame he got on the show whetted his appetite for more. However, my feeling from when I interviewed Kevin Skinner was that he’s enjoyed the experience, but just mostly missed a lot of things from home.

All of this said, I’m sure many Kevin Skinner fans will come on here and tell me I’m wrong. However, I think they’re just trying to say that they love Kevin Skinner and want to hear more of his music. That perspective sounds like its more about them than it is what’s best for Kevin.

It will be fun to see what happens. At the end of the day, Congratulations to Kevin Skinner!! America voted you for the win and so enjoy your time in the spotlight and everything related to the win. I really think Kevin is a good guy. Best of luck to him in the future. We’ll certainly be watching!

September 16, 2009 I Written By

One of These Things Is Not Like The Other…

Remember that segment on Sesame Street called “One of these things is not like the other…” It was one of my favorites. Let’s play that game here:

Shakira
Leona Lewis
Rascal Flatts
Cirque du Soleil
Susan Boyle

I’ll admit that I’m impressed that America’s Got Talent was able to get these many big names on the show. However, one of the people on the list is just really out of place. I’ll give you a hint. I put her name in bold. Seriously, all of the others sell out concerts all over the world. The other one had one nice performance on BGT.

Either way, I really enjoyed Rascal Flatts performance and Shakira’s body moved in ways that I didn’t know were possible. WoW!

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America’s Got Talent Winner – Kevin Skinner or Barbara Padilla

I’d been thinking this for a while, but the voting on my poll for the America’s Got Talent Winner just confirmed what I was already thinking and just didn’t want to admit publicly. I think I can safely say that the winner of America’s Got Talent season 4 will be either Barbara Padilla or Kevin Skinner. Everyone else has either fallen off the map (Lawrence Beaman), not had enough exposure (Drew Stevyns), or they just don’t have the wide ranging popularity of these two.

Don’t ask me why these 2 are so popular. They are both really really nice individuals, but they are far from the most talented people on America’s Got Talent. However, they’ve done what you have to do most on America’s Got Talent which is win the hearts of the American people.

Since I’m in the predicting mood, I’ll even go on to predict that Kevin Skinner is going to win America’s Got Talent 2009. Yes, it stings for me to say that since he’s a pretty bad singer. Yes, I couldn’t even bring myself to type that he was a pretty good singer. I had to stick with pretty bad. I think people just love Kevin Skinner’s chicken catcher story. I know I laughed really hard the first time I heard it. I like many Americans also love to see someone come from a chicken catcher to shocking America with a win. That’s the beauty of America and Kevin Skinner seems like a really good guy so at the end of the day I don’t have a problem with him winning. It’s just unfortunate that other talent couldn’t have won.

My question for all of you is assuming I’m right and Kevin Skinner wins, will you be coming to Las Vegas to see Kevin Skinner perform in America’s Got Talent Live? Should we all plan a day to go to the show and we could throw a Pure America’s Got Talent party somewhere in Las Vegas? I’m game if enough people are interested.

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Terry Fator DVD – Las Vegas Performance Show

One of the advantages of having this blog is that I sometimes get access to some pretty cool stuff. Like I got to interview 5 of the America’s Got Talent finalists. I also got to go to the opening night of Terry Fator in Las Vegas at the Mirage.

I admit that I thought Terry Fator was good, but after seeing his show at the Mirage he was outstanding!! That’s why I also jumped at the chance to get one of the Terry Fator DVD’s as well. You can order the Terry Fator DVD (and Blu-Ray) on Amazon now. I got a copy and it’s really well done.

Of course, the live show is more fun, but the DVD does a great job of capturing not only Terry Fator’s incredible talent but also captures the energy in the theater. Plus, the other nice part about the DVD is that you get some close up shots of the puppets and of Terry Fator. You can really see how good he is at what he does. Oh yes, Terry Fator’s Assistant isn’t too bad as well.

Inside the DVD there’s also a preview of his biography Who’s the Dummy Now?: Winner of America’s Got Talent. There was also a nice little note talking about Michael Jackson since Terry Fator does an impression of Michael Jackson in his act as well. It always amazes me how far reaching of an impact Michael Jackson had on people.

Good stuff. Terry Fator deserves all the accolades and attention he’s receiving. A lot of people are really going to enjoy watching the Terry Fator: Live from Las Vegas.

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Vote for America’s Got Talent 2009 Winner

The performances are over and now it’s time to vote for your favorite America’s Got Talent season 4 finalists. No, this isn’t official. It’s just for fun, but should give a pretty good idea of who are people’s favorite talent on this season of America’s Got Talent. So, vote for who you want to be the winner of America’s Got Talent.


Of course, no matter who is the winner of America’s Got Talent, we’re going to see most of the above list at the America’s Got Talent live show in Las Vegas.

September 14, 2009 I Written By

Breaking News: Shakira, Leona Lewis, Rascal Flatts, Susan Boyle and Cirque du Soleil Perform on America’s Got Talent Season Finale

I just got the news about who will be the guest performers on the America’s Got Talent finale.

The season finale of NBC’s hit summer series “America’s Got Talent” Wednesday, September 16 (8-10 p.m. ET) will feature special performances from Latin pop star Shakira, British singing sensation Leona Lewis, country music superstars Rascal Flatts, the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil and many more special guests to be announced.

Previously announced finale performer, Susan Boyle will debut her new song “Wild Horses.” At the conclusion of the finale, the winning act to take home the million-dollar prize and a headlining show in Las Vegas will be announced.

Shakira will perform the world premiere of her mega-hit single, “She Wolf” Shakira - She Wolf - Single - She Wolf from her forthcoming album of the same name, Leona Lewis will world premiere her song “Happy,” Rascal Flatts will be singing their latest hit “Summer Nights” Rascal Flatts - Unstoppable - Summer Nights and Cirque du Soleil will present a sneak peek performance from their brand new theatrical production “Banana Shpeel.”

Previously Announced Finale Performer Susan Boyle Will Sing Her New Song “Wild Horses”

Looks like a jam packed finale. While most of the America’s Got Talent finalist acts aren’t that exciting to me, this is a pretty broad ranging list of performers. Cirque du Soleil can either be really good or really bad. I’ve seen both on shows like this. Let’s hope it’s the really good stuff.

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America’s Got Talent Finalists Interview

If you’ve been following me on Twitter or in the comments, then you know I had a chance to be able to interview the finalists of America’s Got Talent. It was interesting, because originally they said it would be all the finalists, then they told me it would just be Grandma Lee. So, I just prepared for Grandma Lee. Then, when I was on the call Grandma Lee, Barbara Padilla, Kevin Skinner, Drew Stevyns (and they said some other name, but I couldn’t make it out) were on the call. Very cool experience.

Of course, the biggest problem was that they only gave me 7 minutes for the interview. Yes, that’s right. I had 7 minutes to interview 4-5 finalists for America’s Got Talent. Plus, I’d only planned questions for Grandma Lee. So, basically I was pretty flustered with what to do. You’ll hear below, but I rushed through Grandma Lee so I could talk to Barbara and Kevin. Listening back I acted like such a fan boi of Barbara and Kevin, but what can I say. I only had a few minutes to think what to say.

All in all, I think you’ll enjoy hearing from some of the America’s Got Talent finalists. I need to find a better way to embed an MP3 file (maybe I’ll make a video out of it), so until then here’s a link to download the AGT Finalists interview. Please excuse the bad recording at the very beginning. I promise it gets better. Also, I’ll put a quick summary of my thoughts from the interview.

Grandma Lee – It was interesting that she’d already toured the country as a comedian. They make it sound like she’d never done this before until America’s Got Talent. Another storyline ruined;-) Granted, if you’ve read this blog for any time, then this is nothing new.

Barbara Padilla – She was so gracious and kind and her accent was beautiful. I almost felt bad for discounting her previously. I guess maybe it’s just not me being a huge opera fan. It is interesting that I think she’s going to get a good part of the women vote, cancer vote, hispanic vote and opera junkie music fan vote. That’s a lot of good people backing her.

Kevin Skinner – I loved talking with Kevin. He really is what you see on TV. I loved when he talked about bonfires not happening in LA.

Drew Stevyns – I had to dig him for kicking out my EriAm sisters. Like he says, it’s entertainment. Sadly they cut the interview off as I started with Drew. He’s very personable though.

Overall Impressions – Interviewing these people was a lot of fun. Far too short, but still worthwhile. Talking to them like this really made them real to me. I guess when you see them on TV the show kind of makes them what they want them to be. Talking to them gave me a feeling that these are good people just trying to do what they do.

Let me know what you think of this interview. Just be kind. I was shooting from the hip and I don’t do this very often. Also, I’m really subconscious about hearing my own voice so take it easy on me.

September 11, 2009 I Written By

Final 5 America’s Got Talent 4 Finalists

The pairings in this episode of AGT weren’t good at all. Maybe it was just me, but it was really predictable. A couple locks (Barbara and Lawrence). Hairo was more popular than the little kids. Recycled Percussion did a much better performance than Mario and Jenny.

Of course, if you’ve read this blog the only group I’ve ever been really excited over was the EriAm Sisters. I think they have the most potential in this season and they’re the only act that has given me chills this season. So, obviously I hate that Drew Stevyns made it through and the EriAm Sisters did not. I guess it proves the fact that it’s a bunch of women and little girls who are voting for the cute boy. Grrrrr…that’s all I have to say about that. I’ll miss the EriAm sisters. I hope they somehow get invited to perform in the AGT Las Vegas show. Otherwise, I’m not sure I want to go.

I think the show actually did a pretty good job of trying to say that it was just the judges who decided to only put through 5 instead of 4. However, maybe that was just good cutting. Still felt like they had it planned the whole way to me.

Yes, this season is going down as extremely disappointing for me. Let’s just get it over and get on to next year’s talent;-)

September 9, 2009 I Written By

Final America’s Got Talent Semi-finals Performance Show

We’ve been having a lot of discussion going on about the various episodes of America’s Got Talent. I’m still watching the show, but I figured I’d post the thread for other people to start discussing the show. I’ll add my review of tonight’s semi final performance show once I’m done watching. One thing is certain. I was right that tonight’s episode of America’s Got Talent is packed with at least twice as much talent as last week.

Time for my thoughts:

Barbara Padilla – Absolute lock for the finals. I’m not a huge fan myself, but I’ll admit that her performance tonight was her best yet. She’s also smart (or the producers are) for her to sing Ave Maria which is a special song for many people. She’s also got the cancer vote which I think is much larger than anyone would probably think. I’m not sure that’s the most politically correct thing to say, but I think that a lot of cancer survivors want to help other cancer survivors. That’s not a knock. I do the same thing with people I relate to. Either way, you can guarantee she’ll be in the finals.

Drew Stevyns – His song was a bit disappointing for me. I love him last time. He does seem to have the potential star quality in his performance. Although, I think in tonight’s performance he was a little too concerned about the camera. I’m not sure he’s a superstar, but I’ll admit that I’d love to hear him sing some more songs.

EriAm Sisters – If you’ve read for a while, you know I’m a huge fan of these sisters. They did have a slow start to their song, but once they got going it was amazing. In fact, it was the first time I got chills this season. There talent is amazing. How old is the youngest girl again? Oh, that’s right – 12. Seriously amazing voice. Too bad she looks older than 12.

Erik and Rickie – They should have stuck with a nice fast song where they could rock it out like they did in their audition. It just seemed slow and labored to me. Still cute as all get out. Plus, their interview section was the best of the entire show.

FootworKINGz – The producers ruined this act for me. I don’t think anyone can seriously think that FootworKINGz would have chosen to do power rangers. If they did, then I apologize to the producers, but I’ll never believe that power rangers would have been on these dancers minds. The song aside, the boots they wore were horrible also. Didn’t show very well the footworking they did. Horrible outcome for me.

Hairo Torres – He’s unique, but I’m pretty sure he didn’t do enough to go on. I wonder if he’ll head over to SYTYCD. He’d be great in the auditions of SYTYCD.

Jeffrey Ou – Wrong song. Not enough energy. The story of him getting a girlfriend was priceless. I’m quite sure he doesn’t give a rip about winning this show. He got himself a lady thanks to AGT. Beautiful!!

Lawrence Beamen – I thought this was his best performance. Maybe Piers likes the old school stuff, but I didn’t. I also can’t help but wonder what religious group he was with as a kid. I think he’s almost as close a lock as Barbara. I’d never pay to go see him, but he’s OK for me.

Mario and Jenny – What were they thinking? Bad Tapping. Bad Drumming. No danger. Pole dancing. Just all wrong. Worst performance they could have ever done.

Recycled Percussion – This group rocked it. I think the concept is actually the best part. I’m not sure the 4 guys are going to be the best to perform the concept. However, I could see a show like this in Vegas. It’s like a mix of Blue Man Group and Stomp. 2 popular Las Vegas shows.

Some great acts are going to be sent home tomorrow.

September 8, 2009 I Written By

First 5 America’s Got Talent 2009 Finalists

Well, last night was kind of the end of the lameness that has been America’s Got Talent this year. Let’s just say that the show is trying far too hard. They need to just sit back and let us enjoy the talent and the built in drama of the good and bad. Free the judges to say what they really think and get some judges unlike the Hoff and Sharon who can’t tell us what they really feel about the acts for fear of backlash.

Ok, now that I got that out. Here’s the first 5 finalists:
Fab Five – Definitely deserving of the finals. They were spot on. It was a little cruel of the show to try and act like they were going to be eliminated. Sharon did a pretty nice job, but Piers and Hoff made it look totally scripted. Oh well, at least the Fab Five made it and they deserved it.

Grandma Lee – I can’t say Grandma Lee was all that good, but I’m ok with the token act to make it in when they’re as cute as Grandma Lee and they’re living such a special dream for them. Grandma Lee has never been as good as what the judges have said. However, we can all love her for being there and doing her thing. So, I’m cool with this one.

Kevin Skinner – This is a shame for me. I know a lot of people who read this site love Kevin Skinner and have made up all sorts of excuses for why he sucked in his performance. I’ve never been a fan of him and so I don’t know why I’d start now. However, as I said in one of my comments on this site, he’s got 2 thing that America loves: humility and a great story.

Texas Tenors – I actually have mixed feelings about this group. The blonde guy is a star and once they start singing together it’s a hot mess (I stole that description from one of my readers since it described them so well). So, the Blonde guy should be in the finals, but the other 2 shouldn’t.

The Voices of Glory – I’d have kicked these guys off just for being dumb and not forcing the producers to let the sister sing the whole time. Piers said it before and he was right. The sister has the potential to be a star. The brothers are nothing but a drag right now.

Now to those who were sent home…

Acrodunk really deserved it. So much for variety.

Paradizo Dance was cute, but had kind of run their course.

Drew Thomas Magic did kind of disappoint, but I’ll admit I’m a bit surprised that his daughter’s cuteness didn’t pull him through. She’s a star in my book for sure.

Tony and Rory. Seriously, do I have to talk about this one? Shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

Arcadian Broad will be remembered for a long time to come. I hope we find out if there was any fall out from his comments. However, I don’t think we will. I hope he keeps dancing and we’ll see him on So You Think You Can Dance once he’s old enough to compete on it.

September 3, 2009 I Written By