Before she was even a teenager, Bianca Ryan was the first winner of America’s Got Talent six years ago. Because of versatility in music choices and powerful voice, Simon Cowell once said she was “potentially one of the best singers [he has] ever heard in [his life.]” Now, six years later, what is Ryan doing now as a 17 year old?
Well first, lets visit her journey on America’s Got Talent:
(compare first season to the current season..SO much has changed, agreed? Personally, I like the judges and host a lot better now.)
That girl has some serious talent. Probably why she won, right? And the fact that she was 11 is even more incredible. What was I doing at 11? Um, I think I was performing in my 6th grade musical rendition of Tom Sawyer. Not quite the same.
Soon after winning, Ryan produced and released a self-titled album that debuted at #57 on the Billboard Top 200. Although that is the only CD she has released since AGT, she has still kept busy. She has released two EPs and done a little bit of touring.
Currently, Ryan is now 17-years-old and attending a performing arts school in Philadelphia. She is also preparing for a starring role in a feature film titled “We Be Kings.” Ryan has definitely had a good career so far, and is on the road to even more stardom. Quincy Jones, a global music producer, said that he believes Ryan will be “The next revolution in music.”
I really like her. She has genuine talent (unlike a lot of popular musicians that are her same age). I hope to see more of her in the future!
And just for fun, here is one of her most recent songs, “In My Head”.
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.
Last Tuesday night, as the contestants who made it to Vegas searched their names on either the “favorites” or the “stand-by” list, I couldn’t believe it when William Close wasn’t on the list. If you need a refresher on his act, watch this video:
However, as we all soon found out, the Close and his Earth Harp had impressed the judges so much, he was automatically advanced to New York. I enjoyed this act right off and was looking forward to seeing him in the advanced stages of this season. This wind harp is like nothing I’ve ever seen before, and I’d love to see something this different win the competition.
The “Earth Harp” was invented by Close himself back in 1999. Its strings go up to 1,000 feet in length, which makes it the world’s longest stringed instrument. Since its first debut where it was “mounted on one side of a valley with the strings stretehced nearly 1,000 feet to other side,” hundreds of Earth Harp have been installed across the world by Close and MASS Ensemble, including at the Grand Theater of Shanghai and Seattle’s Space Needle. According to a website about the Earth Harp, an Earth Harp installation is:
. . . Celebrates the architecture and landscape of its surroundings. The environment and architecture are transformed by the strings, forever changing the perception of those lucky enough to see the installation.
The Earth Harp and MASS have performed at numerous festivals and performing arts center, such as The Coliseum in Rome for La Notte Bianca, Miami Sleepless Nights, the Kennedy Center, and a permanent installation at Cirque du Soleil’s show in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand.
It’s pretty incredible how the Earth Harp works. The website explains the process as follows:
The Earth Harp is played using violin resin on cotton gloves and musical bows. The performer’s hands are run along the strings to create beautiful cello like tones. The act of rubbing the strings creates a longitudinal compression wave. This vibration is similar to the vibration patterns that produce tones when you run your finger around the edge of a wine glass.
So now that you have a little bit of background on the Earth Harp, how about something about the man behind the masterpiece?
He attended the Art Institute of Chicago where he studied sculpture and sound design. He has worked to closely explore connections between music and architecture. According to his Facebook page, the quote “architecture is frozen in music” inspires his work. In addition to the Earth Harp, he worked with architects to develop two “Symphonic houses”, where essentially, the houses are musical instruments. He has also created more than 100 new musical instruments throughout his career.
I mentioned the “MASS Ensemble” earlier on, which is an acronym for “music architecture sound and sculpture”, which was founded by Close. Many of the performances with the Earth Harp include the MASS ensemble who “work with Closes unique designs to create music based stage shows that push the envelope of the musical experience.”
Here are a few of Close’s performances, the first at Jerusalem’s Festival of Lights, and the second at the Lucidity Festival 2012 in Santa Barbara:
To learn more about William, his work, and the Earth Harp, visit his website here. I look forward to seeing how America takes to this very unique act.
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.
There have been several acrobatic/dance routines this season so far. While my favorite still is the graceful couple, Rebecca and Donovan, Lindsey Norton, a 16-year-old from Oldsmar, Florida, took the stage in Tampa. The longer her act went on, the more impressed I became. I am amazed at how flexible a person can be. Here’s her performance, which drew a standing ovation from the audience.
Norton has been dancing since she was two years old, and when asked by Sharon how much she practices, she said between 15 and 20 hours a week. With that much dedication a week, it’s like a part-time job, and her act was very polished. I loved how Sharon described it:
I can see you’re serious about your craft. You put in time and effort. You’re like a little angel, and you’re a great example for 16-year-olds out there. You’re a beautiful, young girl.
Lindsey has performed a lot since she was little and has won a lot of awards. She represented the US in the International Dance Organization’s World Cup in Poland back in 2010. While participating, she won gold medals in both the Jazz and Modern divisions. Here is one of her performances in 2010 with her company, All American Dance Factory.
It will be interesting to see how far she goes. As I’ve been perusing the comment boards, some people feel like she is better fit for the Cirque du Soleil than AGT, but I think she definitely has what it takes to do well. If all else fails, at least she seems like a good girl that others can look up to. It’s refreshing to see a teenage girl who is dedicated to something she loves and works hard at it.
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.
While the auditions in Tampa didn’t impress me too much, the final act of the night definitely made the episode worth watching. Mary Joyner, daughter of Olympic winners Al Joyner and the late Florence Griffith-Joyner, better known as Flo Jo. Her audition began with Howard asking if she was going to be doing track and field (jokingly, of course). That was definitely not her act. But what she did do was grace the stage with her beautiful voice.v Here is the act that ended the AGT auditions:
I tweeted that even with the first few seconds of the act, she was already a contender for the finals. The judges seemed to agree, with Howard saying he got goose bumps, and the others praising her. It was immediately obvious that she was a crowd favorite as well.
Joyner was eight years old when her mother passed away. According to an article written in the NY Times back in 1999, she wanted to quit gymnastics and become a track and field star like her mom. Her father said that she could clear the 33″ hurdles that grown women had to clear. He also talked about his relationship with Joyner and the joy she brought her during that dark time:
Mary is dealing with things. She keeps my spirits up. That comes from Florence, who laid down a foundation. Mary’s gotten her strong personality and beliefs from her mother. Aside from jumping, I run a bit. I’m not too faithful with it, but Mary says, ‘Daddy, Mommy wants you to run.’ So I run.
Beyond running, Joyner obviously discovered her beautiful talent for singing. Her mother, Flo Jo, before she was even pregnant with Mary, had stated her daughter would be a singer:
There was just one problem with all of it: Florence wasn’t pregnant. She’d simply assure Al that she’d soon be having a baby girl, and that this girl would be an extraordinary singer, the one talent Florence wished she’d had.
Joyner sang from the time she was little, where she could sing the Olympic theme song before much anything else. She sang at her mother’s funeral, and at one time stated that music was her therapy and way to connect with her mom. In addition, she plays the piano and violin and majoring in music in college.
She has released a good amount of music before AGT and has been well-received. Hopefully AGT will be just the thing to get her career even more successful and eventually have people connecting not just track and field with the last name Joyner, but music as well.
Here is one of her popular songs, To Have Only You:
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.
One of my favorite parts of America’s Got Talent is the plethora of inspiring back stories that contestants bring along with their talent. Tonight, one of the most touching stories this season, in my opinion, was told. It was that of Timothy Poe.
When Timothy was first introduced, he has a pretty obvious stutter. He soon explained that he had served in the military for 14 years, until he was hit by a grenade and, as a result, had brain damage. One of the most lasting effects from the blast was a stutter. Before his accident, he wasn’t very musical. It wasn’t until his speech therapist suggested he sing in the shower that he discovered a love for singing. Here is his audition and story (grab some tissues. Everyone at my house was tearing up by the end):
Was he the best singer? Not by any means. But what I felt his voice had was a lot of spirit, and it’s incredible that he can sing without the stutter. I think this is the typical “rising from the ashes and overcoming” stories.
But, before you get to attached, keep reading.
As I’ve been trying to find a little bit more about him, I discovered that there is a little bit of controversy going on about Poe in comment boards. Apparently, he may not be the man he claimed to be on the show. I discovered these comments on another website:
I was Timothy Poe’s sergeant in Afghanistan. The story he is telling is a LIE!! He was never injured over there. Instead he was medevaced back to the states because of a hearing problem he attributed to a training accident while we were still in the U.S. He never even left the base in the few weeks he was over there! Timothy Poe is a FRAUD!
and another:
Timothy Poe is a fraud. He did not hurt his back in Iraq or any other country abroad. His lies tonight were a slap in the face of all soldiers that fight for our country. To the soldiers who do, thank you for fighting for my country. To you, Tim Poe, you should be ashamed of yourself. Faking a lisp so people will feel sorry for you? Your fiancee and children should be embarrassed of you. You are a disgusting human being. The truth will come out. I wish AGT checked background [sic] stories so he would never have been put on tv.
Quite the accusations, huh? If he truly is a fraud, I agree with the second commenter — that’s a slap in the face to all those soldiers out there righting for America. When he was doing his after-interview, my sister commented that he didn’t appear to have his stutter anymore. If his story is true, it’s pretty terrible that people are accusing him of lying. I found this article about a charity golf game he recently participated in that helps injured veterans get back into the work force. He tells a similar story in the article.
I’m not sure what to say. I like to believe that someone would go on TV and completely lie, especially a story like this, but I’m not sure why anyone would try and spread lies about someone who was injured while the service, if he indeed was. I’m guessing we’ll find out soon enough the truth. Any readers out there know the real story? I’d love to find out the real story!
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.
Although there has already been a sand artist this season, the one from tonight was my favorite. Joe Castillo, originally from Mexico, has been cultivating his love of art over the past 40 years. His act consisted of the song “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood and the creation of a very patriotic piece of art using sand and art. Check it out:
Can you get any more patriotic? I love how in the end, the picture ended up as Lady Liberty.
As I mentioned, he was born in Mexico, but moved to the USA in 1963 after his father died. He grew up very religious and has been involved in art since he was enrolled in an art class taught by his mother when he was five years old.
Castillo worked in advertising for 18 years but sold his business after his wife died from breast cancer when they were in their 20s. At that point, he graduated from the Ashbury Seminary. Since he has expressed his love for God through his work and performed at many conferences for youth called ArtStories, where he illustrates Biblical stories in a beautiful way.
The specific name of the act his performed on AGT is called SandStory. He uses sand on a light table that are projected onto a large screen. He has performed on CBS, NBC, BBC, Kings, presidents, and more. He often performs at church and youth conferences and is available for hire. This is a performance he did for a promo on the CBS Show, Ghost Whisperer:
He has a lot of videos floating around the video, and some of his best can be viewed here on his website. This is one of my favorites:
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.
Even before this performance during Tampa’s auditions, I was excited to see what the “Distinguished Men of Brass” had to offer. There was a little teaser of it early on in the show, and I could tell it was going to be good.
d’ Mo Brass, as the group calls themselves on their Facebook page, based in Tampa, combined playing brass instruments with marching percussion to create a pretty unique act.
They were entertaining. They were talented. They were unique. And they were humble. What more can you ask for from an act like this? Anyone who has frequented Busch Gardens in Tampa may recognize these fellas. For quite some time, Distinguished Men of Brass coined the name “The Sheiks of Morocco” as they entertained visitors at Busch Gardens. Here are a few videos of their performances there:
During their audition, the leader of the group mentioned they formed “Distinguished Men of Brass” after they lost their jobs. Since the group no longer performs at Busch Gardens they have found work performing at different venues and functions. Their website says they are available for weddings, conventions, festivals, and more. It’s evident that they are diverse in the type of music they perform, and they can do anything from TV Themes and Big Band to R&B and Pop.
This group definitely has experience at pleasing crowds with their talents, and they have plenty of diverse acts that I feel will keep their performances fresh and new every week. I’d love to see them go far!
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.
“Honestly thought I was watching a production on Broadway, but it was urban at the same time” – Sharon Osborne
“I hate Glee, but I love you” — Howard Stern
“This was not corny, it was great” — between Howie and Howard
The first performance in the Tampa auditions received the comments above from the judges and a huge applause from the audience. Inspire the Fire, who some claim are similar to Glee, definitely lit up the stage and were my favorite act of the night. I was actually reminded of Glee with the song choice, Lean on Me, since that song was featured on the show Glee once. However, I was very entertained by this group. I mean, I’ve heard better vocals and seen better dancing, but I loved the act, and the meaning of the organization, Inspire the Fire. Here is their audition from the other night:
As it was introduced during the audition, Inspire the Fire, a non-profit group based in Charlotte, North Carolina, was created to help youth, particularly those who are under-privileged. The website for Inspire the Fire describes the group as follows:
The youth we serve are ages 10-21. Statistically, this age range has been more likely to engaged in juvenile crimes . . . The central purpose of the program is not to develop professional artists. Rather, the program strives to raise awareness and appreciation of artistic abilities of all students and to recognize and develop the outstanding talents of many students who would not be identified as gifted and talented through academic tests or other traditional means.
Participants in the program have to get a certain amount of community service hours in order to be in the group. Besides singing, there are a bunch of different activities that the members can participate in. The group also give a few performances a month.
Overall, this just seems like a great group with an awesome purpose. I’d like to see some more of what they can do. Even if they don’t win, maybe they could make a a guest appearance on the next season of Glee. What did you think of this group?
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.
An acrobalance act lit up the stage on night two of the New York Auditions.
The married-for-14-years couple, Rebecca and Donovan, performed a combination of dance and acrobats to the song “Secrets” by One Republic and impressed all the judges and the audience:
If you were a fan of Britain’s Got Talent, you might recognize Rebecca Peache and Donovan Jones as Crazehorse from season one. They were unfortunately eliminated during the second semi-finals. Here is that performance:
However, they didn’t let that discourage them and up until America’s Got Talent, they have been touring the world, including China, the United Kingdom, and most recently, Australia.
According to their website, Rebecca was born in London and studied at the Central school of Ballet and and the London Studio Centre. She has participated in different performances, such as a Can Can Dancer at Moulin Rouge in Paris. Donovan is a native to Long Island, New York, and studied at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. He was the principal singer and company manager for Jean Anne Ryan Productions for several years before creating the acrobalance act with his wife.
Together, Rebecca and Donovan have earned several Guiness World Records, such as the longest time holding a horizontal position and were featured in Cirque du Soleil. Rebecca achieved in 2007 the most rotations of a human flag, which was recorded in this video.
Rebecca and Donovan are active participants on their Facebook page and seem to be excited to have made it to the next round of America’s Got Talent. I thought their act was absolutely breathtaking, and as I have watched more videos of them tonight, I can’t wait to see what they will do in the coming months. How far do you think they will go, and do they have a fighting chance for the million dollars? I sure think so!
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.
There’s been many comedians on America’s Got Talent over the years. Some good, some bad. Last night, one of the better ones I’ve seen made his debut.
Tom Cotter, a native to New York, has been trying to break into the comedy scene for many years. Although he has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Late Late Show, and even filmed a half-hour special on Comedy Central back in 2003, he is hoping that America’s Got Talent might be his ticket to fame.
From the moment he started his act, Cotter had both the judges and the audience laughing. Sharon hit it right on when she said he was right on cue with his timing. I thought his jokes were pretty funny myself. Check out his audition here:
What do you think? Is he million dollar quality? Even though he isn’t a well-known comedian, he has won several awards of the years, including Seattle’s International Stand-Up Comedy Competition and was voted Best Stand-Up at the Las Vegas Comedy festival.
Cotter is currently married to a fellow-comedian, Kerri Louise, and has three children. According to his Wikipedia page, his acts are mainly composed of one-liners and double entredres. His website features more of his work, his touring schedule, as well as the option to buy his CD.
In case you need a little more convincing to this man’s talent, or perhaps you just want a few “genuine laughs,” as Howard Stern put it during his audition, check out this video.
I’m definitely a fan, although I have a few other acts I like better. As far as comedians go, he is pretty funny and I hope to see him make it past Las Vegas. Overall, most of his jokes were pretty family-friendly (though who knows, maybe he tamed it down for the show) and he seems like a nice, humble man. That’s a typical quality in AGT winners, right?
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.
