Howard Stern | Pure America's Got Talent

PureAGT Audition Round Rundown #1 – San Antonio/New York/L.A. Auditions

Woohoo! A highly entertaining kickoff to season 8, if I do say so myself 🙂 A nice mix of good acts that actually made it through to Vegas, with a few trainwrecky auditions peppered in to make things interesting. Heidi & Mel seem to be gelling well with Howie & Howard, and Heidi seems to have taken on the role of the “sweet” judge that makes all the contestants feel welcome…but that doesn’t mean she’s afraid to hit her buzzer, either. So far, Mel has been quieter than I thought she’d be, but we’re only one episode in. Howie continues to be a bit of an oddball judge, who is often the lone dissenter when the other judges vote a certain way. Thought it was a bit odd that they only showed us 2 auditions from San Antonio before skipping ahead to New York & L.A., but judging from the previews from next week, it looks like they’re back in San Antonio for more auditions.

For the audition rounds, I’m just going to go through each act in the order it aired, and give a quick summary (to jog everyone’s memory and my own – it’s easy to lose track of some of the acts during a 2-hour show!), and give some of my own input on what I think of them. Since tonight’s episode spanned auditions in 3 different cities, I’ve broken the acts up by audition city as well. For acts whose name wasn’t provided, I simply gave them an identifying nickname – i.e. “Asian male aerialist” or “girls’ clogging group”. I’ll try to figure out any missing details and update you guys as I find them 😉

And I do apologize for not getting this up immediately after the show aired last night – while I’ve become accustomed to cranking out recaps of the 2-hour DWTS performance show within an hour of the broadcast ending, I had forgotten how much information gets crammed into a 2-hour AGT audition show…and while I had this post 75% done last night, I was tired, and I didn’t want to half-ass my way through the rest just because I was sleepy. So here it is – thanks for bearing with me as I get accustomed to PureAGT 🙂

San Antonio:

David “The Cobra Kid” Weathers – 35 years old, from Hollywood, FL
The act: He does dangerous stuff with dangerous snakes – for his audition, he brought along the “meanest rattlesnake he’s got” and taunted it into striking (and subsequently popping) a balloon he held in his mouth.
The verdict: All 4 judges loved it and said yes – he’s through to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: Danger acts are great and I think they definitely have a place on AGT – but the one problem I have with them is that many of them end up kind of one-dimensional, without much to expand on from round to round. Don’t get me wrong, some manage to parlay a rather limited “danger skill” into several different performances, each with an interesting twist to it (Ben Blaque, the crossbow act from last season, comes to mind) – but the majority seem to run out of truly different things to do after the Vegas round. I’m afraid David might fall into latter camp – how much more is he going to be able to do with these snakes? I’m interested to see, but I can’t say I’m terribly optimistic that he’s going to continue to wow beyond Vegas.

Marty Brown – 47, from Franklin, KY
The act: He’s a country singer who performed “Make You Feel My Love” while playing the guitar.
The verdict: The judges all commented on how they were “pleasantly surprised” by how great of a performer he was, and loved that his wife had to trick him into coming to audition. 4 yes’s – see you in Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: Easygoing, down-to-earth country boy with guitar skills and a voice reminiscent of Garth Brooks? He’s a pretty safe bet, methinks – but if he really wants to separate himself from what I imagine will be yet another large group of male singers this season, he’s gonna need to step out of the country box a bit…maybe sing something more “mainstream” with a bit of a country twist to it?

New York:

Miu – 31, from Japan
The act: Well…I think she was trying to be the Japanese iteration of Lady Gaga, so she was flailing around to “Born this Way” in typical Gaga attire: spiked bra, sparkly hot pants, some platform boots, and what looked like metallic cinnamon rolls on her shoulders.
The verdict: If you couldn’t guess from the description of the act alone, she didn’t make it through – she got early buzzes & no’s from Howard, Mel, & Heidi, in that order; Howie was the lone hold-out, and gave her a yes.
Court’s thoughts: It’s times like these where I really worry about Howie’s sense of judgement – I get the feeling tonight is not the only time this season where we’re going to see the 3 other judges giving a resounding “NO!” to a bad act, with Howie sitting there saying “I actually loved it…so it’s a yes for me!”

“The Animal”
The act: Errrr…it was a guy…and I guess he was trying to act like some sort of growling animal?
The verdict: Mel buzzed him before he even performed, and it was “NO!” across the board.
Court’s thoughts: Well, at least he had nice abs…if I were him, I would have quickly segued into a male revue-type act midway through the boo’s, and at least tried to salvage the performance 😛

~~“The Alien Wearing Lederhosen”~~ Nezbit Blue
The act: A guy in a blue alien costume…wearing lederhosen…and yodeling.
The verdict: No X 4…and Heidi schooled him on yodeling.
Court’s thoughts: Are all people born in mountainous regions just innately able to yodel??? I actually thought Heidi wasn’t half-bad! 😛

Avant-Garde Noise Music
The act: A guy & a girl in peculiar, vaguely country-ish costumes fashioned from pantyhose & gas masks…and they were playing banjos and some other instruments. The result was bizarre & cacophonous.
The verdict: The judges weren’t feeling it – AT ALL. Nick, however (in typical Nick fashion), cobbled together his own matching costume out of pantyhose and played along backstage.
Court’s thoughts: Dunno what this act was thinking, but it’s times like these when I realize just how PERFECT a host Nick is for a show like this – the guy rolls with the punches incredibly well and manages to inject comedy when it’s needed most. 😀

Catapult Entertainment – from New York, New York
The act: A silhouetted, acrobatic dance act that portrayed a jewel thief vs. detective storyline.
The verdict: All 4 judges loved it and said “yes” to Vegas. Howard even went so far as to do the “I’m not worthy!!!” bow.
Court’s thoughts: Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of silhouette acts – especially the one from either last season or the one before that always did these kind of schmaltzy storylines and were basically just a group of people running back & forth to form new shapes. But I felt like this one actually brought something new to the table – instead of just running from place to place, this was fluid, and had several things going on at once…and the shapes they were making actually moved instead of staying static. They also played with perspective & size quite a bit more, and seemed to tell an actual story, as opposed to just creating pictures that fit a certain theme. I could see this act making it to the finale, for sure.

~~Unnamed female clogging group~~ The Academy
The act: A group of adolescent-age female ~~cloggers~~ Irish step dancers.
The verdict: They made it through to Vegas. Howard even went so far as to say “the Rockettes have nothing on you guys!”
Court’s thoughts: Whenever they show an act that made it through to Vegas, but don’t necessarily give us the name or any other info other than a brief clip of them performing, I’m inclined to think that they probably won’t be around for long and thus the powers that be don’t see the point in investing a lot of airtime in them. I could be wrong, though. Anyway, from what I saw, they seemed to be very clean & in sync…but how well-received is an Irish step dancing act really going to be?

Hype – 20-25, from Hawaii
The act: Three young guys (“Headache”, “Hazmat”, and Mikey…who doesn’t have a nickname :-P) that danced a hip-hop dance routine to a techno-y sounding remix of “Singin’ in the Rain”.
The verdict: The judges (Howie in particular) were astounded that the 3 guys had only come up with that routine the night before, and were excited to see just what they could come up with when they had even more time to rehearse. 4 yes’s.
Court’s thoughts: I actually thought one of the guys in the group (I think maybe “Hazmat”) looked familiar right off the bat, and then when I heard the name “Hype” and that they were from Hawaii, I recognized him as being part of Hype 5-0, a crew that was on America’s Best Dance Crew about 3 years ago. If the pattern of former ABDC-ers on AGT continues, we’ll at least see these guys in the first round of live shows – and if their choreographic talent is as promising as it looked tonight, they could make it even further. I saw a lot of different styles in this routine – some breaking, some popping, some tutting – and if you can skillfully mesh multiple different hip-hop styles, you can really make a splash.

~~Unnamed male aerialist~~ Tristan Jih
The act: 20-something guy that was a yoga instructor by day, and an aerialist by night – and this was his first real performance.
The verdict: We’ll see him in Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: He seemed a little nervous, but he handled those silks well – and he’s got a rather nice torso. 😉

Dave Shirley
The act: He’s a comedian that did some work behind a video screen – dragged a blow-up doll behind the screen, and made it appear as though he was appearing on-screen dressed like Howard (with the doll dressed like Heidi). Managed to say in sync with the vid screen when walking out from behind it.
The verdict: Judges liked it – he’s through to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: A cool little twist on typical comedy – I was definitely skeptical when he introduced himself as “a comedian, but I don’t tell jokes”. Now I get it – but will this particular schtick wear thin after a few performances?

Kid the Wiz
The act: Did a sort of hip-hop dance that focused mainly on tricks he did with his hat.
The verdict: He’s through to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: Yeah, it was cool to watch – but can you REALLY create an entire Vegas show out of a kid doing hat tricks??? And how many tricks does he really have? I’m guessing the judges get bored with it in Vegas, and he gets cut before the live shows.

Chuck from the Bronx – 38, from (duh) The Bronx, NY
The act: I guess you could call it “extreme eating” – he ate 3 raw eggs (shell & all), chased a tequila shot by snorting the salt through his nose and squeezing the lime in his eyes, and finished by devouring the world’s hottest pepper…while sitting in a bathtub full of ice.
The verdict: In the second decision of the night that was not unanimous, Howard, Heidi, & Mel all hated it & said no – but Howie “got it” and said yes to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: I can deal with sideshow & danger acts. But for whatever reason, I get super-duper squeamish when I see professional/extreme eaters that either eat ridiculous amounts of food or eat weird things. I literally start to get queasy and usually have to stop watching. And poor Chuck looked like he was in such pain – I’d much rather see someone that was having the time of their life performing and was truly enjoying what they were doing, than someone that just suffers for the sake of applause.

Alex B. – 13
The act: He sang “Payphone” by Maroon 5.
The verdict: The judges (Mel in particular) all said “no” as gently as they could.
Court’s thoughts: I always feel bad for young kids that work up the courage to hit the stage, but maybe just aren’t quite ready for AGT yet and end up getting a “no” from the judges. Poor Alex was only 13 – and his voice is probably changing, which could explain some of the shrillness that made his singing a bit hard on the ears. The judges unfortunately probably see far more kids like Alex – and very few like Jackie Evancho or Anna Graceman. I just hope kids like Alex do end up working on their skills a bit more and return in a future season when they’re better prepared.

Anna Christine – 10, from Henderson, NV (or as I like to call it – “John country” ;-))
The act: Sang “House of the Rising Sun” while playing the piano.
The verdict: Judges adored her – 4 yes’s.
Court’s thoughts: She’s basically this season’s Anna Graceman – but I think she’s actually better. She’s got a VERY mature voice for her age – reminded me a bit of Kelly Clarkson when she was on Idol – and seems to have a bit more of a stage presence. Another act that I could see making the finale.

3Penny Chorus & Orchestra – from Connecticut
The act: A full orchestra & chorus comprised of non-professionals that performed an orchestral version of “Call Me Maybe”.
The verdict: Judges (even Howard, who claims to “hate orchestral music) loved it. They made it to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: It was definitely cool – especially when you consider that none of them are professional musicians. But there were a few moments that I found it a bit grating on the nerves…maybe it was the song choice? Who knows. I’d be interested to see them tackle something totally out of their element – like Jay Z or Kanye.

Los Angeles:

Pacific Boys’ Choir – ages 9-14
The act: They sang a choral version of “California Dreamin'”.
The verdict: They made it through to Vegas – Howard especially loved it, citing it as “one of his favorite songs”.
Court’s thoughts: It was a beautiful, haunting performance…definitely a pleasure to listen to. But I wonder if they might connect better with the audience if they performed something a little more young & current.

Special Head
The act: He’s an eccentric, Buddhist monk-ish street performer who makes this weird humming noise to “get his chakras in line” before levitating.
The verdict: Judges were skeptical at first – Howard even buzzed him early in the act. But after the levitating, Howard actually “took back” the X, and all 4 judges said “yes” to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: Special Head is no spiritual – he’s just a magician that has found a really kooky (and clever) angle with which to frame his illusions. It’s all an act – even the name betrays the fact that he doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously. However – I think it’s brilliant. I think I’ve figured out the trick (if you’ve ever caught Magic’s Greatest Secrets Revealed on the Bio channel, it’s just a simple levitation – hint: the staff he was holding isn’t just there for show), but I think the true genius behind his performance was more in the presentation than anything else. We’ve had goth magicians of the Criss Angel persuasion, very mysterious illusion-based magicians of the David Copperfield persuasion, escape artists of the Houdini persuasion, and even very campy magicians of the Penn & Teller persuasion. But we’ve never had a magician of the “spiritual magic” persuasion – and when you can inject that element of mysticism into a performance, the effect on the audience can be pretty powerful. I’m very curious to see what he’s going to do for Vegas – maybe conjure up some spirits? Summon the 7 plagues?

Angela Hoover – 42, from Redondo Beach, CA
The act: Comedienne/impressionist that impersonated Celine Dion, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Chenoweth, & Penelope Cruz.
The verdict: 4 yes’s, through to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: Glad to see another female impressionist since Melissa Villa Senor a few years back – it’s unfortunately a genre of comedy that seems to be dominated by men, since it’s far easier for a guy to humorously imitate a female voice than it is for a female to imitate a male voice. Her Celine, Kristen, & Penelope impressions were spot-on – I thought the Drew could use a bit of work, though, and found myself comparing it unfavorably to Melissa’s Drew impression. I do want to see her do well – but I think in order for that to happen, she’s going to have to tackle some male impressions, too. Melissa was unique in that she was able to do some male impressions, too – her Owen Wilson sticks out in my mind. Hopefully Angela can pull out a decent Nick Cage or Robert De Niro 😛

Barbie & Mina
The act: Two bimbos in hot pink outfits (kind of) singing some silly song.
The verdict: No way, Jose – and Howard said they “reminded him of the Spice Girls”, which of course got a rise out of Mel.
Court’s thoughts: Just…why????

“Guy with pony-like headdress & female backup dancers”
The act: Well…it was a guy in some vaguely S&M outfit with a pony-like headdress singing some weird song while some female backup dancers clad in metallic spandex danced around him.
The verdict: Ummm…no.
Court’s thoughts: I’m sure this would have been a hit in a gay club…but AGT maybe wasn’t the right audience.

Anthony Granger, aka “Tone the Chiefrocca” – 27, from Englewood, CA
The act: Tone and his “hype guy”, Cody (who I think he said was his little brother) performed an original song called “B-Double O-T-Y” – which Tone hopes will make him a one-hit wonder.
The verdict: All 4 judges were on their feet & shaking their b-double o-t-y’s – and said yes to Vegas. Nick also joined in for an impromptu 2nd performance and help Tone & his hype guy come up with an “official b-double o-t-y dance”.
Court’s thoughts: I gotta give props to a guy who openly admits that his only goal is to “become a one-hit wonder” 😛 On paper, I really should hate this act – but I loved every single second. The song is catchy as hell, these two guys are ridiculously entertaining, and they’ve got no illusions about what they are: they’ve only got one song, and they intend to perform it over and over again for each round. Normally I would think this would get really, really old, really, really quick – but I’m thinking their angle might be to perform the song with a different theme each time. At least that’s what I’d do – yes, the audience already knows that I’m going to be singing “B-Double O-T-Y” again, but am I going to be singing it dressed as King Tut? Or the Village People? One thing’s for sure – “B-Double-O-T-Y” is this season’s “Whatcha Gonna Do?” 🙂

So which acts stood out to you? Let’s hear it 🙂

PureAGT Season 8 First Look – New Preview from NBC

Quick update – new video posted on the America’s Got Talent YouTube page, with more quick previews of the acts themselves:

I see a few ballroom couples, some breakdancers, some dogs doing tricks, another guy playing janitorial equipment as musical instruments (ugh), some gladiators (or Spartans…?) flexing their pecs, some more cloggers, a ventriloquist, some acrobats doing silhouettes, a magician or two, and some guy playing with a rattlesnake (probably the same one mentioned in the San Antonio audition post). Looks like a good variety of acts! I also think Mel B’s antics and Heidi’s misinterpretations of the English language have the potential to inject some much-needed comedy into this season 🙂 Less than 24 hours till showtime!

PureAGT Season 8 Premiere Preview – “Level of Talent is High in San Antonio”

Hello AGT fans! Allow me to introduce myself – I’m Courtney, and some of you may know me from my work over at PureDWTS. For those of you that don’t – hopefully I can entertain you this season here at PureAGT, and we can have some great discussion over what seems to be a promising season 🙂

Speaking of which, mysanantonio.com has some very interesting previews of what we can expect from the San Antonio auditions in the premiere tomorrow night, and some very high praise for the city from the judges. Howie & Howard were both impressed by what San Antonio had to offer:

“The variety was fantastic! The level of talent is way high in San Antonio,” Howard Stern said during an interview with the judges between auditions at Lila Cockrell Theatre.

“I’m the elder statesman of this group,” Howie Mandel added, “and I can say I’ve never seen more talent in one session in one city in my four years on the show.”

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/entertainment_columnists/jeanne_jakle/article/S-A-gets-spot-on-NBC-Talent-premiere-4563146.php#ixzz2VCGVHYHe

The fact that these particular auditions have the judges so excited makes me hopeful that tomorrow’s premiere will make a strong showing. Some of the previews they offered for some of the acts that we’ll see also sound very intriguing. Warning! Spoilers after the jump… Read more..

America’s Got Talent 2013 – Season 8

Well, we’re back from our hiatus and ready for the next season of America’s Got Talent. 2013 will be season 8 of America’s Got Talent. I can’t believe we’re into the eighth season of AGT. America’s Got Talent season 8 will premiere tomorrow, June 4, 2013.

The big change this season is that Sharon Osbourne is out as a judge and Mel B and Heidi Klum are in as judges. I’m not sure I like 4 people there as judges, but I love the change of judges. I think that Mel B and Heidi will be much more interesting than Sharon. Mel B is never afraid to speak her mind and do we really care what Heidi says? Plus, I’m sure their interplay with Howard is going to be great.

To learn more about the new judges, check out the following videos talking with all the judges and Nick Cannon as well.

Nick Cannon Is Pumped for AGT Season 8

Mel B Talks AGT Season 8

Howie Mandel Is Psyched for AGT Season 8

Howard Stern Talks AGT Season 8

Heidi Klum Is Pumped for Season 8

AGT Season 7 Wildcard Performances: A Night of Incredible Talent

This was a great night. Really, I wouldn’t mind having this whole group (minus one act…) be the semi-finalists. I think it was Howard who said it is amazing that the people who performed tonight were the ones that got cut! It’s going to be hard for me to decide who I think is going to stay and who is going to go — it really is going to depend on who’s calling in. With that, if there was an act you loved, make sure you call in and vote! There were a lot of great performances, and unfortunately, some of the stellar ones will be going home. Be sure to vote for your favorites in our poll. Here’s my thoughts from tonight:

Howard’s Pics:

Ben Blaque: I disappointed that he didn’t get through before now, because I feel like his acts are always daring, and different every time. It was another great act tonight, but unfortunately, a bit slow for some reason. He did deliver, however, and pulled off his stunt successfully. The judges and audience seemed to like him, but I wasn’t as impressed tonight as usual. I’m split on whether or not I think he’ll go through.

Spencer Horsman: Escapes are always exciting, and he definitely outdid his last performance (but really, was that hard to do?) I knew he was going to get out in the end, but my breath was definitely being held until I saw him emerge from the tank. He outdid himself tonight, and I’m glad he had a chance to come back and redeem himself.

Todd Oliver and Irving: I wasn’t super impressed last time. His jokes really didn’t make me laugh. Right of the bat though, it was apparent that he took Howard’s advice to make it topical and relateable to the audience, and I think he hit it right on the head. The jokes had the audience laughing, and I was laughing out loud. His first joke was a zinger, and it continued on from there. He is probably my top pick. We’ve had ventriloquism, but this is different than what we’ve seen in the past. LOVED IT. If he doesn’t get through, I will be very disappointed. You could tell he was so excited about the response he got from the audience and judges.

Horse: Why did Howard bring this back? I hate this act, and I don’t think it’s worth 1 million dollars. Who in their right mind would ever pay for this act? I couldn’t hardly stand to watch it — if it wasn’t my responsiblity to watch it, I would have changed the channel. What shocked me even more was how much the judges loved it. For a show that is supposedly “family friendly”, this was far from it. Maybe I’m just old fashioned and lame, but I really, really hate this act (I can hardly stand to even call it that). Please America, don’t vote him through and let the more talented people through.

Sharon’s Pics

All That!: I’ll admit, I loved the projection behind them. I thought it was pretty cool. However, this wasn’t my favorite act of the night. They did a great job, but on a night where there were quite a few incredible acts, they didn’t quite match up.

Bandbaz Brothers: It goes without saying that this act is incredible. I’m still trying to figure out how they did what they did, and wondering how they didn’t get through in the first place. It was breathtaking, and I hope they’ll go through so we can see what else they can do!

Jake Wesley Rogers: His downfall last night ws in the song choice, so I hoped he would pick a better song tonight. And I think he did. But even with the better song choice, I think he was among the bottom tonight. He definitely has a killer voice, but I’m not sure if he’s what America is looking for right now. Howie and Howard were right on with his comments. It’s just not his time to be the winner of a AGT. There was a bit of a disconnect between him and the audience, but there are some better acts going on in this competition, and tonight especially.

Lindsey Norton: Originally, I really liked Lindsey. But, plain and simple, I’d be very surprised if she went through. On a night of thrill, danger, and excitement, her act fell short. That’s not to say she did a bad job. Because she didn’t. On the contrary, she did an amazing job. She is very graceful, and has so much talent. But much like All That!, it wasn’t super memorable, especially compared to other acts from tonight. The good news is, she is young, and I do think she has a good career ahead of her. It’s just not her time to shine.

Howie’s Pic

Andrew De Leon: Okay, here’s the thing. He has an incredible voice. His story is pretty neat. I, myself, was quite shocked when he stumbled in Las Vegas, costing him a trip to the Top 48. And tonight he once again showed that a strong, powerful voice he has. But I just don’t think he should go through, and I know I’m likely in the minority thinking that. There was just something about his performance that I didn’t really like. Maybe it was the song, maybe it was his outfit, I have no clue. He seemed to get a great response from everyone though, so I won’t be terribly surprised if he gets through. Sharon seems to think he is going to win now.

Jarrett & Raja: First time they performed? Loved them. Last time? Very disappointing. How did I feel after tonight? They were back, and better than ever. It was very entertaining, and was quite mind blowing. I’m so glad that they really made their act better, and they definitely redeemed themselves. They could go through, but I think there were a few acts that might push them out of that top four.

Sebastian El Charro: It was entertaining. I thought his outfit didn’t really fit his song, but I guess that is kind of his trademark, so whatever. He has a very, very powerful voice. He defintitely showed that he is dynamic and can sing more than just Latin music. We do have a few children-singers in the competition, which may hurt him. For some reason, none of the “traditional acts” from tonight really stood out to me as memorable, just because of the high level of excitement some of the other acts have. We’ll see though.

Cristin Sandu: I thought it was unfortunate that last time, his act kind of failed him, so I was very excited that Howie brought him back. fire was awesome, I was very nervous when the metal started to fall, and my heart dropped when he fell. Not only because there was fire. It was a great act, and I feel bad for him because he probably won’t go through, but it was exciting and if it was up to me, he’d be back, because i think he has a lot of potential. I think what Sharon said about how he escaped it all was really amazing. I think that a lot of people will hold it against him that he fell this time, and the last, so I don’t think he’ll go through. But he definitely has done some amazing things during his time on AGT.

The Best of the Best:

Todd Oliver and Irving

Bandbaz Brothers

Andrew De Leon

Spencer Horsman

Not Sure of Their Fate

Jarrett and Raja

Ben Blaque

Sebastian El Charro

Lindsey Norton

All Good Things Must Come to an End:

Jake Wesley Rogers

Horse

Cristin Sandu

All That!

Magicians, Singers, and an Air Guitarist — AGT YouTube Auditions – 8/14/2012

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

Rumor: Is Sharon Osbourne leaving AGT?

While trolling the internet earlier today, one article from BuddyTV caught my attention. In fact it caught my attention so much that I had to look for the tweets in question myself:

From the Howard Stern Show:

#AGT update: @HowardStern isn't sure if he'll do another season and says Sharon Osbourne may not come back unless she gets more money #H100

— Stern Show (@sternshow) July 23, 2012

Then again, Sharon had to respond:

My darling @HowardStern, money is not the reason I'm not returning to @nbcagt, it's because…

— Sharon Osbourne (@MrsSOsbourne) July 24, 2012

According to the article this is all news to NBC:

This potential news seems surprising for NBC, as Entertainment Chair Robert Greenblatt said, “This is coming out of context and sort of spontaneously, and we don’t even know what’s going on. And it’s probably much ado about nothing.” Greenblatt had no other comments on the matter at the time.

What do you think? Should Sharon leave? And if she does… who would you like to see replace her?

AGT Final Top 48 Performances Commentary – 7/24/2012

I think that many of the best were saved for the last. There were quite of a few acts I really enjoyed, and I’m at a loss for who I think is absolutely staying. I guess it comes down to separating the really good acts, from the spectacular ones. I like to think that my predictions are usually pretty accurate, but tonight, I’m not so sure if I’ll be guessing the correct ones. With that, here’s my thoughts and power rankings on tonight’s performances:

David “The Bullet” Smith: This act was interesting in the auditions. Definitely dangerous. But I always have wondered, what more can he do? Sure he can fly through the air, but there’s only so much you can do with that. I felt like the cheerleaders were a little ridiculous, and the fireworks just were there to make the act seem cooler, but in the end, it was pretty much the same act we saw when he auditioned. I do not think he should go forward after tonight. The cannon cam was pretty neat though.

All That!: They were cool, but not as good as some of the other dance acts, which, as we’ve been told time and time again, is the hardest category this year. I like the shirt colors. They looked like they were having a lot of fun up there though. I did enjoy them but we will see how they fare against some other acts tonight. It sounded like this was going to be a tough night to be performing in.

Ulysses: I was shocked when he got through initially, and I’m going to be even more shocked if he gets through tonight. He’s a nice guy…but that’s not what this show is about. I think the triple X’s from the Judges says it all. And the dancers? It’s like they were trying to take away from his badness.

Joe Castillo, Sand Artist: What this man does is very powerful, and he does it with such zest. I’ve been excited to see his performance tonight, and I wasn’t let down. I loved the images he created, and I feel like the possibilities are endless for his act. This act is something that should be appreciated, and I hope people who do appreciate it will take the time to call in and vote.

Eric & Olivia: An any other night of the Top 48, I think they would have had a good chance. However, tonight, the competition was tough, as I already mentioned. Olivia has a good voice, there is no denying that, but I really don’t think they will get through to the next round. Even though they were good, there were even better performances tonight that I think will push them out of the competiion.

Eric Dittelman: It blows my mind how he does this. My husband is convinced he has an ear piece in his ear, but I feel like they would have discovered that by now. Who knows. I love it though, and I’m curious to see what else he can do. It seems like it could be a bit repetitive after awhile, but I do like how he switched it up tonight with the mock “Deal or No Deal”. I’m not sure how he did it. It seemed more like he predicted the future though, rather than reading their minds. My friend suggested that maybe he gave the case to the most attractive girl, betting that Howie would pick her in the end. I really hope he goes through.

Horse: I’m sorry, but I hate this act. Ever since I first saw it, I was disgusted. I don’t think he deserved to even make it to the initial auditions. This isn’t a talent, no matter how much he, or the judges, want to believe it. Acts like this just get through to get a rise out of the audience, that I am sure. Maybe I’m missing something, but could someone please tell me what the allure of this act is?

Lindsey Norton: Here’s the thing — I really like her. I think she’s an excellent dancer. However, I’m not sure if I want her to go through. There are SO many dance acts in this competition, and quite a few seem similar to this. The audience seemed to love her though, and maybe what she does is different from everyone else. It was very beautiful, and she has a great presence about her.

Olate Dogs: Well, Britain’s Got Talent just had a dog act win, maybe AGT will too. I think this act is so much fun, and definitely sets it self apart from the other groups. I was watching the show with quite a few family members tonight, and everyone, from my nephew who is almost 2, to my grandparents, were loving it. I’d love to see something so different from the typical singing/musical act win this year, and I think the Olate Dogs could be major contenders in the competition.

Sebastien “El Charro de Oro”: There is sure an abundance of younger kids in the Top 48 this year, hasn’t there? I think this was one of my favorites though, probably because he’s so dang cute. I kind of felt like I was being serenaded in a Mexican restaurant, but that’s okay, because I love when that happens! He has a great voice. I thought the rose at the end was rather classy though. My grandma commented that this little boy sounded like a full grown man — I have to agree. He definitely has an old soul, as Howie said. Was he the best of the night? I don’t think so. But he was adorable!

Unity in Motion: I really, really loved these girls. I feel like dance fans will have difficulty voting between them and Lindsay Norton tonight. They are definitely one of the best dance acts in the competition, and I hope they go through.

William Close: Another home run act for the night. I love the instruments and vocals that were added to the performance. It was just an over all awesome act. It’s so different from a typical musical instrument act, and he seems to do with it such class and precision. He got a standing ovation, from the audience and the judges. I imagine that it takes a lot of time and talent to play the earth harp. It seems like the judges have already deemed him the winner, what does everyone think?

Staying:

1. William Close

2. Joe Castillo

I could see any of these staying:

3. Eric Dittelman

4. Olate Dogs

5. Unity in Motion

6. Lindsey Norton

I think they are going home, but it could be a surprise:

7. Sebastien

8. All That!

9. Eric and Olivia

10. David “The Bullet” Smith

Definitely Leaving:

11. Horse

12. Ulysses

AGT Top 48 Quarter Final Performances Night 3 Commentary

This was a weird night. There were some home run acts, and some definite strike outs. At times, I felt like quite a few of the contestants took a step in the wrong direction. As I’m going back through my commentary and deciding on the power rankings, I honestly forgot about a few of the acts by the end of the night. And unlike most nights where I can’t agree with anything that Howie Mandel says, I agreed with just about everything. And Sharon was driving me crazy. I felt like a lot of her comments were way out there. I think there were some definite winners though, but it is not as clear cut as some other nights. Be sure to cast your vote for who you think will stay here, and, as always, let me know if you agree with my power rankings.

The Untouchables: As a dance group, you’ve got to be good this year, and continually deliver new, fresh ideas. Unlike many of the dance numbers this year, The Untouchables do this each time. Even just considering the fact that these kids are so young, they are pretty incredible, but I feel like they blew a lot of other dance acts out of the water. I’m not usually a big dance fan, but this group won me over. They have SO much enthusiasm and genuine talent. It was captivating, and I loved watching them. I hope that people remember to vote for them, because being the first group performing, they may be forgotten by the time everyone else performs.

Mike Price Rock Star Juggler: I didn’t remember Mike Price, but when I saw that he was a juggling act, I wasn’t super excited. I’ve seen many juggling acts in my life time. However, I have definitely never seen anyone do what Mike Price has done. While what he did was pretty col, I’m not sure I want him to go on. His act doesn’t seem as polished as it could have been. He, unfortunately, messed up a few times, which made me worry for the girl who had gasoline on her as he juggled over her. I agree with Sharon, he started out great, but really, it went down hill from there. The best part was the guy who came out with the fire extinguisher. It’s a fun act, but there was just something a little off about it.

Inspire the Fire: This group impressed me during the auditions (enough to write a post about them, at least). However, tonight my opinion was the opposite. They just seemed…off. The dancing wasn’t that great, nor was the vocals. I love what this group stands for, but it was just too amateur tonight. Even though I usually don’t agree with Howie, I felt like it was cheesy, and a “$125 act.” Compared to what we saw earlier with The Untouchables, it wasn’t even in the realm of a million dollar act. I feel bad saying this, but I have to be honest. They weren’t that great — even to the point where I wonder if they threw it on purpose.

Christin Sandu: Just the description of his act had me nervous! What he does is definitely a risk. I liked how he started out, and of course, who wouldn’t be impressed with his balancing act. So with that, it killed me that his tower collapsed. My heart broke for him, because he seems like a very genuine person. The act wasn’t that different from what I remember his audition being, but my memory might be rusty. Unfortunately, the fall sealed his fate, and I think he will be going home. I can’t imagine how devastated he must have felt. Because, as Sharon said, he should be proud he made it this far. There’s obviously something else much better in the cards for him ahead.

Elusive: As with many of the acts tonight, I was impressed in the beginning, but by the end, I wasn’t feeling it. The walking down the stairs with his hand was cool, but besides that, I remember seeing moves like this at my high school prom. I don’t have much to say about this act, but beyond the walking on the stairs with his hand, I wasn’t impressed. As many husband said after the act, there was no “wow” moment. He is inspirational because of his challenges, but I don’t think it’s enough to get him through. I would like to see a dance off between him and Turf, but I don’t know if we’ll have a chance to see that. I liked his dancing better than Turf, but that’s because Turf’s moves were kind of creepy at times. We’ll see.

Jake Wesley Rogers: I honestly have no recollection of his audition, or being in Las Vegas. For one thing, what is up with his style? When my niece looked at the TV, she said “what is up with his hair?!” He has an okay voice, but I was not a fan of the song choice. I didn’t find him entertaining, and compared to some of the other young singers in the competition, he really didn’t compare. Sorry, Jake, but I do not think this was a good performance. He seemed like he was mad at the world. I would be too though, if I had hair like that. If I had an X, I would have pressed it. Okay, that was a little harsh, he seems like a nice kid. But I just didn’t like him.

All Wheel Sports: Don’t hate me for saying this, but there act did seem a bit busy at times, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it! It was hard for me to concentrate on one single element at a time. They do some awesome things, and I think the most amazing thing is how they did all of that on such a small stage. There was an awesome danger aspect to this act, that’s for sure. Definitely one of the best acts of the night, that’s for sure. I hope they get through so we can see what else they have to offer! Howie made a good point, us viewers at home weren’t able to get the big picture of what this act was about, but after hearing the audience go wild for them, I have to believe they were even more incredible in real life.

Wordspit and the Illest: Well, this group appears to be a fan favorite. I was even a fan when I first heard them. Was it a mistake for them to do an original song, versus one that the audience would know and recognize? I guess it’s in the eye of the beholder. It was a bold move, that’s for sure. I know that a lot of people like them because they are “original”, but I just didn’t tonight. But most seemed to really enjoy them, and compared to some of the other acts, they did well.

Jacob Williams: He’s awkward. He’s nerdy. And he’s hilarious. I was laughing so much as I watched his act this evening. The comedians are really on fire this year. Jacob’s jokes are totally different from Tom Cotter’s, which I think will help him in the long run. I really hope he gets through, because he really is a neat comedian. There’s something about an awkward comedian that I love. I think that awkwardness is what makes his act even more stellar, and I agree with Howie (wow, the second time in one night?!), best act of the night!

All Beef Patty: I’ll be upfront, I can’t stand drag. But even with those personal feelings aside, tonight wasn’t All Beef’s best night. It wasn’t that fun of a performance, and to me, his All Beef’s voice sounds like something is stuck in his (her?) throat. I could see this being a great act on a smaller stage in Vegas, but as a head liner? I don’t think so. I don’t think this is an act that main stream America is going to vote for.

Spencer Horsman: This act was very disappointing. I was expecting to see Spencer, wriggling out of the steel straight jacket, and barely escaping those deadly-looking spikes. Instead, as the judges mentioned, we saw him behind a screen. We didn’t even get to see him escape; for all we know, he had help back there. It was boring, and not up to his usual intense escapes. I wish he had done something that the audience could see, because he definitely took a nose dive into loser’s circle tonight. It’s definitely unfortunate.

Light Wire Theater: This. Was. Amazing. I was left speechless after watching it. What a great way to end a mediocre night. What they do is incredible and spectacular. This was by far my favorite act of the night, and is something I would pay for my family and me to see in Vegas. There’s not much I can say to describe this act, except I hope they go to the very end. This act has got to take so much time to get it perfect, and perfect it was. Just in case you missed it, here is a link to the video of tonight’s performance.

Definitely Staying:

1. Light Wire Theater

2. Jacob Williams

3. The Untouchables

Could Go Either Way:

4. Wordspit and the Illest

5. All Wheel Sports

I’d Be Surprised if They Stay:
6. Elusive

7. All Beef Patty

8. Jake Wesley Rogers

9. Inspire the Fire

Going Home For Sure:

10. Spencer Horsman

11. Mike Price

12. Christin Sandu

Turf: Is He Really Worth the Hype?

Anyone who has been watching AGT this season knows the name Turf. He’s the street dancer/contortionist that came to the auditions with an inspiring story, and a pretty unique talent. So far, he has flown through the auditions, Las Vegas, and now, the top 48. Here’s his act from last weeks performances.

Among many, he is the favorite to win. For me, I think he’s interesting. Granted, I get a little sick to my stomach while watching some of his act, just because it hurts me to watch a body move like that. I’m not sure if he’s been my favorite act so far (Donovan and Rebecca, as well as Shanice and Maurice Hayes, are the ones I am rooting for), but I do think he has a chance of winning. However, on the flip side, there are some who wonder, what’s the big deal. On my commentary from last weeks performance, the following comment was left by JP about Turf:

This is probably just me, but I need to know something about one act. What does everyone see in Turf? I don’t get it. They’re overhyping him as this great act, but I don’t see it. I’ve seen this type of act before, and he doesn’t do anything that really impresses me. He’s talented, but I don’t think he’s one of the best acts. There generally seems to be act every season that everyone loves but I don’t get, and this seems to be this season’s act. Based on tonight’s performances, I would say Tom Cotter and Donovan and Rebecca are the only two slam dunk acts in the round. After them, I would like to see two of Hawley Magic, Ben Blaque and Tim Hockenberry advance. Unfortunately, I think Turf is going to take one of those spots even though I just don’t think he was as good as the others. Maybe I’m just missing something with his act, but I just see him as good, but not great. He’s below those five in my mind, and might even be below The All Ways (though I have to admit that I generally like rock music, so they were better to me.)

Can someone answer JP’s question — what is it that everyone sees in Turf? Most comments and articles I have seen on this year’s season of AGT really do praise him, and in a way, that might bias some into thinking he’s better and more unique than he really is. In his critique last week, Howard Stern warned Turf about not letting all of the praise go to his head, because there are some other great dance acts this year (specifically, as Howard mentioned, Unity in Motion). While he appears to have a fairly large fan base now, he still needs to continue putting his best foot forward and keep his current fans, as well as win over those a little more unsure. Is Turf going to be able to step it up, and prove he is more than just a good dancer and deserves to be among the winners of AGT? What do you think of Turf? Feel free to leave your opinions, as well as vote in this poll. I’m interested to see what others think of him.

PureAGT Audition Round Rundown #1 – San Antonio/New York/L.A. Auditions

PureAGT Season 8 First Look – New Preview from NBC

PureAGT Season 8 Premiere Preview – “Level of Talent is High in San Antonio”

America’s Got Talent 2013 – Season 8

AGT Season 7 Wildcard Performances: A Night of Incredible Talent

Magicians, Singers, and an Air Guitarist — AGT YouTube Auditions – 8/14/2012

Rumor: Is Sharon Osbourne leaving AGT?

AGT Final Top 48 Performances Commentary – 7/24/2012

AGT Top 48 Quarter Final Performances Night 3 Commentary

Turf: Is He Really Worth the Hype?

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