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PureAGT Season 9: The “Golden Buzzer”, Boot Camp, and Other Changes???

So according to Hypable, there are quite a few changes that we’re going to be seeing this season on AGT – some of them seem like positives, others…not so much.  Let’s count them down, shall we?

Change #1: Auditions in front of the judges were only held in New York & L.A.

In previous seasons, we’ve gotten to see the judges travel across the country to various cities were auditions were held in order to see the talent onstage – last year, they went to New York, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Chicago, & New Orleans.  This year, initial auditions in front of the producers were held in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, Houston, and my hometown – Indianapolis 🙂 But those who passed muster at the initial auditions had to fly to New York or L.A. in order to audition for the judges – and I’m just a tad bummed, not only because I would have loved to have seen the judges out & about in my hometown, but I thought the local flavor of some of the audition cities was what made those initial rounds so fun to watch.  We got to see all the mariachi performers in line in San Antonio, all the jazz in New Orleans, the Latin flavor of Miami, etc.  But according to Howie, the fact that the talent from all of those cities funneled into just two really made the live auditions more challenging, since the didn’t have the comfort zone of performing in their hometown.

Change #2: No “Vegas Week” this season – it has been replaced by “Boot Camp”, which was held in front of a live audience at Radio City Music Hall.

In lieu of holding “Vegas Week” in order to determine the Top 48 acts this year, AGT opted to hold a 3-day “Boot Camp” round of auditions in front of both the judges AND a live studio audience in NYC.  It was apparently taped last week.  Despite what the name implies (and the event of the same name from the X-Factor), it sounds basically the same as Vegas Week – just not in Vegas, and with the addition of a live studio audience.  While I rather enjoyed seeing the contestants hanging out in Vegas and in some of my favorite hotels, I guess I don’t particularly mind this new Boot Camp switch-up – I think the addition of a live studio audience may actually influence the judges a bit more to pick acts with more broad-spectrum appeal, as opposed to acts that only they themselves might find appealing.  I kind of wonder if an act like Milton Patton (who seemed wildly popular with viewers last season, but was eliminated in an instant decision in Vegas last year) may have fared better in the Boot Camp format, and if a more polarizing act like Aaralyn & Izzy may not have advanced to the next round if done in front of an audience.

Change #3: There’s something called the “Golden Buzzer”.

Apparently, it’s a one-time “judges’ save” – another buzzer situated on the judges’ table between Heidi & Mel B. that any of the judges can hit in order to save an act that’s about to get eliminated due to the other 3 judges saying “no”.  The catch? It can only be used once per season, per judge, so it encourages the judges to use it only when they feel strongly about an act.  I think as the judge that’s the dissenting opinion most often (and the one that is most likely to like stranger acts that the other 3 judges don’t “get”), Howie is the one that will most likely benefit from this new buzzer – and he allegedly already used it during the initial audition rounds.  I’m a little unclear on when it can be used, though – if it’s only when the other 3 judges say “no”, does that mean it can only be used during the initial auditions, Boot Camp week, or if the act lands in the judges’ choice slots during the live shows? Or can it be used to save an act that would have gotten eliminated regardless, based on the viewers’ votes? Does it expire after a certain round, like the judges’ save on American Idol? And most importantly – will it preclude the judges getting a “wild card” pick at some point? Since the wild card was basically a judges’ save (with a slightly different format), it almost seems redundant to tell them “Ok, you get this golden buzzer in order to save an act that’s about to get eliminated…but you also get a wild card pick later in the season, where you can bring back any eliminated act!” So I guess I’m curious how this whole thing works.

So what do you think of the changes this season? Are they an improvement…or a downgrade? Don’t forget to set your DVR’s to record the premiere, which is only 4 days away!!! 😎

May 23, 2014 I Written By

Ultrasound specialist by day, entertainment blogger by night - with some amateur dancer, hair & makeup enthusiast, crazy cat lady, recreational chef, and Donnie Wahlberg/Norman Reedus fangirl peppered in to make things interesting ;-) Check out some of my other work over at puredwts.com!

PureAGT Season 8 Audition Round Rundown #7 – A Little Bit of Everything!

And so ends the auditions rounds this season 🙂 Tonight’s episode seemed to be a hodgepodge of auditions from each of the cities – saw some from San Antonio, some from New York, some from New Orleans, some from L.A…not sure about Chicago, but there was probably a few from Chicago, too. Overall, it felt like a nice close to the audition rounds…now who’s ready for Vegas week??? 😀

Mestizo Ballet Folklorico – ages 3-11
The act: Three young brothers doing a mariachi dance with machetes (butter knives for the little one 😉 ).
The verdict: Judges gushed about how cute the littlest one, Mateo, was – and sent them through to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: Can someone please clone Mateo and let me have one??? My god, that kid was adorable – that cute little voice, and how happy he was dancing with his brothers with his little butter knives 😛 The act was cute, but I’m not sure they can really do a whole lot more with it – I have a feeling Vegas will probably as far as they get. But as long as we get to see more of Mateo, I’m good.

Aquanauts
The act: A synchronized swimming act.
The verdict: Judges said yes to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: We only got to see a brief clip, but it seemed entertaining enough. Not sure if it will translate well to the live show, but I guess we’ll see.

Kevin Downey Jr.
The act: A stand-up comedian that cracked jokes about peeing in pools.
The verdict: He’s through to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: I didn’t think his joke was particularly hilarious, and of course we only got to see that one joke. Probably the weakest we’ve seen in the comedy category – I doubt he’ll make it past Vegas.

Tavi & Antonio
The act: They’re male aerialists that performed a love-themed aerial act.
The verdict: Judges loved it and put them through to Vegas – and Howie & Howard were inspired to get a little lovey-dovey themselves.
Court’s thoughts: While I wasn’t particularly impressed with the aerial stuff they were doing (the acrobat category is REALLY strong this season!), I do give them props for going against the grain and having a male-male aerial duo – not only is it unexpected, but it also probably gives them an edge in what they can do, since they have two people with a lot of upper body strength.

Timber Brown – age 28
The act: He’s an aerial pole artist that performed a series of dramatic strength moves and drops on a really tall pole.
The verdict: Mel recused herself from voting, since she knew him from when she did Peepshow in Vegas a few years ago. The other 3 said yes.
Court’s thoughts: This is the strongest pole artist we’ve seen since Steven Retchless two seasons ago – and this guy seems like he could be even stronger. Excited to see what else he’s got up his sleeve 🙂

Skilyr Hicks – age 14
The act: She played the guitar and sang an original song called “Brand New Day”, which was inspired by her father’s death a few years ago.
The verdict: Judges loved her voice and her songwriting talent – and put her through to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: She reminds me of a young Natalie Merchant – she’s got this gentle, unique-sounding voice, and she’s yet another talented songwriter…this year has really become the year of the songwriter! I think she could probably use some work on her stage presence, since she seemed quite nervous; however, I think she’s got more natural talent than Olivia Rox, who I forsee her being pitted against for a spot in the live shows.

Dr. Bob Baker – age 61
The act: He’s a gastroenterologist by day, and a ventriloquist with a talking colon puppet by night.
The verdict: Howard recused himself from voting, since Dr. Bob was actually his doctor. The other three thought it was kind of funny, but not right for AGT…and gave him 3 no’s.
Court’s thoughts: As someone with a mother who suffers from Crohn’s disease, I’ve seen my fair share of gastroenterologists – and I can appreciate one who has a good sense of humor 🙂 It may not have been AGT-worthy, but I thought it was a cute, amusing little ditty.

Lindsay the Hula Belching Girl
The act: Pretty self-explanatory – she belched really loud while hula-hooping.
The verdict: 4 swift and emphatic no’s from the judges.
Court’s thoughts: Just…WHY???!

Jesus B-Ball
The act: I didn’t quite understand what exactly his talent was, but I guess he had studied the physics of shooting free throws and had discovered the formula for a perfect one.
The verdict: Jesus brought up two guys (who I think were college basketball players) and had them each successfully shoot a free throw using his technique – however, when he attempted it himself, he missed. Consequently, judges said “no” to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: Sorry kids, while I acknowledge that it takes a lot of talent to be a good teacher, I don’t think teaching the audience how to do [insert task here] is really a talent that works on AGT. You’re better off just doing it yourself…and poor Jesus just couldn’t.

Secrete Emotion
The act: She’s a sort-of beat poet that recited an erotic poem as Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On” played.
The verdict: Judges seemed a little uncomfortable, and Nick got a little hot ‘n’ bothered – it was a no to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: I’d rather read my erotic smut out of a drugstore romance novel in the privacy of my own home, than to have someone else recite it to me in front of a live audience.

Milton Patton – age 21, from Arkansas
The act: He performed a cover of “Whiskey Lullaby” by Brad Paisley.
The verdict: Judges loved his country vocals and his connection to the song and put him through to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: I think this is one of those pleasant cases of “WOW! That’s not at all what I expected him to sound like!” Admittedly, upon seeing that he was an African American guy singing country, I think in my mind I automatically thought he’d sound like Darius Rucker – basically more of a soul vocalist just singing country songs. But this guy is a legit country vocalist – he’s got the right twang to really sound great singing country. I think nerves and emotions may have gotten the better of him, because he sounded a little shaky at times, but I’m excited to see what else we’re going to hear from him. I daresay Marty Brown & Jimmy Rose just found themselves some big competition!

Jetta – age 63
The act: She sang “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer.
The verdict: It was terribly off-key and I think even Jetta knew it – then again, I think she only auditioned so she could meet Howard. It was a no to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: Oh well. I can deal with one act per season that only tried out so they could meet one of the judges 😛

And that’s it for the audition rounds! Who were your favorites from tonight? Keep an eye out in the coming days, as I’ll be doing some Vegas week predictions before things kick off on Tuesday night 🙂

July 10, 2013 I Written By

Ultrasound specialist by day, entertainment blogger by night - with some amateur dancer, hair & makeup enthusiast, crazy cat lady, recreational chef, and Donnie Wahlberg/Norman Reedus fangirl peppered in to make things interesting ;-) Check out some of my other work over at puredwts.com!

PureAGT Season 8, Episode #5 Music List – Chicago/San Antonio Auditions

Here it is…better late than never, I guess 😛 Sorry for being a rubbish blogger this past week… 

“I Found You” by The WantedI Found You - I Found You - Single (Chicago intro/judges arrive in Chicago)
“Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” by Stevie WonderSigned, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours - Signed, Sealed and Delivered (Kelsey & Bailey intro)
“We Go Together” from Grease We Go Together - Grease (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)(Kelsey & Bailey performance)
“We Are Family” by Sister SledgeWe Are Family - Rhino Hi-Five: Sister Sledge - EP (Kelsey & Bailey get 4 yes’s; montage of good auditions)
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow”Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Somewhere Over the Rainbow (cover sung by Cami Bradley)
“What a Wonderful World” by Louis ArmstrongWhat a Wonderful World (Single Version) - Louis Armstrong's All-Time Greatest Hits (Tellavision performance)
“Luck Be a Lady” by Frank SinatraLuck Be a Lady - Nothing But the Best - The Frank Sinatra Collection (Remastered) (montage of auditioners with lucky charms)
“Don’t Stop the Party” by Pitbull feat. TJRDon't Stop the Party (feat. TJR) - Global Warming (Deluxe Version)(Chicago Boyz performance)
“Battle Scars” by Guy Sebastian feat. Lupe FiascoBattle Scars - Battle Scars - Single (Chicago Boyz get 4 yes’s)
“Treasure” by Bruno MarsTreasure - Unorthodox Jukebox (montage of young auditioners; 2Unique intro)
“It’s Tricky” by Run DMCIt's Tricky - Discover Run DMC - EP (cover performed by 2Unique)
“Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed PeasBoom Boom Pow - The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies) (cover performed by 2Unique)
“Live While We’re Young” by One DirectionLive While We're Young - Live While We're Young - Single (2Unique gets 4 yes’s; montage of good auditions)
“Something’s Got a Hold on Me” by Etta JamesSomething's Got a Hold On Me (1961 Single) - Her Best - The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection (cover performed by Ciana Pelekani)
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling StonesYou Can't Always Get What You Want - Let It Bleed (Howard is mad an act didn’t get through; Sully Dunn intro & 4 yes’s)
“Under Pressure” by Queen & David BowieUnder Pressure - Classic Queen (montage of nervous auditioners; Branden James intro)
“Nessun Dorma” from Turandot Nessun Dorma! - Campioni del Mondo!(cover performed by Branden James)
“Beneath Your Beautiful” by Labrinth feat. Emile SandeBeneath Your Beautiful (feat. Emeli Sandé) - Beneath Your Beautiful (feat. Emeli Sandé) - Single (Branden gets 4 yes’s)
“Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from The Nutcracker Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy - Nutcracker Suite(meowed by giant cat act)
“In the Hall of the Mountain King” from Peer Gynt In the Hall of the Mountain King - 101 Classical Music Masterpieces - Best Classical Music and Classical Songs(montage of bad auditions)
“Vamos Amigos” by Adriana Fernandez Ortega & William Williams (Enrique teaches the audience how to samba)
“Too Close” by Alex ClareToo Close - The Lateness of the Hour (acoustic cover sung by Dave Fenley)
“You Found Me” by The FrayYou Found Me - The Fray (Dave Fenley gets 4 yes’s)
“Cinema (Skrillex Mix)” by Benny Benassi feat. Gary GoCinema (Skrillex Remix) - Cinema (Remixes) [feat. Gary Go], Pt. 2 - EP (Dylan Wilson performance)
“Tonight is the Night” by OutasightTonight Is the Night - Tonight Is the Night - Single (Dylan gets 4 yes’s)
“Sexy & I Know It” by LMFAOSexy and I Know It - Sorry for Party Rocking (Deluxe Version) (Hunk-O-Mania performance) – Can I just say I am sick of hearing this song? That is all. -Court-
“Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & PharrellBlurred Lines (feat. T.I. & Pharrell) - Blurred Lines (feat. T.I. & Pharrell) - Single (Hunk-o-Mania gets vetoed by Howie & Howard)
“Bust a Move” by Young MCBust a Move - Stone Cold Rhymin' (Lil Mike & Funny Bone intro & 4 yes’s)
“Simple Man” by Lynyrd SkynyrdSimple Man - All Time Greatest Hits (cover sung by The American Hitmen)
“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by AerosmithI Don't Want to Miss a Thing - Armageddon - The Album (American Hitment get 4 yes’s)

July 8, 2013 I Written By

Ultrasound specialist by day, entertainment blogger by night - with some amateur dancer, hair & makeup enthusiast, crazy cat lady, recreational chef, and Donnie Wahlberg/Norman Reedus fangirl peppered in to make things interesting ;-) Check out some of my other work over at puredwts.com!

PureAGT Season 8 Audition Round Rundown #5 – Chicago/San Antonio Auditions

I apologize for the tardiness of this rundown – the Midwest has been pummeled by rain and storms the past few weeks, and last night was no exception…consequently, my internet and cable were down for about an hour and 15 minutes of last night’s broadcast.  Woke up this morning to a functioning internet, but my DVR had only managed to capture about the last 45 minutes of the show.  Booooo! I took the afternoon off from work to start prepping food for my family’s annual 4th of July BBQ, and of course catch up on last night’s show on good ol’ Hulu 🙂 Since I managed to actually see all of the San Antonio auditions from my DVR recording, I’m going to start off with those – even though they were in the 2nd half of the show.  I’ll come back and do the Chicago half later 😉

Chicago:

Kelsey & Bailey – age 17 (Kelsey)
The act: Kelsey & her dog Bailey performed a series of tricks and dance moves to “We Go Together” from Grease.
The verdict: Judges all thought the act was adorable and said yes to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: This was a cute act for sure, and Bailey the dog seemed to love performing.  However, I’m left feeling a little bit let down, just given the fact that last year’s winners, the Olate Dogs, had such an amazing act.  I’m afraid Kelsey & Bailey kind of pale in comparison, but I could see them sticking around for awhile – America seems to love animal acts, and they’re really the only animal act we’ve seen in this year’s auditions.  

Spintacular
The act: A family of 17 that performs tricks with basketballs.  
The verdict: Judges said yes to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: My first thought was “They had HOW MANY kids??!!!”, followed shortly thereafter by “And they actually can get everyone focused for long enough to create their own version of the Harlem Globetrotters???!!!” Very cute act, with everyone from dad down to the little twin girls performing tricks. My one complaint is that there seemed to be a lot going on at one time – likely one drawback of having such a large family! – and it was hard to really appreciate everything they were doing when there was so much to pay attention to.  Maybe scale it back a bit and work on some synchronization for Vegas?  

Cami Bradley
The act: Cami sang “Over the Rainbow” a cappella.
The verdict: She’ll be in Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: *sigh* Maybe I’m being cynical, but I doubt the female vocalists are going to be reppin’ particularly hard in Vegas this season.  Cami was pleasant to listen to, but I didn’t find anything truly special about her voice – plus I thought she tried too hard to do a lot of those Christina Aguilera-esque riffs.  I wish some of these female vocalists would stop trying to put on these over-the-top, vocal acrobatics-heavy performances and just focus on really sounding good and doing their songs justice.

Tellavision
The act: A group of teenage boys and girls doing a modern/ballet-type dance to “What a Wonderful World” while holding LED screens that incorporated into their performance.
The verdict: Judges liked it, we’ll see them in Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: This is probably going to catch me some hell, but I thought this was the cheesiest, tackiest performance we’ve seen all season – and remember, we had JC Starbright in episode 2 😛 I just found the whole thing a bit too cutesy – that overused, schmaltzy song; the cutesy movements with LED screens; the cheesy stuff on the screens…I think I would have rather just seen a really good, garden-variety modern dance routine and scrapped the screens altogether.  I think they’re going to look pretty amateurish next to some of the other dance groups in Vegas.

David Ferman – age 18, from Jacksonville, FL
The act: David did some juggling, then balanced a Molotov cocktail on a balloon he held in his mouth.
The verdict: Judges were impressed with the level of danger and said yes to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: Anyone remember Charles Peachock, the crazy guy that juggled the tasers back in season 6? I think we just found his successor 🙂 Loved the creativity of the Molotov cocktail, although I thought David may have come across a bit nervous and kind of rushed his delivery.  Hopefully he can shake the nerves and Vegas and give a bit more finesse in his delivery.

Chicago Boyz Acrobatic Team – ages 9-23, from Chicago, IL
The act: The do all sorts of flips and tumbling, and incoporate jump ropes into their act.
The verdict: Judges loved it and praised their energy.  We’ll see them in Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: Probably my favorite from the Chicago auditions – I think what struck me at first was just how happy and enthusiastic all of these guys are about what they do.  Everyone from the coach down to the youngest kid on the team just seemed to love what they’re doing – and that’s a kind of passion you can’t fake.  I was pretty impressed by some of the stunts they were doing too – tumbling runs, standing back tucks, jumping pushups…and using the little guy as a human jump rope was just genius.  I think these guys will breeze through Vegas and go straight to the live shows. 

2Unique – age 10
The act:
The verdict:
Court’s thoughts:

Innovative Force
The act:
The verdict:
Court’s thoughts:

Ciana Pelekani – age 12
The act:
The verdict:
Court’s thoughts:

Mitsi Dancing School
The act:
The verdict:
Court’s thoughts:

Pat McKillen
The act:
The verdict:
Court’s thoughts:

Sully Dunn – age 18
The act:
The verdict:
Court’s thoughts:

Branden James – age 34
The act:
The verdict:
Court’s thoughts:

Trevor Stone (“Spontaneous Art”) – age 38
The act:
The verdict:
Court’s thoughts:

Squared Circus Review
The act:
The verdict:
Court’s thoughts:

Chris the Wedding DJ
The act:
The verdict:
Court’s thoughts:

Enrique Reyes – age 34, from Mexico
The act:
The verdict:
Court’s thoughts:

San Antonio:

David Fenley – 34, from Texas
The act: Dave sang and played an acoustic cover of Alex Clare’s “Too Close”.
The verdict: He got 4 yes’s, and Mel got “what she really, really wanted”. 🙂
Court’s thoughts: I found this guy really, really likeable – like a good-natured combination of Dom Deluise and John Popper from Blues Traveler.  Loved the gravelly sound of his voice, and his unique take on that song.  I’m guessing they’ll probably pit him against Paul Thomas Mitchell & Marty Brow in Vegas…all three are great, so it should be interesting to see how things pan out.

“Dancin'” Dylan Wilson – 17, from Huntington, Indiana
The act: Dylan did an animation hip-hop routine to “Cinema” by Skrillex.
The verdict: He made it to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: INDIANA REPRESENT!!! Of course I’m going to root for this kid, as a fellow Hoosier 🙂 I thought he was fun to watch and has obviously worked hard to hone his craft – but maybe I’ve been a bit spoiled by SYTYCD, because I found his animating a bit amateurish next to likes of Cyrus, Blueprint, and some of the other animators from SYTYCD.  Unfortunately for Hunter, I’m guessing they’re going to compare him to Kenichi, who is also an animator…a REALLY, really good animator.  I like Dylan, but I doubt he’ll be able to make it past Vegas 🙁

Hunk-O-Mania’s International Men of Steel
The act: Four beefcakes in gladiator costumes, dancing to “Sexy & I Know It”.
The verdict: Heidi & Mel were all about it – but Howard & Howie said “no”.
Court’s thoughts: Ugh. I just do not get the appeal of male revue acts – I got to see Thunder from Down Under in Vegas last year for a bachelorette weekend, and I just didn’t “get” it: a bunch of unrealistically-muscled, oily guys doing basic boyband choreography with some hip thrusts and butt wiggles peppered in. Am I supposed to swoon? Cause I didn’t.

Lil Mike & Funny Bone, aka “Mike Bone” – 32 & 27, from Oklahoma
The act: Two Native American brothers of short stature, performing an original song called “Do the Rain Dance”.
The verdict: Judges were pleasantly surprised and put them through to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: Ok, this might have been my favorite act of the night 🙂 Loved the charisma these two had, and how they didn’t let the fact that they stood only 4’4″ stop them from doing what they loved. And “Do the Rain Dance” is incredibly catchy – but so is “B-O-O-T-Y”. Anyone want to place any bets that we see these two up against Tone the Chiefrocca in Vegas for a spot in the live shows? We’ve got two rapping acts with original songs and big personalities. Who do you guys think has the juice to move on?

The American Hit Men – 28-34, from Salt Lake City, Utah
The act: They’re a rock band that performed a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man”.
The verdict: Judges loved them – Howard in particular was very excited about having a good rock band this season. They got 4 yes’s.
Court’s thoughts: While I think this show should really be about the talent (and not so much focus placed on a schmaltzy backstory), I do commend these gentleman for their service to our country – and the fact that it was the music they made that kept their spirits up when they were Marines stationed in Fallujah. The lead singer had one of those gravelly, cool-sounding rock voices that only a few people seem to pull off, and I loved they way it sounded with this song. I’m hoping they can take some more current songs and put their own spin on them.

Stay tuned for my rundown of the Chicago acts – when I get done with Hulu 🙂 What did you guys think of the San Antonio acts?

July 3, 2013 I Written By

Ultrasound specialist by day, entertainment blogger by night - with some amateur dancer, hair & makeup enthusiast, crazy cat lady, recreational chef, and Donnie Wahlberg/Norman Reedus fangirl peppered in to make things interesting ;-) Check out some of my other work over at puredwts.com!

PureAGT Season 8 Episode #2 Music List – San Antonio/New Orleans Auditions

Here’s the music I could identify from this week’s episode.  Please feel free to request other songs or add any that you might know in the comments section 🙂

“El Jarabe Tapatio (The Mexican Hat Dance)” (judges arrive in San Antonio)
“Diamonds (instrumental)” by RihannaDiamonds (Instrumental) - Karaoke Pop Vol.3 (Travis Pratt intro)
“This Will Be” by Natalie ColeThis Will Be (An Everlasting Love) - Natalie Cole: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (Travis proposes; montage of good auditions)
“Oye Como Va” by Tito Puente Jr. Oye Como Va (Old School Classic Mix) - Oye Como Va (Remixes)(Jonas & Ruby performance)
“I Like It” by Enrique Iglesias I Like It (feat. Pitbull) - Euphoria (Deluxe Edition)(Jonas & Ruby get 4 yes’s)
“Straight Up” by Brian Setzer Orchestra (D’Angelo & Amanda performance)
“We Come Running” by Youngblood HawkeWe Come Running - Wake Up (D’Angelo & Amanda get 4 yes’s)
“Low” by Flo Rida Low (feat. T-Pain) - Mail On Sunday(covered by Mariachi Nuevo Estilo)
“Sexy & I Know It” by LMFAOSexy and I Know It - Sorry for Party Rocking (Deluxe Version) (covered by Mariachi Nuevo Estilo)
“Bailamos” by Enrique IglesiasBailamos - Enrique (Mariachi gets 4 yes’s)
“God Blessed Texas” by Little Texas God Blessed Texas - Little Texas: Greatest Hits(Pistol Packin’ Paula intro)
“Juggernaut” by Jo Blankenburg Juggernaut - Vendetta - Position Music Orchestral Series Vol. 6(Brad Byers intro)
“Secrets” by OneRepublicSecrets - Waking Up (Collins Key intro & 4 yes’s)
“Sympathy for the Devil” by The Rolling StonesSympathy for the Devil - Beggars Banquet (New Orleans intro)
“Saving All My Love For You” by Whitney HoustonSaving All My Love for You - Whitney - The Greatest Hits (Megan Piphus performance)
“Best Thing I Never Had” by Beyoncé Best Thing I Never Had - 4(Megan gets 4 yes’s)
“Time to Say Goodbye” by Andrea Bocelli Time to Say Goodbye - Romanza(Jonathan Allen performance)
“A Thousand Years” by Christina PerriA Thousand Years - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Pt. 1 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Deluxe Version] (Jonathan gets 4 yes’s)
“Feel Again” by OneRepublicFeel Again - Native (montage of New Orleans contestants waiting to audition)
“Garador’s Flight” by Jo Blankenburg Garador's Flight - Elysium(Alexanderia emerges from underwater)
“Fashion” by Lady Gaga Fashion - Confessions of a Shopaholic (Original Soundtrack) [Bonus Track Version](JC Starbright intro)
“The A-Team (instrumental)” by Ed SheeranThe a Team - + (Deluxe Version) (Paul Thomas Mitchell intro)
Time for Miracles” by Adam Lambert Time for Miracles - 2012 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)(Paul gets 4 yes’s)

 

June 12, 2013 I Written By

Ultrasound specialist by day, entertainment blogger by night - with some amateur dancer, hair & makeup enthusiast, crazy cat lady, recreational chef, and Donnie Wahlberg/Norman Reedus fangirl peppered in to make things interesting ;-) Check out some of my other work over at puredwts.com!

PureAGT Season 8 Audition Round Rundown #2 – San Antonio/New Orleans Auditions

Howard really wasn’t kidding when he said the level of talent in San Antonio was high! Loved tonight’s episode even more than last week’s – and I thought last week was a VERY strong episode.  This could really be the best season of AGT yet.  Loved the fact that this episode was predominantly great acts that got 4 yes’s, and only a few bad acts.  Don’t get me wrong, I love a good trainwreck – but outstanding talent vs. hot messes? I’m gonna always pick the former.  And I can usually be pretty easily swayed by some strong ballroom dancers, too 😉

This week saw the judges dissenting a bit more than last week, but for the most part, when one of them thinks an act is great – they ALL think the act is great.  I think it’s a testament to how well they get along – or how great the talent is!

UPDATE: Rundown of New Orleans auditions is up!

San Antonio:

Travis Pratt – 32 years old, from Tipton, GA
The actHe sang an operatic aria in what sounded like an astoundingly high key for a man.
The verdictHowie couldn’t believe he didn’t lip sync, and asked if he “had swallowed Jackie Evancho”.  Howard called him a “freak – but I mean that in the best way possible!” All 4 judges said yes to Vegas – and Travis proposed to his girlfriend (who had urged him to audition) live onstage.  🙂
Court’s thoughts: When I saw this guy make his way onto the stage, I of course thought he would be singing some smooth R&B song – he had that suave, slick look to him.  So you can imagine my surprise when he starts belting out an aria like a soprano! And I think what impressed me the most is that he managed to stay in-key the whole time – I thought for sure his voice was going to crack hitting notes that high, but he hit ’em like a pro.  I could see him making it through to the live shows without many problems, for the simple reason that he’s set himself apart from any other male classical singers they might find this season: he’s a guy that can sing in a female register.

Duo Resonance (Yury Kuznetsov & Nina Chubrikova)
The act: They did acrobalance – doing some gravity-defying tricks while using each other’s body weight to counterbalance.
The verdictAll 4 judges said yes to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: There seems to be 1 good acrobatic couple just about every season – but man, these two may be the prettiest I’ve seen.  Loved some of the poses they were doing, and I felt like they were more artistic than the couple we saw last season (their name escapes me – but it was a dark-haired guy from Europe and a blonde from Australia, and they were in insanely good shape).  I think their best bet is going for themed performances each time – maybe try to tell a story or tailor their tricks to a certain song.  Otherwise, I think this could get a bit repetitive.

Ron Garber & Liza Satorov
The actThey’re ballroom dancers that did a Latin dance with some fast spins and cool dips.
The verdictThey made it to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: As I mentioned last week, I always get a little flustered when they only show us a brief clip of an act that made it through to Vegas, because it doesn’t leave me with a whole lot to go off of in my commentary – and usually forces me to go hunt down their names elsewhere.  However, I liked the dance these two did, and they seem to have a good chemistry on the floor.  But in light of what else we saw in San Antonio – I’m wondering if the adult ballroom acts are going to be taking a sort of backseat to the youngin’s this season.

Jonas Terleckas & Ruby Castro – ages 10 & 9
The actA Latin ballroom act – they did a cha-cha to “Oye Como Va”.
The verdict: Howie remembers Ruby from The Untouchables last season, and all 4 judges give them a yes.
Court’s thoughts: Gotta hand it to Manny & Lori Castro – they’ve practically made a career out of getting acts on AGT, as this is will be the 3rd year in a row that they’ve made it to Vegas…and they’ll likely make it even further, again.  For those who have no idea what I’m talking about – Manny is the cute little Columbian guy from Miami with the thick accent that was the leader of the Miami All-Stars in season 6, and the director of The Untouchables in season 7, and now he’s brought his kids to audition for season 8.  Ruby is he & Lori’s daughter, and she’s so stinking cute I could die…I love precocious kids, and this little gal has got sass to spare.  And she’s a great dancer! Jonas is good too, but I can see certain areas where he still has some growing to do in his dancing.  I’m on the fence about these two making it to the live shows – part of me thinks they’re gonna pit these two against Ruby’s brother & his partner in Vegas, and only take one act (and I think it’s probably going to be her brother).  But another part of me thinks that the powers that be probably dig the “first ever sibling vs. sibling competition on AGT!” and might take them both.  Guess we’ll have to wait and see!

D’Angelo Castro & Amanda Carbajales – ages 12 & 13
The actThey’re Latin ballroom dancers, too – and did a humorous jive to “Straight Up” by the Brian Setzer Orchestra.
The verdictHoward can’t resist playing matchmaker, and ask them if they’re “romantically involved” – they adorably relate the story of them being “boyfriend & girlfriend” when they were 9, but they broke up “like 4 times” and it confused D’Angelo.  All 4 judges think they’re great and put them through to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: D’Angelo is another precocious kid that I just get a real kick out of  – and he’s got some serious skills, as does Amanda: they actually won the first (and only) season of Paula Abdul’s ill-fated Live to Dance back in 2011.  Plus, D’Angelo is Manny & Lori’s son – and he was part of The Untouchables last season.  Honestly, if there’s any dance act this season that I could see making it all the way to the finale – it might be these two.  They’re already seasonsed pros at 12 & 13, and are charismatic beyond their years! I think they have all the skill of Anna & Patryck from season 5 – but they’ve got double the amount of stage presence.  Love watching them!

Mariachi Nuevo Estilo AVM – ages 18-29
The actThey’re a mariachi band that performed a mash-up of “Low” by Flo Rida & “Sexy & I Know It” by LMFAO…with a mariachi twist.
The verdictHoward, who admitted at the beginning of the episode that he “hates mariachi bands”, even loved this act – all 4 judges said yes to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: It’s kind of a neat concept – we’ve had bluegrass bands covering top 40 stuff, and now we’ve got mariachi bands covering current stuff.  Admittedly, I’m kind of with Howard – mariachi music is something that I can only really tolerate in small doses at low volumes (blame my next door neighbors, who love to blast mariachi while working on their cars outside), and the opening of their performance (when they did “Low”) sounded all sorts of cacophonous to me.  But once they segued into “Sexy & I Know It”, it became more pleasant to listen to, and I started to enjoy it more.  I think they’re probably going to have to expand their horizons a bit in order to stick around – tackle some slow stuff, too, and maybe some more rock-tinged songs.

Pistol Packin’ Paula – age 48
The act: She’s a wild west act that shoots & twirls pistols and used a bullwhip to chop a rolled-up piece of paper out of Nick’s mouth.
The verdictHeidi & Mel buzzed her pretty quickly, and they gave her no’s along with Howie.  Howard actually enjoyed it, though, and seemed to indicate that he would’ve given her a yes.
Court’s thoughts: This had the potential to be a good act – similar to the western act from season 6 – but it was just disorganized and all over the place.  The fact that she came out shooting pistols (and had half the auditorium jumping out of their seats and hitting the floor) probably set everyone on edge a bit, and then it was just a random smattering of her hollering, shooting, and doing some impressive gun twirling.  The bullwhip trick was cool, but I just got the feeling that she probably didn’t have a whole lot of other tricks to add beyond that.  Maybe if she polishes up the act a bit more, she can come back in a later season.

Brad Byers – age 53, from Idaho
The actHe swallowed 9 swords simultaneously, with a fluoroscope on-hand to show an internal view of his esophagus.  He then twisted the swords 360 degrees, while they were still down his throat.
The verdictMel was the sole “no”, stating that watching him “made her want to throw up”.  Howie, Howard, and Heidi all said yes, though.
Court’s thoughts: LOVED the fact that he had the fluoroscope there to prove that he was actually swallowing the swords – none of the previous sword-swallowing/sideshow acts we’ve seen have done that.  Also thought the sword twisting was a nice…err, twist. 😛 But once again, as I usually say with every danger act we see: how much more is he going to be able to do with this?

Collins Key – age 16
The actHe’s an up-close magician that managed to teleport a dollar that Howie gave him into a sealed bag of popcorn that Mel was holding.
The verdictAll 4 judges loved it, and praised him for enduring ridicule and continuing to practice his magic.  We’ll see him in Vegas!
Court’s thoughts: I’m guessing the PureAGT search engine is probably going to be filled with “how did Collins Key teleport the dollar?” queries within the next 24 hours, just like they did with Special Ed’s levitation last week 😛 I’m half-tempted to do a “how did the magicians do that???” post in the next few weeks, since I know a thing or two about magic.  But anyway – great trick, with a great set-up.  I find myself more & more impressed by the magicians who really put thought into how to set up their tricks – the premise of it, the props, even their dialogue & hand gestures.  And I thought Collins really took a big risk by doing up-close magic – even though it’s on a smaller scale, you leave yourself far more vulnerable to mistakes being caught, so everything has to be perfect.  I’m thinking Collins could beat out some of the other magicians this season who operate on a larger scale – we haven’t had a good “up close” magician in awhile.

New Orleans:

Megan Piphus – 20 years old, from Nashville, TN
The act: She’s a ventriloquist that performed with a puppet of a little girl named Monica and a cat named Princess.  Monica sang a little bit of Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love”, while Princess sang an operatic aria.
The verdict: All 4 judges commended not only her singing voice, but her ability to throw her singing voice as a ventrioquist.  She’s going to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: This girl smashed every stereotype I had in my head for ventriloquists – she’s young, she’s gorgeous, and she’s got an exceptional singing voice – that she can throw with ease, and you don’t see her lips moving AT ALL.  I was also really impressed with her ability to throw her voice while still reacting believably to her puppets – part of the challenge of ventrioloquism is not only the voice-throwing, but also all the multitasking you have to do when it comes to moving your puppets and acting as if they’re the ones actually doing the talking.  My only worry for her in this competition is that her material is a little bland – if she can come up with more of a narrative (like Todd Oliver did last season) as opposed to just having her puppets talk, I think she can go far.

Jonathan Allen – 20 years old, from Lawrenceburg, TN
The act: He’s a sort of baritone opera singer that sang “Time to Say Goodbye”.
The verdict: All the judges loved him and said yes to Vegas – and praised him for overcoming the adversity of being rejected by his parents for being gay.
Court’s thoughts: If Travis Pratt’s appeal is that he’s a guy that can sing opera like a girl, Jonathan’s appeal is that he’s got an exceptionally rich male voice for opera singing, and he’s got the emotion to put behind it.  Thought he maybe got a little thin in his lower register, which could use some work, but the high note at the end was fantastic.

Alexanderia the Great – 51 years old, from Medway, MA
The act: She’s an escape artist that had to free herself from handcuffs, leg shackles, and a long chain with padlocks wrapped around her body – from underwater, after EXHALING before jumping in.
The verdict: Judges started fearing for her life around the 1 minute mark, but cheered with joy and said “yes!!!” to Vegas when she emerged at 1:36.
Court’s thoughts: Love the fact that she’s a middle-aged mom that’s doing something that’s typically only done by younger men – and I can’t believe she was able to hold her breath that long while struggling to remove the handcuffs & shackles & chains.  But as I say with every danger act: “How much more is she going to be able to do?” Spencer Horseman did a great job last season of changing up the parameters of his escapes – I think Alexandria is going to have to do the same to avoid getting repetitive & boring.

JC Starbright – 59 years old
The act: He’s a flamboyantly-dressed songwriter that performed an original song about AGT – and forgot some of the words…to the song HE wrote.
The verdict: All 4 judges buzzed – and all 4 judges said “no” to Vegas. Upon hearing that JC wants to be “the next Lady Gaga”, Howie dubbed him “Lady Guy-Guy”…a title I feel the need to point out that he first gave to Daniel Joseph Baker in season 6 🙂
Court’s thoughts: He was a special guy…perhaps too special for AGT.  But as always, I LOVE it when Nick decides to play along, and lol’d when he joined JC for the encore 😛

Andrew Ward – 34 years old
The act: He came out dressed in a voodoo-y type suit, and attempted to give a dramatic reading of a ghost story.
The verdict: Everyone except Heidi said no.
Court’s thoughts: Maybe a more cerebral audience would have appreciated Andrew’s storytelling more – but on a big stage like AGT, where everyone wants instant gratification, it just took took too long.

Sam Johnson (aka Slackwire Sam) – 34 years old
The act: He’s a “swaypole” artist – which means he climbs 80 feet in the air, climbs to the top of a flimsy vertical pole that’s bending and twisting in the wind, and does a handstand.
The verdict: All four judges were amazed and put him through to Vegas.
Court’s thoughts: I kind of loved that this guy came out on stage acting rather eccentric – wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and a stovepipe hat, and telling everyone that he was “going to do a handstand…but not where you think.” Just made it that much more amazing when he actually pulled off that feat.  But once again, I’m left wondering: how much more can he do? Does he only do swaypole? If so, how is he going to make it fresh each time he performs? Does he do anything else besides swaypole? With the danger category shaping up to be possibly the most competitive this season,  I don’t think any of them can afford to be a one-trick pony.

Paul Thomas Mitchell – 19 years old, from Memphis, TN
The act: Paul’s a singer-songwriter that performed an original song called “My Life” while playing the guitar.
The verdict: All 4 judges loved both his voice and his song – and the emotion he put behind it.  Heidi even went so far as to say “John Mayer better watch out!!!”
Court’s thoughts: If I were Marty Brown, I’d be worried – because this kid just made the singers category much more competitive.  He impressed me more than any other act tonight.  He’s got this breathy, unique voice that reminds me a bit of James Morrison, and the song he wrote?! You can’t teach songwriting talent, and this kid has IT.  Echoing Heidi backstage, “If he put out a CD tomorrow, I’d buy it.” Really rooting for this kid now – I’m hoping he either has a bunch of great original material up his sleeve, or can do really great, cool covers of other artist’s songs.

So who were your favorites and least favorites from last night’s show? 🙂

June 11, 2013 I Written By

Ultrasound specialist by day, entertainment blogger by night - with some amateur dancer, hair & makeup enthusiast, crazy cat lady, recreational chef, and Donnie Wahlberg/Norman Reedus fangirl peppered in to make things interesting ;-) Check out some of my other work over at puredwts.com!

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..

June 3, 2013 I Written By

Ultrasound specialist by day, entertainment blogger by night - with some amateur dancer, hair & makeup enthusiast, crazy cat lady, recreational chef, and Donnie Wahlberg/Norman Reedus fangirl peppered in to make things interesting ;-) Check out some of my other work over at puredwts.com!