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America's Got Talent 4 Recap

Posted on 08/05/2009 by RealityWanted in Americas Got Talent

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America's Got Talent 4

by  Arthur Perkins
AGT4 8/4/09 Quarterfinals
 
Welcome to Hollywood. Last night 12 acts performed for a live TV audience whose voting will determine their ultimate finish.  Some of them will to going home after this first quarterfinal episode votes are revealed tonight. It appears that tonight will not be a performance show. It looks like they will stretch the quarterfinals out for a total of 4 weeks with a 2 hour performance show followed next night by a results show featuring additional entertainment. NBC is pulling out all the stops tonight with both Terry Fator AGT2 winner and Mariah Carey (Nick Cannon's wife although he had the good sense to not remind us of it) performing. On with the show. Nick Cannon made inane comments all night. He was forced by some bad script writers into asking many acts what they thought of the judges comments. I know he was just stalling, but do I care what the performers thought of the judging comments. This is the first round where the judges are commenting only and have no power other than persuasion to determine which acts go forward and which don't.
 
In the preamble, the judges in their jet got a call (neatly prearranged) from executive producer Simon Cowell that they had made some mistakes in eliminating 8 superior acts and that needed to be corrected by making them wildcard entries to give them a second chance. This is the first time I can recall this happening in the history of America's Got Talent, but I was pretty miffed when 4 of of my projected final 5 did not make the top 40! Some of them got this reprieve and certainly deserved it. The wildcard teams in last night's bracket were Diva League and Lake Houston Dance neither of whom had the talent to be there. I have to say that this whole shtick appeared to me to have been anticipated and prearranged, just the way it might be done on the FOX network. The way in which the top 40 decisions were made had left huge room for error. correcting it was an excellent idea whether it really came from Simon Cowell or anyone else (like the judges themselves). However, I am a great believer in getting it right the first time!
 
Breaksk8 - dancers on skates, who did not follow Piers' recommendation that they take off the skates and just be a synchronized dance group. I thought they were good but not great last night. Here is what the judges thought:
David - beautiful; more skating would be a plus
My bottom line on this group is that they are "on the bubble" for making the next round.
 
Thia Megia - this 14 yof singer gave it her all singing someone else's mature song. Judges' comments:
Sharon- you delivered; you are beautiful and look age appropriate and have a great great voice and your are very innocent
David- "Thia Megia, you really got to Me A"; you are a shooting star
Piers- brilliant
Nick- "Don't go nowhere" with his fine command of good grammar.
My bottom line is that she is "on the bubble" for the next round.
 
Platt Brothers - acrobatics and gymnastics in the style of mock kung fu with stylish synchronization from these 3 brothers. Judges:
David- humor, physicality OK but talking was not a good addition to the act
Piers- great energy and creativity but he didn't know what their act is, roaring, pirouetting, or what
I like these guys but there is too much talent ahead for them to make the next round.
 
Diva League - Nick Cannon introduces them as the act that put the vamp back into vampire. This act claims to be the Glampires. Who are they kidding and who put this act back in with a wildcard? I'd really like to know. There were more deserving acts for sure to bring back. To watch about 10 drag queens lip syncing and dancing on stage is not my idea of entertainment. Give them the hook! Comments were:
Preamble - Sharon says some are over 200 pounds dancing on heels, so anything could happen (but not good). Piers buzzed them.
Piers - your act was quite disturbing. A bunch of lip-syncing old drag queens who can't dance is not right for America
Sharon- fun, entertainment, not rocket science
David- very entertaining (what was he watching?)
The live Hollywood audience response was quite a bit muted. They can tell lack of talent when they see it. So can I.
 
Manuela Horn- for an audience expecting some enhancements of her yodeling in a dominatrix costume she came out to be a traditional singer and dancer. it did not wash with either the audience, the judges or with me. Comments focused on how she diverted from her original concept to her detriment. Piers asked what happened to the 7 foot (6'2"" before platform heels) dominatrix who brought a sense of fun previously. If one thing is certain in the voting, it is that Manuela Horn will not make it to the next round.
 
Grandma Lee - she had a new routine which was quite funny (not enough to win AGT4 but enough to maybe get her one more round). Her jokes focused on how at her age all the geriatric geniuses who want her body are hooked up to life support and how she months ago had a blind date actually cataracts and the question "when are we going to do it" really meant giving up a kidney. She got respectful comments.
I see Grandma Lee "on the bubble" for the next round.
 
Mosaic - a cappella group that sang a song with big harmonies. I thought they were terrific and the judges thought they were very good:
Piers - nearly very good
Sharon - demonstrated talent
I expect to see Mosaic in the next round. They may be good enough to go all the way, but they haven't put that on the stage just yet.
 
AcroDunk - unless the voters dislike basketball, this act should go all the way and win. They came up with an entirely new set of moves that were high energy and the choreography of them was thrilling. Judges comments:
Sharon- you shared your vision of how your act can sustain an entire show in Las Vegas. It can.
David- awesome; bring us something different and keep it going; you are on your way
Piers- did you make that last shot (Nick assures him as I do that they did)? It doesn't matter because this was one of the most extraordinary acts I have ever seen in AGT; I could watch you again right now
Nick- athleticism and entertainment
AcroDunk is in my opinion best act of the night. They will go much further.
 
Arcadian Broad - the darling of the preteen girl crowd. This 13 year old spent over half his time playing the piano (at which he is good but not great) then morphed immediately into a high-energy dance routine where he really excels. He danced to the music of "Footloose" and scintillated.
Piers- why do you waste your time at the piano? You are a superb dancer and should focus solely on that. It's like going to watch Billy Elliott and he pulls out a trombone for an hour.
David- you took this stage and will go a long way
Sharon- brilliant dancing but piano playing was too long
Arcadian should be on to the next round.
 
Drew Thomas Magic- he set up with his 3 assistants going into a large vertical box and him going into a smaller box on the left side of the stage. He introduced it  as "David, this is for you" with the beautiful assistants being mailed to the Hoff. They managed to quickly switch places with the welders when they went behind the big box. It was easy to figure that out, but how did Drew vanish from the smaller box and appear behind the judges? That's magic!
Nick- you have amazed me
Piers - magicians have traditionally not done well in AGT; don't come out in old shirt and jeans; dress the part of a Las Vegas performer
Sharon - brilliant, fantastic, I had never seen that before
David - don't ship the welders to me, ship the girls
This is certain to make it to the round of 20 and likely to be in the Final 5 and could even win it.
 
Kevin Skinner- his style of down-home country innocence plays well with the studio audience. Sharon and David both loved him. I didn't. Comments:
Piers- you are the performer of the night (and that certainly did not change after the final act performed).
I see Kevin as making it to the round of 10 but not beyond.
 
Lake Houston Dance - another wildcard of about 25 young girls dancing. They were in pajamas on beds at the start and ended with a pillow fight. Please return to Houston immediately.
David- attitude, fun and you demanded our attention
Piers- I like the pillow fight. I did not think you were as good as your audition. There were too many sleeping bags, beds, other props on the stage. It was a bit of a mess.
Sharon- if all your friends vote for you, you will move ahead (seconded by David and one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever heard and why I think neither of them should be judges).
This act was not very good. I hope the American public sees it that way too.
 
So let's sum my reactions up and see where that takes us. In the not worthy of the next round class were:
Manuela Horn
Diva League
Lake Houston Dance
Platt Brothers
 
In the "on the bubble" group of very good performers were:
Breaksk8
Thia Megia
Grandma Lee
Mosaic
 
In the definitely moving forward class were:
Drew Thomas Magic
Kevin Skinner
Arcadian Broad
AcroDunk
 
I predict that one team from the "on the bubble" group will move ahead. I hope it will be Mosaic but it might be Breaksk8. We'll know in less than 12 hours.

 

For more America's Got Talent Links visit Sirlinksalot.net


  


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