by  Arthur Perkins
 
Hello, AGT fans. We are getting down to the end of AGT4. The finals should be next week. Another 10 acts competed for the 5 (imagine that, they're not playing games about this) slots to fill out the finals. Nick Cannon announced that the judges have no role in deciding any results this week. The act voted #5 by the viewing public will be #5.
 
1. Recycled Percussion - these guys bashed away at high speed and with precision, but I just don't see them at the top of this group. The best I can see is on the bubble. Sharon said entertaining. David said great. Piers lauded their showmanship.  B
 
2. Lawrence Beamen - he performed what I consider to be  a soul piece. It was not a good use of his talent. Yes, he was demonstrating his versatility. However, the song was not that well suited to his voice. I think he will go to the finals based on his potential that was unrealized in this semifinal performance. Sharon said contemporary. Piers said it is a question of style and that borrowing it from Alicia Keys was a poor idea. Lawrence told David that he would be singing the Lord's Prayer if he gets to the finals.    Y
 
3. Erick and Rickey - this was too repetitive with what they did in past shows. They danced well, but not well enough to make the finals. Nick Cannon asked the Evil Ogre (aka Piers) to comment, resulting in "it was a poor choice of music for your style." David in his innocuous style said "I think you can play Vegas." Whoop-de-doo. Sharon said " nothing was off" (is that damning with faint praise?).   N
 
4. Jeffrey Ou - he never should have been here in the first place as the American public screwed up by selecting him for the semis. They got what they deserved, with Jeffrey wearing a mad scientist wig that I thought was actually modeled on Beethoven. Jeffrey claimed he made no mistakes, but some of Lizst's Hungarian Rhapsody sounded a bit strange.  He is going home.  N
 
5. Hairo Torrres - I have had more than enough of this act. His contortions required great skill, but after a few of them I get bored. The most interesting thing he did was a series of about 7 backward rolls (like you do in high school gym on a mat). He is also going home.   N
 
6. Eriam Sisters - they started out by taking a star turn each, then settled into the harmony that makes them great. If you ignore the star turns, they sang very well. I think they will make it, but have placed them on the bubble.   B
 
7. Mario and Jenny - were pathetic. They were trying to demonstrate their versatility and ended up by guaranteeing their elimination. They used almost none of the prior moves that got them here. There new act was like a variety act. At the end, Mario set a barrel on fire. Whoop-de-doo. Make your  toast with it, Mario.   N
 
8. Drew Stevyns - he went for a low register, deep, dark sound. I personally did not like either his choice of song or his performance of it. However, recognizing that he like Kevin Skinner gets credit from the voters for actual performance way above what he actually achieves, I am placing him on the bubble. There was nothing wrong with his act; it is just a matter of taste and style.    B
 
9. Footworkingz - same old, same old. This group showed nothing new. They gave a dull, uninspired performance. I think they are going home.   N
 
10. Barbara Padilla - saving the best for last, one of many Ave Maria songs. She had a beautiful voice, although I detected a few higher notes that were very close to flat without being flat. She did not sing quite as well as I have come to expect, but it was still the best performance of the evening.  Y
 
So, the winners were Barbara Padilla and nobody else. Lawrence Beamen will be in the finals based on his earlier performances. That leaves 3 spots.  On the bubble are the Eriam Sisters, Recycled Percussion and Drew Stevyns. Everyone else is headed home. We'll see in a few hours how accurate these predictions are.