America's Got Talent Recap: Audition Show 3

Hey all sorry I did not get around to blogging Wednesday's America's Got Talent audition show but between So You Think You Can Dance and the I'm a Celebrity finale (yeah Lou Diamond Phillips) I did not have a chance to watch AGT until later in the week. For the record nobody on Wednesday's show blew me away but I did like the yodeling domantrix (and I am a woman, by the way), the violin playing triplets (as long as they don't sing), the illusionist (though his act was a bit predictable), and the young dancer at the end (though he seemed a bit hectic and spastic at times during the dance). My favorite act so far is still the EriAm sisters from the first show, though I have a bad feeling they won't last too long with other singers like Voices with Glory getting better judges' reviews.

We get some highlights of last week's shows, and the EriAm sisters are nowhere to be found. We do get the flying frisbee dog, the Billy Elliot kid, the young ballroom dancers who are good but not as good as the Billy Elliot kid, the guy who put a fish hook through his nose and mouth, FootworKINGz, and of course Voices with Glory. Tonight it looks like we meet the other contestant who has been pimped to us for weeks- the chicken catcher with a smooth country voice.

The judges get their usual extended introduction, and the Hoff gets the most cheers (why is he the most popular judge again?)

Tonight's auditions start out in NY- hopefully they'll be better than the ones we saw from NY last week.

First up is Carol Lugo, who was also in one of the previews for the show. She is a 62 year old woman who does a weird dance that is actually entertaining. I remember thinking when I saw the preview that I liked her better than both Voices with Glory and the chicken catcher singer (I do think he has a very good voice, just that's not really my kind of music). Carol is currently a cashier who wears her dance shoes to work. She has wanted to be a dancer for much of her life and believes in following her dreams no matter what. She will definitely get the old people vote if she makes it to the live shows. Wow her dancing is even more impressive in the show than it was in the preview. Like the kid from last week her head movement is very distracting but she has great stuff, especially for her age. She even does a moonwalk! I think she is as good if not better than the Billy Elliot kid, though I could do without the butt shaking part. Even so she was incredibly entertaining, and you almost forget how old she is while watching the routine. The judges and audience are digging it too. Sharon calls her wonderfully bizarre, David says it was awesome and she deserves to be on the stage. He even gives her a standing ovation! Piers thinks she could inspire us in a recession. She gets three yes's and is off to Vegas. That was one of my favorite acts of the season so far and I think she has a chance to go even further in the competition. And she even moonwalks off the stage!!

Montage of unusual talents (this could be good or bad...). Joseph Harris does some cool tricks with a yo-yo. I don't know if he would be able to sustain a Vegas show but he is certainly good enough for the next round, and the judges agree. The Diva League is a group of really good dancers and drag queens. They are totally in sync and one even does a split at the end! They too are put through to Vegas. Chris Allison eats a lightbulb and then has some (hopefully fake) blood coming out of his mouth by the end. He does seem to know how to work the audience though and is put through to Vegas.

Next up (still in NYC) is Jay Mattioli, a magician from Virginia. Oh boy he's going to be bad- they haven't had any bad auditions yet tonight. He always wanted to be a famous magician and when he was younger he made things out of cardboard and glue to use for his tricks. Actually I think I recognize this guy as being one of the good auditioners from the previews- I didn't recognize him until he took off his cape thing. First levitates the microphone and leans against it while it is in the air. Then he gets into an "America's Got Magic" box (awesome) as the top of it appears to come down and crush him. On the part of the box that comes down on top of him is a sign that says "Applause" (also awesome). Sure enough the part goes back to the top of the box and Jay comes out unscathed. I really liked him. He was talented plus had some funny bits in there as well, and he wasn't as predictable as the illusionist from last week. He even did some (pretty good) dancing between tricks. This show has been great so far in terms of talent level. Piers likes the pizazz and star quality Jay has, even though he thought the box trick wasn't as impressive as the microphone bit. I actually liked the box thing better but both were good. Sharon likes the modern and interesting aspects of it. David says it was not just magic but it was entertaining. Exactly! That's why I like him better than the guy from last week even if the tricks themselves were not as good. He gets three yes's and is off to Vegas! Another of my favorite acts so far.

Wow 18 minutes in and no bad acts yet. I'm guessing that's going to change soon though...

Now we are back in Chicago for more auditions. First up is Franklin Sane, a juvenile county judge from Detroit. He uses music as an escape from his boring judge life. Doesn't he as a judge have more important things to do than audition for a talent show? Just saying. Well luckily for his county he should be coming home soon because his singing is painfully bad. I'm surprised it's taking the judges this long to X him. The audience turns on him immediately though, and Piers is covering his ears at the last long note. Piers says he can't sing. Short and sweet. Franklin says he has performed in front of prisoners. Well of course they like him if they don't Franklin could extend their prison sentences haha. He is given three definite no's.

Next up is Thia Megia from California. She is a 14-year old singer and I think she was shown in the previews blowing the judges away with her voice. She would practice in front of the mirror to prepare for this moment. Aw. She does "I'm Changing" from Dreamgirls (though she surprisingly references the song's original singer, Jennifer Holliday, rather than Jennifer Hudson). I like this song so I hope she is good. And indeed she is very good. She has an old jazz singer vibe to her voice, which isn't my favorite style but she does have an amazing voice for her age. I forget she is 14 when I close my eyes. Great last note!!! Her stage presence is pretty good as well. Since a young powerhouse singer has already won this show in the past (Bianca Ryan), I don't think she will win but she has a great shot at the finals. Sharon gives her a standing ovation. David says nothing is going to stop her (a reference to a lyric in the song she sang). Sharon says she sings with emotion and that is hard to do. Piers says she is the best singer he's heard. As far as individual singers go yes (though I think she may be the only halfway decent solo singer they've had so far), but I still think the lead singer in the EriAm sisters act is better than her. She sails through to Vegas. Aw she even got Nick to shed a few tears...

Next up is librarian Jeffery Johns, who claims he is being shut out of performing in Vegas because he is too short and Vegas looks for taller acts since the showgirls are tall. First of all I doubt it's his height that is preventing him from getting gigs. Second of all he is taller than me (not that that is saying much) so he can't be that short. He also looks way too much like Carrot Top, which is never a good thing. His act involves climbing onto a giant chair and singing decently. Then he jumps off the giant chair and starts dancing and singing about being short. This would seem okay but I keep thinking he is acting like a giant kid, from the large chair to the high voice and the corny hand motions. Only David and Piers X him though. David says it was the weirdest act he's ever seen. Piers says it was irritating from start to finish and he is sent back home.

And now a montage of bad acts. Do we have to? This show was going so well with the minimal bad acts. Anyway Witches in Bikinis have great bodies but bad harmonies. Robert Myers starts out as Little Richard and was going to change into other characters but his singing was so bad he thankfully got X'd before he gets very far. Samba Samba Samba does spastic looking dancing and are so loud they can't even hear the X's because their drums are so loud.

Next are The Fab Five, sisters from Utah who are also all mothers. They now live in different states but have stayed close through performing. Their matching leather pants are very shiny. They do some very fast riverdancing in perfect unison. They even get into more complex choreography and still remain in sync. Not my kind of thing but they are very talented. David thinks they did a great job. Sharon loves their energy, technical precision, and love for the dance.
Piers also likes them. They get three yes's and are off to Vegas.

And last but not least is the chicken catcher guy aka Kevin Skinner. He's a good ole' country boy from Kentucky, right down to the thick Southern accent. He likes sitting on the porch and counting stars. He even writes his own songs. He and five other guys once caught 60,000 chickens in one night. He sure is a charmer with the crowd. This is very Susan Boyle-esque with Nick and even David preparing for the worst. Wow he's even better than he was in the previews. The judges and audience don't even cheer- they just sit there taking in his beautiful voice. He might have gone a bit off on the low notes but he still was really great. He has a very legitimate shot to win the whole show. Surprisingly only David gives him a standing ovation though. Piers admits he thought it was going to be bad based on how Kevin was dressed (in an old sweater and backwards cap) but was hooked 20 seconds in. So basically he is like our Susan Boyle, though I don't think he will get millions of hits on YouTube. Sharon is in tears and can tell he is a lovely person and very genuine. David says he moves all of them. He is sent sailing through to Vegas, and Piers agrees with me that he could win the whole show.

And good for AGT for putting a little Michael Jackson tribute at the end. It was just his picture with Nick saying how talented he was, but since this show isn't live yet there's not much else they could have done.

So that's it for tonight's show, which was surprisingly chock full of talent. I liked all the acts that got through though my favorites were dancing Carol, magician Jay, the Diva League (who should have gotten more screen time), and chicken catcher Kevin. The dancing sisters and the 14-year-old singer were good just not really my thing. Kevin is almost a lock to make the finals though I'm not sure about the others.

So what are your thoughts on tonight's show? Any early favorites? Think Kevin is going to win the whole show? Post your comments below.