Hey all so far I've been kind of disappointed in the talent on AGT this year, and there are only three more audition shows for me to change my mind. I heard tonight's show has a Susan Boyle-type performer so hopefully at least she will be worthy of a million dollars.
Also tonight is the debut of Mariah Carey's new music video. Wonder if her husband hosting the show has anything to do with that?
Tonight's auditions bring us back to Seattle, which like I said in an earlier post is usually where reality shows go only to realize there is little talent. Maybe tonight will be better.
Another short judges intro. At least the producers are getting the hint about how much audiences hate that.
First up is Keg, aka the Lonely Ranger of Rock. who dreams to be a great rocker. He's been playing guitar since he was about four years old, and he thinks this is his true passion. He wants to follow it the footsteps of legendary Seattle rockers like Jimi Hendrix. He is a dental sales representative, but hopes to quit that and join the entertainment business. He starts out on drums, then does a midair split while going over to his guitar. He plays it while jumping around on stage. It's basically a one-man rock band. I actually don't think he is that bad but the crowd turns on him quickly. Piers X's him but the other two let him go to his big finish, a split in front of the microphone. Piers says he's the Lonely Ranger because no one wants to play with him. Keg claims the audience wants to see one-man rock bands but the crowd boos in response. Maybe it sounded worse in person because while he seemed loud he did have a good voice and guitar playing skills. He get three quick no's and is sent on his way.
Bad act montage: Silvia Brasil has a sexy outfit but can't sing or dance. Madmat, the Indestructible Man knocks an apple off a ladder with his foot, and that's all we see of him before he's X'd. There's even a pink gorilla called the Shanghai Pearl who just takes off her outfit and shakes her body a bit.
Kari Callin is up next, and I bet this is the Susan Boyle act since she does not look like a singer at all but claims that she wants to be one. She is a radiologist by trade who has been singing since she was three (she's in her forties now). She has a cleft lip, a deformity of the face that has prevented her from ever having a boyfriend. She never had the courage to fulfill her dream of singing until now. She once auditioned for a cruise ship but got turned away before singing because of her looks. She has a big, sultry voice that isn't as good as Susan's (or as Kelli Glover's for that matter), but still very strong. It sounds a bit offkey at the big notes towards the end but the judges and crowd cheer the most at that point. Considering her backstory I'm stunned she wasn't the "pimp" act of the night. The judges give her a standing ovation- I'm a bit surprised since I didn't think she was THAT good. Certainly good enough to move forward but she did go offkey at the end. David thinks she should charge that cruise ship guy to hear her sing. Sharon got goosebumps. Piers pulls out the "don't judge a book by it's cover" line he said when he first heard Susan. She of course gets through to Vegas. And hey another Mariah song- "When You Believe" is playing in the background.
Now Nick is back in NYC- I guess that means Seattle's talent did stink this year.
Good act montage: Simon Chaban does a cool fire acrobatics act. I wish we could have seen more of him. He does flips and twirls with a fire-lit baton. Awesome. Keith Johnson is like Eli Mattson but not quite as good. Piers apparently X'd him but the other two liked him. Pixie Mystere is a kid gymnastics act who are good, but would be better if they ditched those clown costumes.
Next up is a group of students called Reality. They are five college-age best friends who are like family to each other. They sing "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat" and I think they sound excellent but the crowd turns on them quickly. They are basically like their own little mini-musical right there on the stage. Nick comments backstage their dancing is off but I was too busy admiring the singing to pay attention. Anyway the judges eventually X them. Piers says it was too old-fashioned and uncool, while Sharon and David says they should perform in retirement homes. Wow I'm shocked I liked them better than Kari. They get three no's and are sent off, but I think they'd be a big hit on Broadway.
After the break we meet Destined 2 Be , a group of dancers from Indiana who have faced rejection lots of times before. They have a robotic, electronic style that I'm not really a fan of but they are very good at what they do. David loves the choreography and thinks they were entertaining. Sharon agrees and loves their heart as well. They get three yes's and are off to Vegas.
Next up is Rashida Jolley, who sings and plays harp. Well that's a unique combo. Her father passed away a few years ago and now she's continuing the family tradition by being a musician. He was the one who taught her how to play and sing. Aw. She starts to play and blows me away as soon as she opens her mouth. The arrangement of the song is a bit slow for me but her harp playing is pretty good and her singing is great. Her big voice tails off a bit after the first verse but is still pretty. The act is kind of boring though- I started tuning out pretty quickly once her big voice died down. I don't know if I could listen to this kind of music for an hour but she is talented for sure. David says the singing blew him away but then she started beating on the harp (she almost sounded like she was playing a drum). Sharon says she doesn't know if the harp and singing worked, and I kind of agree. Piers says her harp playing was sexy and not what he was expecting. David surprisingly says yes, as do Sharon and Piers, and she is off to Vegas.
After the break we meet friends Matt and Anthony, who have a song and dance act. They are old college roommates who didn't speak to each other for a few months but then discovered a mutual passion in music. I have a feeling they are going to be bad. They don't even have a group name! One guy sings and plays guitar, while the other tap dances. The tap dancer is amazing, while the singer is good, but nothing special. At first it seems weird to see a tapper and singer on the same stage but the act got better later on, especially as the tapper really began doing some cool tricks. David says it was the best tap dancing he's ever seen. Sharon thinks it was fantastic. Piers thought they would be hopeless at first but found it unique and entertaining. They get through to Vegas, and they have potential to do really well on this show.
Good duos montage: Louis Bar and Laura Cantu do a sexy Argentine tango, though I think the dancers on So You Think You Can Dance are better. The Kalinins are a father-son act where the son balances on the father's head and legs. That's cool but can get kind of dull after a few minutes. Christopher and Laura Camp have a variety act where Christopher whips and cuts things in Laura's hands. Again I don't think that could sustain a Vegas show but they are talented.
Our last act of the night is 16-year-old Mia Boostrom, who got cut in Vegas last year. I don't even remember her but she sounds good in the clip they showed of her. I can't find any clips of her audition but she does have a bunch of songs on Youtube already. She sings "Georgia on my Mind" and plays keyboard. She has a pure, beautiful voices that really shines on the high notes. Her clips on Youtube are not as good as this performance is. She is not the best singer in this competition but is certainly very good. Sharon says she showed much more personality this year. Piers thinks her range as improved but doesn't know if she can win. David thinks it wasn't perfect but was sung beautifully. She gets three yes's and is off to Vegas, but with so many strong singers this year she will probably not make it too far.
And of course the show wouldn't be complete without Mariah Carey's new video. Nick introduces her as another "top talent". That's sweet I guess. And this is what DVR is for. Yay fast forwarding!
So that's it for tonight's show. Another night of good but not great talent. My favorites were Matt and Anthony, mainly because of the tapping. Mia and Rashida have potential as well but didn't blow me away quite yet. I also want to see more of Simon the fire acrobat.
What are your thoughts? Do you think Kari was overrated? Did you think Reality deserved another chance? What about the other acts on tonight's show? Post your comments below.
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