America's Got Talent- A Kid Singer Who Can Actually Sing

Hey everyone we are down to the LAST audition show. That means next week we get Vegas week and then we finally start with the live shows. Is it just me or do the auditions episodes seem to have lasted even longer this season? Anyway on with the show....

Tonight's auditions start out in LA, and we get our usual judges' intro. Boo I thought they got rid of this last week. Oh well- that's what DVR is for.

The first act is Breaksk8, a group of friends trying to turn their hobby of skating into a career. They grew up in a rough neighborhood and will do anything to get out of there. Like their name suggests they do dancing while on skates. They show great coordination (this coming from someone who can barely skate on skates, let alone dance on them), but the act gets boring kind of quickly. One guy does a cool spin on two wheels at the end, but the rest of the choreography was kind of slow compared to other break dancing acts I've seen. Yes I know they are on skates, but that doesn't mean the routine can't be a bit faster. They are good enough to go to the next round though, which they do.

Good act montage: Mosaic is an a Capella group that is very good. I wish we could have seen more of them. The Lollipop Girls are a burlesque act we don't see much of but they are very sexy. Recycled Percussion plays drums on paint cans and ladders. That's cool, but I've seen that kind of thing a lot before. Jeffrey Ou is an insanely good 18-year-old piano player, though I can't listen to piano for more than a few minutes without getting bored. SQ Entertainment is a dancing group much better than Breaksk8 who flip over each other and give a high energy performance. We then get images of other people who get through but we don't see what the acts are.
Koshka Raenelle has a very good voice, though there are other singers I like better in this competition.

After the break we meet Ciana Pelekai, an 8-year-old singer. NO NOT ANOTHER KAITLIN MAHER!!! We already have that other precocious girl who got through who can't sing but hopefully this one is semi-decent. She started singing to copy her older sister- aw. She tries to imitate Beyonce- hopefully not the sexy side of her! She says if she won the million dollars she would buy her family a new house. Holy crap she's actually good. I'm amazed. She's not the best singer ever but she is way better than any of the other kid singers I've heard on this show. If Kaitlin can make the top 10 this year this girl certainly can too- she's just as cute and way more talented. Piers says she should start looking for a new house for her parents, and says he has never heard an eight-year-old with a voice like that, and neither have I. Sharon calls it amazing. David says there is nowhere to go but up. She is off to Vegas and really has a shot to do well in this competition.

Up next is Joseph "JoJo" James, a choir director from California who has been singing his whole life. He wants to use his God-given talent to satisfy God's will. I have a feeling this guy is going to suck. He sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and as I figured it is horrible. He basically shrieks the entire song at an obnoxiously high pitch. Luckily the judges put the audience out of their misery quickly. David says it sounds like air being let out of a balloon. Joseph still insists he has a "gift" but the judges disagree and send him home.

Bad act montage: Brian and Anthony Lockard play the same piano at the same time, and not very well. Inara Darko sings decently until she shrieks the high note at the end. And why did she have a guitar accompanying her? Scott Renkes and Darren Kessner just crawl around on stage and on top of each other. Franklin Ruehl, PhD sticks straws in a potato. Seriously. I think it's supposed to be science but I don't get the scientific or the entertaining part of that act.

The last act before the Susan Boyle extravaganza is the Beale Street Flippers. They are a group of four friends who do backflips on the street for tips. Of course they have a sob story, coming from the projects where most people become thieves. Their act is basically doing flips across the stage while one guy stands in front and moonwalks/dances. They are very good at what they do but lose my interest pretty quickly. They end with one guy backflipping over the other three, which I have to admit is pretty cool. Sharon says they are young and fabulous. David says they are the best flippers ever on the show, which is true, but I still can't sit through that type of act without being bored. Piers says "flipping incredible" and they are the last act of the season off to Vegas.

Before the Boyle madness we get a recap of the best auditions. With an American flag and other US landmarks as the backdrop- that's a bit much, you think? Luckily that is short-lived, and we move on to the actual talent. Kevin Skinner! The Eriam Sisters (for two seconds)! Viva the dancing dog! And there aer some bad auditions thrown in to boot. The David Hasselhoff song guy!!! Wait I liked him- why is he with the bad auditions?? Oh wait they are back to good ones again, including the cleft lip singer, Kelli Glover!!!!!, more Kevin Skinner, that precocious kid singer from a few weeks ago who pales in comparison to Ciana, the 60-year old female dancer!!!!, Barbara Padilla (the opera singer), Arcadian, and Voices of Glory and the bass singer getting more screen time than they deserve in this montage.

So that leaves about 15 minutes of Susan Boyle phenomena. We get an intro from Meredith Vieira that treats this interview like it is being shown for the first time, even though I think it was shown on the Today Show the same morning this episode aired. Oh well. The intro gives us some background on Susan's life before she became a Youtube phenomenon. She apparently has mild brain damage from being starved of oxygen at birth. That actually explains a lot.

Susan has a shorter haircut and is wearing makeup, and actually looks pretty in her purple dress. Piers talks about how she does not look like a typical pop star. Well duh. They replay Susan's audition clip with the judges acting shocked, which will always be my favorite part of the clip. Piers claims to have gotten texts from around the world right after that performance aired. The video has been viewed 300 million times (wow!).

Susan claims she does not want this journey to end. Meredith asks Susan when she knew she was gifted, and Susan claims she is not- she is just lucky. There is some truth to that though- people really need luck some to get to the finals of these reality shows. Just getting passed the preliminary rounds is often a matter of chance- what the producers like and don't like.

Susan's mother always encouraged her to sing, and when she died Susan gave up on singing. But then she decided to honor her mom's memory by going for her dream. That is a cool story. She was nervous going to the audition, but wanted to prove to herself and her mother that she could do it.

Then comes her downfall. She had a shaky performance in the second round of the show, and at the same time was dealing with articles claiming she attacked journalists. And, as we all know, she lost out to Diversity, a dance group who I actually think did better than Susan on that night (I watched their audition, and they were good not great, but really stepped it up in the finale and deserved to win). Susan was gracious in defeat, but was rushed to a hospital for exhaustion after the finale. She claims she just needed to get away for a few days. She just couldn't handle the sudden fame, which is understandable.

On the live tour for the show Susan has still been getting standing ovations. Meredith then pulls out a doll that supposedly looks like Susan but just looks like a dark-haired, pale woman wearing a tiara.

Meanwhile Susan is in the studio recording an album that will come out in the fall. Susan won't reveal many details, but Meredith has heard it is not all showtunes, which somewhat surprises me.

Apparently Prince William from England, the lead singer of Rascal Flatts (don't know his name), and Jon Bon Jovi have all given shout-outs to Susan over the past few months. But apparently one of Susan's biggest idols was Donny Osmond. So of course Donny sends Susan a video message wishing her good luck on the album. He even says they can do a record together, redoing "Puppy Love" as "Susan Love". Okay that was sweet at first but got corny really fast. He then promises to do a "Donny and Susan Show" instead of "Donny and Marie".


But as we know Susan's biggest idol is Elaine Paige, whom she referenced in that famous audition video. I've actually heard of Elaine Page but watching a clip of her their voices are very similar. Apparently she is the first lady of British musical theater, which may be why I've never heard of her. And of course Meredith then surprises Susan by saying Elaine is backstage waiting to meet her. Susan's reaction was a bit anticlimactic- she kind of just sat there in awe of the presence in front of her. Elaine says Susan has a "glorious" voice. To wrap up the interview Susan does a duet of "I Dreamed a Dream" with Meredith and let's just say Meredith should stick to her day job.

So what are your thoughts on this week's show? Were you as impressed with young Ciana as I was? Who are your early favorites to make the finals? And what did you think of Susan Boyle? Post your comments below.

America's Got Talent Recap: Our New Susan Boyle- I Think Not

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.

America's Got Talent Recap: More Auditions, Yay?

Hey all I can't believe we are STILL on audition shows for America's Got Talent. When does Vegas week start already? The only good thing is none of the "pimped" talents being shown at the end of each episode have impressed me yet but now there is still time for one to do so.


Tonight we are back for more NYC auditions. Hey maybe I'll see someone I know....

Glad to see the quick judges' introduction this week.

First up is government contractor Jeffrey Widom. He has a serious job but feels good inside when he sings and even hums at work. His "singing" however consists mostly of yelling and awkwardly bopping to the music. Too bad he seems like a nice guy but he gets X'd right away. Jeffrey then takes that as a cue to start singing some Sinatra, and it's slightly better but that's not saying much. He gets booed off the stage.

Bad act montage: Alex Feldman makes weird faces, plays a recorder with his nose (Ew!) and pulls a bra out of his shirt. Dorothy Bishop looks like Janice Dickinson and probably sings like her too. Chris Evans takes off his shirt and does some double-jointed stuff. At least he actually has talent unlike the other acts so far. David Glass does a horrible Elvis impersonation and apparently doesn't know the word "stop". Nick literally has to push him off the stage.

Hey another cute kid! He is nine-year-old Tallan Noble Latz and he plays guitar. He does even have musical background in his family, and he loves coming home from school so he can practice playing. He adds that if he wins the million he will want his mom to quit work so he can spend time with her. Aw... Not very realistic, but still adorable. Sharon asks him what style of music he likes and he says rock/blues. He even got his father into blues! He names a bunch of his influences, and I'm embarrassed to admit I've never heard of any of them except Jimi Hendrix. Anyway he starts playing and the kid is amazing! If I closed my eyes I would have thought it was a professional. Though I'm not sure how many people can listen to just guitar playing for an hour-long show. He even has stage presence, rocking his head with the music. David says he has a great career ahead of him, and he loves Tallan's attitude. Piers has a nine-year-old son who can barely play "Three Blind Mice", so he is amazed at how well Tallan played. Sharon says he has the soul and charisma as well. He of course gets through to Vegas, along with a standing ovation from the crowd.

After the break we get a brief glimpse of a sexy dancing duo who get through to Vegas. They looked really good in the short clip but we don't get to see much of them. Boo.

Next up is 74-year-old Tony Ferrante. Based on his outfit I'm guessing he's an Elvis impersonator. He is a retired barber who always dreamed to be onstage. Well he'll either be like the Sinatra impersonator last year or he'll be a disaster. I'm guessing the latter. And of course I'm wrong on both fronts. He's a disco dancer, not an Elvis impersonator, and he is pretty good. There is a weird leg stretch thing that doesn't look like dancing, but the rest of the routine was quite entertaining. Not quite as good as the 62-year-old dancer from a few episodes ago, but that's understandable since he's 12 years her senior. Considering my father was impressed with the 62-year-old I'm sure he'll be in awe of this too. Piers oddly X's him, but the crowd and other judges are loving it. He doesn't even look out of break at the end! Sharon says he is entertaining and has lots of rhythm. Piers though doesn't think Tony's act is worth a million dollars. That's probably true but I still think he's good enough to go to Vegas- the judges can weed out all the lesser acts later, but as long as they have some potential they should go to the next round. David says the act made him feel like dancing. Piers of course says no, but David and Sharon (after a dramatic pause of course) say yes, so Tony is off to Vegas! The crowd demands an encore, so he comes back on stage one more time, much to Piers' chagrin.

Now about halfway through the show we find out that there are two more weeks of auditions (still???) before the Vegas round. Then like last year the acts will perform again for the judges, with the top 40 facing the audience vote in the semifinals. In the montage of acts through so far are some of my faves, namely Kevin Skinner and the Eriam Sisters, along with some other early favorites like the ballroom dancing kids, the siblings who brought their mother out of a coma by singing, and the yodeling dominatrix. But why are they putting this in the middle of the show? Why not wait until the end so that audiences don't accidentally fast forward through it?

Good act montage: Arthur Gulkarov looks like a belly dancer and starts out putting his arms and hands behind his head on opposite sides. That doesn't seem too impressive, but then he does a bunch of quick spins in a row. That's all we see of him but I hope he does more spinning because the beginning of the dance was just weird. Nathan Burton is a magician who puts a woman on a chair on one half of the stage, puts a sheet over it, and then has her reappear on a platform on the other side of the stage! That was really cool. I've liked a lot of the magicians so far this season but I'm afraid only one or two will make the semifinals. African High Fliers do lots of acrobats and tumbling, and even make a human pyramid. They were good, but I've seen that kind of thing a lot before on this show.

Next up is Kelli Glover, a singer who auditioned for AI Season 1. And unlike last week, where several reality show rejects auditioned for AGT and it was never brought up, we actually see the clip of Kelly not getting through to the top 10. Hey a Brian Dunkleman sighting!!! Jim Verraros got to the top 10 instead of her, and I remember that Jim getting through was a big surprise. After doing some Youtube research it seems she originally sang a Whitney Houston song in the semis where she sounded decent but not amazing, and the judges called her out for sounding too much like Whitney. They brought her back for the wildcard and she did better, though still not blowing me or the judges away. Here is the clip of her wildcard performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYYCq2dEtMc
That also was eight years ago so maybe she's gotten better. She gave up on her dreams but now is making a comeback on AGT. She looks completely different now- I like that she ditched the afro. She is singing "Listen" from Dreamgirls (bonus points for no Whitney) and after watching that clip I think she sounds ten times better now than she did back then. It starts out great and then she shines on the big notes at the end. She does sound very much like Beyonce, but I think that's a good thing. She's one of my favorites so far this year. David says this is a lesson not to give up and it was a great job. Piers though know if she can win. What is it with Piers tonight? Did he wake up on on the wrong side of the bed? But surprisingly he says yes along with David and Sharon and she moves on to the next round.

Hey there's an Elphaba wannabe in the crowd!!!

Next up are the Badd Girls, a pop group not to be confused with the Spice Girls (whose music is of course playing in the background). They claim to have the whole package and are born to perform. Well the guys certainly will.... They want to be international pop stars as big as the Spice Girls. The dancing isn't bad but the singing is painful- it's more like shouting than anything. They are quickly X'd. Piers says they have as much chance to be as famous as the Spice Girls as he has to be US president (which of course is zero, since Piers is a foreigner). David and Sharon think they sounded like cats (I agree!!!). The three walk off before learning of their fates, but not surprisingly all three judges say no anyway. And also not surprisingly the Badd Girls still think they are talented.

After this we meet the Platt Brothers, who grew up in the countryside. They had no television, so they would hang out outside all the time growing up. Their parents have driven them to theater, dance, and gymnastics classes over the years, and the brothers hope to turn their passion into a career. For today's audition they stick with dancing. First they do a little synchronized electronic dancing that reminds me of Diversity from Britain's Got Talent. Then they act out a scene where one brother slams a (fake) door in the other brothers' faces, goes to the bathroom (I think), then throws a pretend cup at another brother, knocking him down. They finish with some more flips, including two of the brothers tumbling between each others legs while the third does a handstand. They are very energetic and good at what they do, though I don't know if they could sustain an hour show either. I kind of found myself getting bored halfway through. David loves their act and their hair. Piers says they have the tools plus the sex appeal, and now they just need to add more to it. Sharon likes the interpretation of the music. They also get three definite yes's, and seem up to Piers' challenge.

The final act/pimp act of the day is a group of Post Office workers who have been singing together for 10 years. Two of them happened to hear each other singing in the mail room one day and decided to join together. Now they have expanded to seven members, including a 21-year-old and a 76-year-old. They call themselves the Spiritual Harmonizers. They start singing, and they are basically an a capella group, as one soloist comes forward while the others do backing vocals. The soloist is pretty good, and the harmonies are even better, though I think Kelli should have been in the pimp spot instead of these guys. They are very good, but she is better. Piers says the lead singer is like a young Stevie Wonder (wow I didn't think he was that good), and that is what made the act not boring. Sharon loves the show because it gives everyday people like them to show their talent. David is proud of them. They of course get through to Vegas and start jumping for joy backstage.

So that's it for tonight's show. I was very impressed with the talent, especially Tallen, Tony, and Kelli Glover. Even Spiritual Harmonizers surprised me, though I still think they did not deserve to be in the pimp spot.

Thoughts on tonight's show? Did you love Kelli as much as I did? And who were your other standouts? Post your comments below.

America's Got Talent Auditions Five and Six Recap

Hey all sorry I missed last night's show but I kind of conked out at 10 PM. Odd since I've been sleeping until nine every day. Ah the perks of being unemployed (and being in school so I don't have to worry about not earning enough money to support a family).

Anyway tonight I will do a two-for-one combo recapping both Tuesday and Wednesday night's audition shows. I am looking forward to seeing that singer from Tuesday night's show who was in all the previews this week. He sounded great in the commercials.

Tuesday Night:

We start out with the LA auditions, which Nick calls arguably the most talented town in the world. No pressure, LA. A guy in a pirate hat thinks he is going to win. Oh brother.

First up is Nathan Watkins, aka Nasty Nate. He claims to have charisma, stage presence, sex appeal, and fake hair that looks like it came out of the 1960s. Since the song "Milkshake" is playing in the background I have a bad feeling this guy is going to do some stripping. Either way I doubt he is talented. He claims to be 20 but looks much older. Maybe it's the hair. He stays at home with his mother for a living. Ha so do I (though like I said before I'm in college). There is a good voice in there somewhere but he is horribly offkey. "Simply the Best" (his song of choice) he is clearly not. Sharon seems somewhat impressed but the other two judges plus audience boos. David says he was simply the worst. Hey that was my joke! Nathan though won't take no for an answer and gives the judges some attitude before heading offstage.

Bad audition montage (appropriately set to the song "Goodbye" by Kristina Debarge: Zahid Khan claims be a one-man instrument but sounds like Daffy Duck instead. Leland Faulkner puts a paper mask in front of his face and pretends to be a cat. Seriously- that's the whole act. Iota Arcane is the "world's fastest poet" and reads a poem he wrote on AGT but just looks like he is spazzing out while reading it. Plus you can't understand a word of the poem, which defeats the point of the act.

After some weird shots of David wearing his lifeguard jacket and life preserver from his Baywatch days we have our next acts. They are Sheldon and Alexandra , aka Footworks Fitness, who turn a step into a drum, or so they say. It does sound like a drum but it's kind of boring. All they do is step up and down to the beat with their hands in the air occasionally. Nothing else is really happening on stage, and they are X'd quickly. I'm surprised I thought from the setup they would be good. But Piers agrees with me that it is not really an act, and David says it's not entertaining. They too are sent packing.

ANOTHER bad act montage (wow the auditions in LA must have really sucked): At least this one is also set to good music ("Mercy" by Duffy). Scott Weider flies a kite. Again, it's not really an act. That seems to be a general theme tonight. Plus the kite falls to the ground after a few seconds in the air. The judges tell him to figuratively go fly a kite (my joke). Circus Runaways just curl up into a ball and hop up and down on stage. Trixie and the Monkey (or really Trixie and a guy dressed as a monkey) just prance around the stage, and we don't get to see much of the actual act before they are X'd off. A guy named K-Dizzle comes up sporting a rainbow colored "Believe" bandanna before taking off his shirt and doing some really bad rapping. Even the Hoff raps better than he does!!

But wait, there's hope! Or at least the sappy music is playing so the last act of the day must be good. It is 49-year old nurse Terri Willis, who has been singing since she was 3. She immediately seems lovable, an older woman trying to fulfill her dreams. Piers tells her she can't be worse than the other acts today. Boy that's the truth! And apparently she is Celine Dion's seventh-cousin. Okay just as a warning Celine Dion is one of my favorite singers so hopefully Terri won't disappoint. Wow she's horrible!!! I'm shocked I really thought she'd be good. Sharon gets up and starts fake-stabbing herself with a knife, and Piers just gets up and walks away. But David makes sure to X her three times before joining them. She asks Nick if she was really that bad and he tells her no, but let me say here, she was that bad.

Piers calls it the worst day in AGT history, and David calls it the worst day of his life!!!

We are now 20 minutes in and not even one act has gotten through yet. Can we just skip to the singer from the previews already???

Now it is Day 2, and the judges are praying for more talent. First up is 17-year-old Bri from Vegas, who sings and plays keyboard. Now they are playing slow music again, so she is going to be great, right? Apparently she was born with a stuttering problem and could barely talk, but she used music to get through it. She also loves writing essays and poetry and is nervous to sing in front of "rock chick" Sharon. I like her already. But now she had to go and ruin it by saying she is singing a Jonas Brothers song. I can't diss them too much since I was just as into NSYNC and Backstreet Boys when I was that age but I am now at the age where that music doesn't appeal to me. But the song choice does get loud squeals from the crowd. She starts out so slow I barely recognize the song but as she gets faster I hear the melody, though she changed it up a bit. I don't love the arrangement but she has a great voice and also plays the keyboard well. She kind of has an Amy Winehouse/Adele kind of vibe to her. Not my favorite style of singing but she is very good. Sharon loves her unique personality and attitude. Piers says she has raw talent, and David says she has a big career ahead of her. She gets three yes's and is off to Vegas. She has a chance to do well in this competition I think.

And at the 28-minute mark we finally get our first ticket to Vegas of the show!!!

Next up is TJ and the Little Mamas. They are 6-9 year-old dancers wearing very glittery pink outfits (the girls at least). And TJ is so cute with his "TJ" shirt that makes him look like a little lady's man. The dancing is a lot of simple (though coordinated) steps and a lot of cartwheels. The act is adorable though and they definitely have talent, especially young TJ mouthing the words. They are sent to Vegas as well.

And now finally a good talent montage. Miss Germany eats fire and blows it out of her mouth. Not the most creative thing I've ever seen but of course Piers and David like it, and so does Sharon. Janice Martin goes up in the air on scarf-like things, then sings and plays guitar WHILE IN THE AIR. I have to admit that's cool, even though I don't think it could sustain a Vegas show. But she did play the violin upside-down, which is awesome. The Scott brothers are poppers who are very good at what they do, though that really is not my thing (which I have learned from watching So You Think You Can Dance).

After the break we see a quick shot of Iconic Crew dance in leather costumes and do a lot of robotic moves, though they are very synchronized. They get three yes's and are off to Vegas.

Next up is proofreader who calls himself Monsieur Pedicure and who promises a unique entertaining dance style. Well we haven't had any bad acts in a while so I have a feeling he will be one. Apparently he is a toe dancer. He puts his toe in a little box and dresses it in an afro, suit, and wiggly eyes. Then he just shakes it back and forth as music plays. Three quick X's (thank God). David says he is the worst act in history. I don't know about that but it certainly wasn't good. Monsieur claims the world is not ready for his act....

Mario Ferrera and Jennifer Romas- Ferrara are next, and they say they work really well together. Robert loves the intensity and danger of their act. Apparently they could die during the act. Okay they have my interest. Jennifer comes out in a leather bikini, and Mario wears a top hat and robe with leather stockings. Mario starts out sawing apart pieces of wood held by Jennifer. I get the danger, but not so much the talent. But then he takes three of the saws, turns them on, and juggles them. Okay that part took skill, and he could go to Vegas based on that. David calls them sexy, terrific, and dangerous. Piers says they are born to be Vegas performers (really?). Sharon calls them powerful and says they instantly got everyone's attention (well except mine I guess). They get through to Vegas, which I guess is well-deserved based on the end of the act but I still didn't think the first part of the act was that impressive.

And last but not least is Lawrence Beaman, aka the guy from the previews this week. He better be good after an audition show with mostly a whole lot of nothing. He is from Mississippi and used to sing with his brother in church. Yet he is still nervous, as he admits to Nick backstage. He calls it the "biggest opportunity of his life". He shows his nerves when he first steps on stage, and the judges have to calm him down. His voice is VERY deep, too deep for my tastes, but he really shines on the high notes towards the end of the song. The judges give him a standing ovation and he breaks down on stage. Sharon runs onstage to give him tissues. Aw she's such a sweetheart. Piers calls it "stunning". Sharon calls him a class act, and David says he brought class, grace, and talent to the show. Of course he gets right through to Vegas. He certainly is very good, but not as good as I expected. But maybe because I don't really like the Barry White-type voices. And yay for Leona Lewis' "Footprints in the Sand" playing in the background! Brings back memories of Ashley Anderson's audition for American Idol last year, who I still insist should have made the top 36 even though she didn't make it through the first round of Hollywood week. Check out the clip here and see what you think: http://idolsongsvideos.com/ashley-anderson-american-idol-audition/

Anyway another pretty disappointing show talent wise. The only standout for me was Bri, though Lawrence was good too, just not really my taste. Hopefully Wednesday's show will be better...

Wednesday Night:

This show takes place in Houston, where record number crowds auditioned, as we heard last time the show was here.

The judges get a big intro tonight, though oddly didn't get one in Tuesday night's show. I almost forgot about it after watching the first show but after watching it again in this show I still think it is completely unnecessary. And of course David gets his extended introduction, complete with a leather outfit and cowboy hat.

First up are the Texas Tenors, three cowboys who try to bring the heart of Texas into their act. They actually just formed the group for the show it sounds like, which makes me like them a bit less, though they are adorable. They have known each other for years though. One guy (the cutest of the bunch) says he is unemployed, and when Sharon has them take their hats off he reveals his golden locks. She says she has a job for him! Ha! I really hope they are good. And yay they are!! They get the crowd going right away and start singing a fast country song in perfect harmony. There is one really high voice sticking out that I don't love but the others are very good. Sadly I think the cute one was the voice I didn't like since the other two sang solos that were excellent. But they were very fun and entertaining, especially for the country crowd. Not the best voices ever but what they lack in vocal chops they make up for in stage presence. David liked the attitude and thought they did a very, very good job. Sharon says they are a bit raw in the performance. Piers at first was lukewarm but grew to like it. Piers says yes, as does Sharon, and they are off to Vegas. They will get a lot of votes from the Southerners I bet.

After the break we meet 51-year-old Bruce Thomas. He has been told his act is unique, but usually on this show unique means bad. He is a plumber by trade, though he has had this talent for 40 years. Apparently his talent is making farting noises with his hands. The act is playing "Yankee Doodle Dandy" with his hands, and he actually does play the tune well but that sound is so obnoxious the judges X him right away.

Bad Act Montage: Ruby Revue do burlesque but can't open or stand on chairs properly. In Sterio are floutists who start out doing a cool arrangement of "Toxic" with one girl playing and the other beat boxing on the flute. It actually sounds cool until the beat boxer starts playing too, and then it just sounds offkey. The Crispy Family Carnival has a fat guy get money stapled to his body. Then he attaches hooks to his nipples and lifts 45 pounds with them. That part was actually kind of cool but the judges kicked him off immediately. It was the opposite of the prior act-started out boring but then actually got decent.

Next up is Acrodunk, five friends who acrobatic slam dunks. I think I've seen acts like this on the show before and never really dug them too much but maybe they will be different. They already got the sob story going by having parents who want them to get "real jobs". They actually are quite entertaining. They do flips onstage and then use a trampoline to jump up to the basket and dunk. They even purposely miss shots so their teammate can grab the loose ball and either pass it on again or dunk it themselves. And a dude spins on his head! I don't know if that could sustain a Vegas show but it was really fun. David says they are the best dunkers they've had, and I think I agree. Piers loved the energy and dunking. Sharon also loved the energy and says she could watch them all night. I don't know about that but they certainly deserve yeses for a shot in Vegas, which they get from all three judges.

So far this show is already better than Tuesday night's.

The better news is the directors took my advice and stuck to one city per episode. They did it Tuesday night and seem to be doing it tonight.

Now we get a good act montage. Live in Color is a lot of crazy dancing with wild colored outfits. Ana Pipoyan does some great belly dancing with a LIT candlestick on her head. That's nuts! The best part was Nick lighting the candles and saying he hopes wife Mariah isn't mad at him for lighting someone else's fire. I don't get why people don't like Nick- I find him cool and funny, though maybe it's a generational thing. Anyway Ana is very skilled as well, and even Sharon likes it. Eclipse is a waiter at Olive Garden who raps like a pro, though I couldn't understand a word he said (then again I never understand what rappers say!!)

The next act is Eleisha Miller from Amarillo, Texas. She is adorable when she asks if Nick is the new host as he interviews her. But it sounds like she is another singer. NOT ANOTHER KAITLIN MAHER!!! Sorry I couldn't stand Kaitlin last year- I don't really understand how little children who only have high voices can be considered singers. My hopes are not high for this girl either but maybe I'll luck out and she won't sing. She is eight, so slightly older than Kaitlin last year. She does sing, but also does other stuff like dance and play piano. Dang her personality is so bold and cute though. She says she'll take her family to Hawaii if she wins, even her cats! And wow she's singing "Proud Mary"!!! At least it's not Disney songs like Kaitlin did last year. Well the piano playing is great but her voice is still as obnoxiously high-pitched as Kaitlin's was. She just sounds like she is shouting the song at a high pitch. She should just stand there and play the piano and I'd be more entertained. David says he is cute and funny but the singing needs work. Yay he agrees with me!!! Piers says she is funny, and she responds by telling a corny golfer joke but even she can make it cute. Sharon agrees the voice is weak but she is a delight to watch. Wow Sharon says no!! I'm amazed. Piers puts her through based on her humor, and when Eleisha says she has a vocal teacher and that "everyone who sings needs a vocal teacher" David puts her through as well. She has great stage presence so she should just tell jokes or play piano instead of singing because she has star potential, but not the voice. Unlike Kaitlin, she actually has personality rather than just stand there and be cute.

The next act is Jamar and Lamar Jefferson, twin singers. OMG I JUST saw them on American Idol Rewind last week!! They auditioned in season 4 and got through to Hollywood, though I'm not sure exactly when they were cut. The judges liked them more than I did, but maybe they've improved in four years. Now they have a new name- Timez 2, and are dressed exactly the same so I can't tell them apart. They start singing Usher's "Yeah", and considering it took me a few seconds to realize it was them singing and not Usher, I guess that means they were good. But once I realized it was them the vocals kind of went downhill, especially on the high notes. A little too much jumping around on the stage for my taste, but that probably made it more entertaining in real life. David likes their raw talent and energy. Piers did not want to like them because of their attitude but thought they were quite good. Sharon says they need to work more on their vocals, which I agree with. David tells them to take Sharon's advice but says yes. Piers surprisingly said their voices were too weak and says no. Sharon (with some pressure from the crowd) also says yes. They are crowd pleasers but do need to work on the vocals to get farther in the show.

Next up is a 75 year old retired phone operator named Grandma Lee. She likes doing fun stuff with her grandkids while not being the bad guy. She doesn't consider herself old though- good for her! She wants to live her dreams and inspire others to do the same. Wow she's a comic- didn't see that coming. She makes a joke about Vegas that I don't get but then says she wants to be cremated and have her ashes spread at a Krispy Kreme so her daughters-in-law will come visit her! Haha. Then she tells a joke about her daughter coming home from college and saying she's ain't a virgin and Lee wondering why she spends money for her daughter to still say "ain't"! Not the funniest thing ever but it was cute and will certainly appeal to the older crowd. Sharon loved the material and timing. Piers says she is his favorite contestant so far. Wow that's a bold statement, though we don't know what other acts he had seen at this point. She counters by saying he is cute! Did she just say "I'll do him"?????? David loves the material and delivery and she is off to Vegas. She reminds me of "Rappin' Granny" from a few years back, though I think I liked Lee better, only because I hate rap.

And now all that's left is the pimp spot of the week. It is a stay-at-home mom with an adorable kid. Her name is Barbara Padilla and she is originally from Mexico. She always wanted to be a a singer, and her daughter hears other singers and thinks they are her mother! Aw. She just wants to go out there knowing she has done her best. And we have another opera singer. She is quite good though, I just don't understand the fascination this show has with opera singers. Plus there's no way she'll win after Neal won last year, though I like her better than Neal. And wow did she hit that last note!! A standing ovation from Sharon and David, which was well deserved. I see her as Maria in West Side Story. It turns out she's a cancer survivor. I was wondering when her sob story would come out. Sharon calls her an inspiration, Piers loves her spirit, determination, and a voice that could take her far. David tells her to keep singing because her voice can heal. She gets a definite yes to Vegas. I don't like opera music at all, but she is very talented.

Anyone else find it weird that a Mariah Carey (aka Nick's husband) is playing in the background. Wonder if he had a say in that??

So that's it for tonight's doubleheader. Wednesday's show had a lot of good but not great acts with the exception of Barbara, who almost makes me like opera music. I also enjoyed the Acrodunks and the Texas Tenors, and I think Grandma Lee has potential to be even better.

So what are your thoughts on tonight's show? Who are some of your favorites from this strong audition night? And did you share my disdain for Kaitlin last year? Post your comments below.

America's Got Talent Audition Show Four Recap

Hey all we are really moving along with these auditions shows. We should be almost up to Vegas week. And the last few audition shows have been really impressive with the talent level so let's hope tonight's show is just as good.

First we get a recap of last night's show with Nick adding that this show is the biggest hit of the summer. I thought So You Think You Can Dance was a bigger hit but maybe not.

Tonight's auditions start out in Houston, the first time ever the show has gone to this city. They also had the biggest crowd in show history.

We get the usual big introduction of the judges. Do we really need this every episode? Even American Idol saw the error of its ways and gave up on the big entrance after a few shows. Anyway David is wearing an appropriate cowboy hat.

First up tonight is Divani, a 29-year-old Russian singer who loves the emotion and feeling of the songs she sings. She promises to give 110 percent when she goes on the stage. Her dress is gorgeous, but her voice, not so much. She sounds kind of like she is drunk or very hoarse, or both. Piers X's her pretty quickly but the others let her finish. Divani claims she couldn't sing because the audience was booing her too loudly. Nick quips backstage that she can't sing when the audience is quiet either! Ha! She unsurprisingly gets three no's.

Bad Talent Montage- Jolie and Lester are dressed like farmers. Jolie sings horribly and plays guitar while Lester balances a lawn mower on his chin. They enlist Nick to throw vegetables into the mower, and he signals "crazy" to the crowd when the two are not looking. Meanwhile he can't throw the vegetables into the mower so we move on to another act. That was just weird. Rusty Reece sings "If I Were a Richman" and I don't think he's that bad but he is X'd pretty quickly. Really? They stopped him and let Divani keep singing. Rusty wasn't great but he was better than her. Nick is still failing to toss the veggies. Stone White does weird robotic dancing and has a rocker voice. I didn't think he was that bad either but the judges thought he was too "angry". The lawn mower act finally gets X'd by the judges.

The judges are not amused at the lack of talent so far. But hoping to prove them wrong are a bunch of girls in Shirley Temple wigs. Even Nick has one!! They are a large dance team named Lake Houston Performing Arts Center made up of adorable young girls aged 8-14. The act is a disco-style dance to "Shake Your Groove Thing" and they are very good. The choreography is cute and they are very in sync. They get a standing ovation from the audience too. Turns out the wigs are supposed to be celebrating the 70s, not Shirley Temple, which makes sense considering the song and dance style. Piers thought the wigs worked well. Sharon asks to see the choreographers, and out they come, plus Nick still in the wig. She says it was perfect. David says they are the best act in Houston so far (though that's not saying much). They get three yes's and are off to Vegas. Aw some of the girls are so happy they are crying.

We are back from break and Nick is on a ranch complete with a cowboy hat and Southern accent. He says we have seen the good, bad, and ugly so far (though more bad and ugly than good).

Next up is an adorable dog named Viva, owned by Pam Martin. The dog actually dances with Pam. Her husband passed away (Pam's, not the dog's), and the dog helped her grieve after her husband died. Aw that's like my aunt- her parents and sister both died within a few years of each other and so she got a dog to ease the pain. Now she's a part-time dog trainer and her second dog (her first one died a few years ago) goes to hospitals to cheer up sick kids. I don't really see much actual dancing but the act is adorable. Viva puts her legs back to the beat, then jumps around and onto Pam. At one point Viva puts her paws on Pam's legs and they move together. That is one of the cutest acts I've ever seen. Viva even walks on her front legs too and hops on her back ones! Sharon thought they were fabulous. Pam says much of their dancing is freestyle. Piers says it looked like training routines but they were entertaining. I agree on both accounts. David says it was the best dog act he's ever seen. They are off to Vegas! And of course Piers makes the obligatory Viva Las Vegas joke (groan).

Now we are in Miami, which apparently means Flo Rida must be played in the background. And David is for some reason still wearing a cowboy hat.

First up in Miami is magician Marti Brill. I think he's going to be bad, but then again I said that about the magician last night too who was great. Anyway he says he practices all the time and that people talk about his act for years after seeing him. Cocky much? He says he has been doing this for 20 years yet is only 25 years old. So he has performed professionally since he was five?? I doubt it. He first takes some cards out of his mouth, then throws them down, them takes more out of his mouth. He then pours soda into a cup and has the cup levitate. That was better than his card act but gets him two X's. He then lays a girl down on a bench held up by two chairs but only removes one chair for some reason. He seems to think he nailed it but is getting booed by the crowd. I'm kind of glad he stunk since he was a jerk. Piers says he is the most annoying man in Miami. He says the acts were all ones we've seen before, which is true. I've never seen the soda thing before but the rest was lame. David says it wasn't David Copperfield. He gets three no's, to the anger and shock of Marti.

More bad acts hated by the crowd. Brandon Paxton reads some poems on ex-girlfriends- that's his whole act? He could at least do some slam poetry or something. And the poems themselves were bad too. Diego Baner is a voice teacher who sings. Which I know from years of watching American Idol means he will be horrible. He sings very low but I don't think it's that bad. The audience however turns on him immediately, as do the judges. Sharon says he sounds like a sheep was in his throat! Ouch. The Midwest Entertainers do some fake fighting onstage and that's about it. Piers says they are not spring chickens, and they counter that neither is he. Piers counters back that the Entertainers have the guns (meaning huge muscles, not real guns), but we've got the Cannon, aka Nick Cannon. The Cannon is terrified of them, but the judges send them on their way.

40 minutes in and exactly two acts have gone through. I guess they showed all the good acts over the last two nights.

Piers thinks that Miami session was the worst group they've had in three years!

But hoping to break that streak is illusionist Joseph Constantine and his wife Casey. He has adorable kids but has had a tough life recently. He was hurt by the recession and had to declare bankruptcy, losing his car and house. He had given up on his dreams but his wife urged him to continue. He starts out doing the typical "put a woman in a box and then appear to cut her in pieces with dividers" routine but when he opens the box after putting the dividers in she is gone!
Then out go the dividers and there appears the wife! That was pretty good. I still liked the illusionist last night better but he was good enough to go to Vegas. Plus his kids are so cute! David says they've seen that act a lot before so he has to think about it. Sharon says she's seen the trick before but she's never seen his twist on it. They are all on the fence. Piers says that was the best example of that trick that he's seen. Joseph and his wife put on their sympathy faces, and Piers says the show is about giving people like them a break. David counters that 100 million people have that story and they need to focus on the talent. Normally I would agree but I do think this guy has talent, and usually in the audition shows I say if someone has talent they should go through. The weaker talents can be weeded out in Vegas but as long as they are decent they should get to the next round. David subsequently says no. Piers says they don't want to give him special treatment, and after thinking about it he says yes, to the delight of the crowd and Joseph's kids. Sharon is the tiebreaker, and I have a feeling from the sentimental music playing that she is going to say yes. Indeed she does. He won't make it far but it is nice seeing the joy on his kids' faces as they run out on stage to congratulate him.

Now for a montage of good acts for a change. Fuchsia FoXXX does a sexual belly dance that pleased David and Piers of course, and Sharon as well. Circus R Us have a variety of tricks, including contortion and giant hula hooping. The Hurricane Tricksterz do a mix of karate and dance that looks cool. And having great bodies doesn't hurt either!! All three are through to Vegas, though none of them impressed me that much.

All that's left is the obligatory "incredible" last act that the producers are putting last to pimp before the live shows. Tonight's act is Hairo Torres, who works two jobs but practices at home when he can. He is a breakdancer who has been dancing for 10 years. He comes from a poor background so the money would really change his life. His act is more of a mix of contortion and dancing than anything else. He puts his head between his legs, does jump rope with his jacket, and twists himself like a pretzel. His act makes my body hurt just watching him. He's good but not worthy of the pimp spot as the last act in the show, then again no one tonight was really amazingly impressive. David says it was terrific, Sharon calls it unique (which it surely is), and Piers says he wants to see more. He of course is sent through to Vegas.

So that's it for tonight's show. Not one of their best in my opinion. I liked Viva the dog dancer and the Lake Houston dancers the best but like I said no one really blew me away. What are your thoughts? Were you more impressed with Hairo than I was? Who else did you enjoy? And did
you think the judges were too harsh on some of the "bad" acts? And are you as excited as I am to hear the singer they showed in the commercial for next week's show? Post your comments below.

America's Got Talent Recap: Season Premiere

Hey all so just so you know I am not just a fan of So You Think You Can Dance, I will be recapping other reality shows on this blog as well, starting with America's Got Talent. I've watched this show from the beginning and still can't believe Neal beat out Nuttin' But Stringz or my personal favorite Eli Mattson last year. Oh well.

Sorry for the lateness of this blog but I got in trouble for screaming at one of the acts (more on that later) which woke up my parents who made me turn the show off. Anyway on to the show...

I've already seen plenty of previews and can guarantee the chicken catcher who sings country music and the siblings who woke their mother up from a coma will both make the finals. The country guy is good, but not really my thing, and while I didn't like the siblings' voices at first they have started to grow on me as I saw their commercial more and more.

But first we have to get through the audition rounds. I wonder how many times they'll mention Susan Boyle in the intro (I bet they'll mention her much more than they mention Neal).

Well no specific mention of Susan, just clips from the various world versions of this show with a large shot of Susan at the end and Piers' reaction to her voice (because of course they can't show Simon's reaction since he's not a judge on this show...)

And the siblings who woke up their mom already appear in the intro as well, though at least they showed the young girl who in my view is the most talented of the three.

Quick comments from the judges- Piers wants a unique act to win (especially after two singers winning in the past three years I bet), Sharon loves how this show makes dreams come true, and David says the show is fun, especially with the wacky acts.

Why is Nick Cannon in front of the White House for the intro? That's kind of random... OMG he's going to dance with one of the acts! This I got to see.


I didn't watch most of the acts they showed in the intro because I wanted to be surprised when they came out but that young boy dancer looked really good.

Nick gets his photo AND name in the credits- Regis and Jerry never got that. Hmm...

So wait, there are no auditions in Washington DC?? Then why the hell is Nick there???

First up, NYC. I think we see those three siblings here since I know they are from upstate NY.

The judges get their traditional big intro and now it's time for the auditions. Nick certainly knows how to work a crowd.

First up is a cute teacher's aide named Ray Schwarz. He's a singer and dancer who hopes to touch people with his music. Please let him be good!!! Well his voice isn't horrible but his "dancing" consists of shaking and waving his arms back and forth. Too bad he seemed like a nice guy. The audience is hating it but the judges dig it for a bit. Oh wait there's David with the X,and Piers soon follows. And there goes Sharon. Ray says he needs improvement, and Piers wonders how bad he was before lessons! Ouch. At least the judges are nice in their rejections.

Montage of bad acts. Jay Brunelle plays guitar and sings badly while slipping on a unicycle. Andy Lopata ( a forty-year old white guy, mind you) does some "rap" that sounds like rhythmic poetry more than rap. Sky and Vlad Eros Fire (cool name) do a fire dance but Sky's hair catches on fire halfway through. They even needed fire extinguishers to put out the blaze! The judges are not impressed.

Now we have moved to Chicago. Oh yeah I forgot they are going to jump back and forth between cities like they did last year. I hated it then and I hate it now- too confusing. Ooh Johnny Depp lookalike.

Moses Lanham- A movie usher with a unique talent. Apparently he's the only living person who can do what he does, and it is dangerous. This could be really good or really bad. His act is turning his feet 180 degrees and then walking. That sounds really painful and cool, though I don't know how he could sustain this for a whole act in Vegas. Well he does it, and it is cool and weird, but like I said what will he do in the next round to top this? Haha love the look on Nick's face. Piers X's him when he gets grossed out enough, but the guy even has a tie on the back of his shirt and then puts his back to the audience but with the tie and his feet he looks like he is just facing forward with his head turned around! David agrees with me that it's not enough to sustain an act though, and even the audience is lukewarm. Sharon says no, and Piers says he got physically ill. I'm not surprised though at least he actually has talent, unlike the other rejects so far.

Nick turns his clothes and shoes around and imitates Moses as he walks off the stage! I think I'm going to like Nick as the host.

Ooh sad music starting- that means the next act will be good and have a sob story to boot.

They are a six-man group called FootworKINGz. They grew up in bad neighborhoods and want to inspire others to go for their goals. They have a motto but I can't really understand it- something about water I think. They are full of confidence, already predicting they can win the million. They start out running in a circle and I wonder where the dancing is but once they start they are really good. They are essentially a group that dances hip hop in unison. It got a little repetitive with the choreography but there's no doubt these guys have skills. The audience loves it as well. Piers and Sharon loved it, but David worries they won't be able to sustain the act for an hour show, which is a fair point. However they deservedly get through to Vegas.

We stay in Chicago after the break...

Shine- a four-person sibling act called Shine who sing uplifting, positive music. One of them names themselves the happiest group in America, and they certainly seem it. They start to sing and the audience turns on them right away. I don't think they are that bad but I'm getting a strong Brady Bunch vibe from them, and I don't think that's a good thing. They even have the corny group choreography down pat. The voices get even worse as the song goes on but Sharon lets them finish the act. They have never been booed by an audience before but still seem upbeat after the song. Three no's from the judges.

More "uplifting acts". Four men dressed in red and green jumpsuits look like tomatoes call themselves The Positive Brothers. They dance okay but seem out of sync, and the judges send them on their way. Laura Velgos strips and dances while her mother? Alicia plays accordian. They claim the act is original, but it's not original in a good way. Christy Marie sings Cher and I don't think she's that bad either but the audience and judges give her a quick no. Wow they are harsh tonight. Jay Jay comes out in a rocker-esque wig and plays something on a keyboard that just sounds weird and creepy. He too is sent packing.

Wow a half hour in and only one good act so far! Hopefully the action will pick up soon.

Still in Chicago- when are they going back to NY?

Next up is an impersonator, and I'm guessing by the patriotic music it's an Obama lookalike. Well better than all the Bush guys we got last year. Wow he really does look like the president. His real name is Peter Peterkin by the way. He's actually pretty funny in his standup routine, saying he always must say five "thank yous" when he is introduced. Then he puts on a wig and does a little James Brown, and hey his voice is pretty good as well. He claims to do 300 impressions and play 15 instruments. David thought it got lame at the end. Piers liked the uniqueness of the Obama impression but questions the singing. Really? I thought his voice was the best part. He does some spot on Little Richard as well. Sharon says yes, as do David and Piers! He didn't blow me away but he was entertaining for sure.

And out comes Nick in the James Brown wig!! Awesome!!!

Montage of good acts (finally). Black Fire Percussion is a group of youths who play drums while tossing sticks in the air too. I didn't love it but the judges did. Anointed S is a "vocal percussionist" aka beatboxer. Not my thing but he's good at what he does. Unexpected Step Team does some cool moves despite the weird cheerleading outfits.

After the break we meet Debbie Victor, who has worked on her act for fifty years. I have a feeling she's going to be bad, talking about how her act is unique. She does animal sounds as an act- these people have auditioned before and never gotten through, and I don't think that's going to change now. She starts out sounding like a sick dog, but her monkey is pretty good. She does a sheep and then another animal I don't recognize before getting X'd off the stage.

Animal acts!!! Tommy and Diane Long have a mini horse that supposedly plays golf but ends up just moving the club around in the air.

Next up is Rockin' Rory, an adorable dog whose owner Tony found him at a shelter. Ooh a frisbee act (I think). Tony throws Rory some frisbees and Rory grabs every one, dancing and jumping over Tony in the process. Rory even stands on Tony's feet at one point. I wasn't that impressed at first but then Rory bounces off Tony's chest to grab frisbees from the air. I have to admit that's kind of cool. Still not really my thing though. Piers says the dog looks like he flies, which he does. The judges all say yes, and the audience gives him a sitting (not standing) ovation.

Now we're off to Seattle. Wow NYC's getting the shaft in this episode. I remember the Idol auditions here were historically bad (and I think so were the SYTYCD ones) so my expectations aren't too high.

Brad Byers is a small-town guy hooked on show business. This is the act that got me screaming at the TV and waking up my parents by the way.When he was young he appeared in his grandmother's talent show and has been hooked to performing ever since. He is doing a fishing trip gone wrong with a hook and anchor. Okay..... Wow he literally sticks the hook through his nose and has it come out his mouth!!! Ew!!!! Then he attaches the anchor to the hook and swings his head back and forth like it is nothing! He even pulls the hook back out without any sign of blood! But he's not done yet. He then takes out a drill, turns it on, and sticks it through his nose! Wow! This is gross but kind of cool. And out comes the drill, with not a bit of blood on it. Even Nick is grossed out. Brad adds that he does lots of other similar things as well, including putting out a propane blowtorch on his tongue. I actually want to see that. The judges (minus Sharon) agree it was gross but entertaining, and he is sent through to Vegas.

Another montage of bad acts, this time Seattle style. EmpeROAR Fabulous dresses in silver and glitter and does a weird strip singing act. Louie Lichtenstein attaches a suitcase to a rope and flings it around the stage for a bit. Kerry Christensen does yodeling that sounds like a chicken. Cirkus Pandemonium balance on top of each other and do things with fire. Johnny Bagpipes plays bagpipes (shocker!) and plays them badly.

After the break we are still in Seattle and still have weird acts. Noel the Freak attaches hooks to his eyes and various objects to the other end of the hooks while his partners break those items one by one. That's like Brad's act but weirder. The judges say no, but I think that was just as impressive as Brad's act before and he got through.

Note to all reality show producers- NEVER go to Seattle for auditions again. That's three shows now that have had disastrous auditions there.

Next up are three girls -ages 15, 11, and 14-the EriAm Sisters. They write songs together and practice every day. Aw... They are really close and hope to be the next Destiny's Child. Nick is just happy to have found some normal people in Seattle. They come out with cool choreography and singing "I Want You Back". All three get solos at the mike and all have great voices, though the 11 year old (who got the bulk of the solos) is the best in my opinion. Even the background harmonies sound great, and the whole audience is up on their feet. This is my favorite act so far, and the judges love them too. They really do remind me of a young Destiny's Child. Piers is surprised the two older sisters can sing since the youngest one got most of the solos. He also gives them good advice on staying closer together when they sing. David says they are the most talented kids he's ever seen on the show (even better than Bianca Ryan????). Sharon loves them as well and they are sent straight through to Vegas! Yay they were awesome!

Finally another montage of good acts after the commercial. The Jesse White Tumbling Team (including a 74 year old- wow!) do lots of acrobatic air tricks. Though it looks like the 74 year old is just the conductor/leader and doesn't do any tumbling. That would have been really impressive. The Urban Nation Hip Hop Choir remind me of a gospel choir you hear at church (not necessarily a bad thing). Draconik breathe fire and do other fire tricks, like one guy putting fire on a hula hoop and putting it around his neck. It was kind of hard to see much of what their act was with the short segment but it seemed kind of cool.

David Johnson is a loan officer who has played guitar since high school. He first started to write a song in high school about his crush from Baywatch. He sort of implies the crush is Pamela Anderson but why do I get the feeling the song is about The Hoff. His guitar playing is not bad, and neither is the singing, but the song itself is kind of perverted. And yes the song is about David Hasselhoff!!! I totally called that! Apparently David (the contestant) bought Knight Rider on DVD and the Hoff's speedos from the internet. Wow. He really was pretty good though, and the song was actually kind of funny. Piers felt the emotion, David thought the song was very true. Of course David says yes, but he's sad the person who wrote a song about him was a man! Ha! Sharon says no, so it's down to Piers. Come on Piers, he actually has some talent! Sure enough he gets through to the next round! He won't last too long there but I want to see what else this guy can come up with.

Hey Neal Boyd has a new CD out- including "God Bless the USA"- I love that song! Ooh and he's on tour with Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts- those who like that kind of music (which I don't) will love that show.

Woah one of the auditioners looks like a guy who auditioned for Idol a few years back- I forget his name but I know he was really bad.

Next up are Bruce and Simone, lovers clad in silver. They feel they are soulmates, especially singe Simone loves Bruce's feet and soft hair. Bruce thinks Simone is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. Of course they are going to suck but at least they will suck together. Bruce however thinks they are going to win. They have a double hoop act, whatever that means. They are actually not as bad as I thought they would be. They do lots of sexual-looking acts in the hoop. At one point Bruce stands on Simone as the hoop rotates around in the air. It's kind of boring to me but the audience and judges seem to dig it. Nick wants a hoop for his bedroom haha- I can't picture him and Mariah doing that. Piers thinks they should keep the act in the bedroom but Sharon enjoyed it. David says no, Sharon says yes. Sharon tells Piers if he says yes the two of them can do that act later. I'd much rather see that then see these two lovebirds again but Piers does put them through. They do have some talent but I don't think they will last long in Vegas.

Woohoo they are back in NYC (finally!) There haven't been any good New York acts so far but hopefully that will change.

The NYC Gay Men's Chorus sing "Single Ladies"- yes that "Single Ladies". Their voices only sound okay but the mere awesomeness of them choosing that song puts them through.

Joseph Maracina is from Queens, and he does impressions. He claims he can do anyone's voice. Well his normal voice sounds like Robert Deniro a bit... He starts out with some Nicholson and I think it's pretty good but Piers X's him right away. Well the impression isn't bad but what he is saying isn't really funny. He then does Anthony Hopkins, which I can't judge since I don't know what he sounds like. This gets two more X's and boos from the crowd. The judges claim the actual impressions weren't that good, but I thought it was the routine itself that wasn't funny. Either way he gets three no's.

Next are Zoe and Dave. They are dancers who at first worked together and then fell in love. I think this is the act where little Zoe picks up large Dave with her bare hands. They call themselves Paradizo Dance and dance to "No Air". I'm getting SYTYCD flashbacks with the song choice. In fact Zoe picks up Dave three times in the dance, though to me there doesn't seem to be much dancing in the piece-just lots of lifts. He picks her up as well, and while she seems very graceful he does not. I like Zoe a lot as a dancer but Dave really takes away from the piece for me. The judges and audience seem to love it though. Apparently Dave weighs 240 lbs and Zoe is around 100 lbs. That part of the piece was cool but the rest was only okay. The judges send them through to the next round, though I hope they don't last much longer.

And last but not least are Voices with Glory aka the siblings from the previews who woke their mother up from a coma. Of course the producers save the best story for last to drum up popularity for these guys right away (as if the commercials they were in did not pump them up enough). Their ages are 16, 13, and 9. They haven't even mentioned their mother yet. But then of course Piers asks them about their inspiration and they get into the story. Their mother was in a head on collision in a car and they sang by her bedside to comfort while she was in a coma. They even sang to others in the hospital as well. And of course the mother is now alive and backstage, as the previews showed. Now for the singing. They are certainly talented, but they are not worth all the hype they are getting in my view. The young girl is really good but the two older boys are only okay. The girl does get the main part of the song while the boys sing background, but I don't even love their harmonies that much. I would much rather the girl group
from earlier (the three sisters) make it to the finals instead. Either that or the girl should just get a solo career and leave her brothers behind. Piers says they are the "pride of America", David says their mother is proud of them. Sharon is in tears and the audience demands the mother be brought out. She's in a wheelchair but other than that she looks good for having been in a coma for eight months. Sharon cries some more. Piers says we must judge them as performers but he thinks the singing was one of the best he's heard. Really?? I did not think they were that good at all but maybe it's just my taste. Of course they get right through to Vegas.

So that's it for tonight's show. The only act that really wowed me were the EriAm Sisters, though Rockin Rory and FootworKINGz also impressed me. I also want to see what Brad Byers does next, weird as his act may be.

So what are your thoughts on tonight's show? Were you as disappointed with Voices with Glory as I was? Who else are your early standouts? Post your comments below.

SYTYCD Episode 3 Recap

Hey all I'm back to recap Thursday's show and I promise I'll try to make it shorter this time- especially since I want to go watch the spelling bee on DVR when SYTYCD is over (that bee is addicting, though it makes me feel like an idiot sometimes...)

LA Auditions:
Love Cat getting down and dancing with the auditioners, even laying on the concrete sidewalk to see what it was like for those who slept on the floor all night...

Today's guest judge is Adam Shankman, aka the director of Hairspray! Woot I love that movie (and the show!)

Day 1:

The contestants get a surprise visit from last year's winner Joshua (fan of his) along with
fellow top 20 member Comfort (not a big fan of hers).

Bianca Revels: Another returning contestant who just missed out on the top 20 last year. Returnees have had good luck on this show so far. Her mother is also there for support. She does an a capella tap routine and every time the camera focused on her feet all I could think was "Wow her legs are skinny"! I don't love her somewhat stiff arms but the dancing itself was really good. All three judges give her a standing ovation and call her brilliant. Mary even says she is the best female tap dancer they've ever had. I didn't think she was that good but I haven't seen female tap dancers on this show before so I don't know how many they've had. She gets a ticket straight to Vegas.

Siblings Xavier and Brynelle Blanton- They go everywhere holding hands. That's kind of weird. There's also been a lot of siblings this year- is that always the case? Then they go out and do a very romantic routine that actually isn't horrible until you remember they are siblings, and then it is just gross. I do think Xavier was significantly better than his sister. They do mess up their lifts at the end though. The judges think it is strange and shows a lack of technique. Xavier is happy this competition brought him and his sister closer together. Nigel even says Brynelle dances like she is four even though she has been dancing since she was four. They are sent home even though I think Xavier has potential.

Debra Lawson dances badly in slow motion, then speeds up and gets worse, running around the stage like a mother looking for a lost child. Nigel says she must learn what works for her larger body. Debra is also Jewish, yet if she dances on Saturdays or in front of men she is breaking Judaism rules. Good for her for going for her dreams no matter what. Adam says she should not give up dancing since she loves it, but stresses she is not good enough to do it professionally (that's for sure). She seems like a sweet woman as she is sent home.

Suzanne Fernandez dresses like Britney and does a "fairy medicine dance". Nigel wonders what she is on. John Fleming dresses like KISS and tries (and fails) to dance to heavy metal. Michael Han hops on one leg and copies Rihanna's "Umbrella" routine. All were sent packing.

Calico Sequeira- Swing dancer in her last year of eligibility for the show. She is okay but her male partner is better. The judges find her enjoyable but only good at a social dance level, not at a professional level, which is fair. She too is sent on her way. Rough night so far.

Adam then says he would love to dance with Calico, so she invites him on stage. He even gets a label on the screen listing his name, age (21ish!!!) and hometown like the contestants get! Awesome! The music is slow at first and then speeds up. Adam has some moves (and gets a standing ovation from the judges!)

It gets better as Adam steps up to be "judged" by Joshua, Katee, Comfort and a girl I don't recognize from last season. Katee asks how much he wants it and Adam says he has wanted it bad for ten minutes! Adam reminds Joshua he put him through last year, which is all Joshua needs to give Adam a ticket to Vegas! That was hilarious! He even comes out of the audition room screaming and crying for joy like the other contestants who get through.

More returnees: Asuka Kondoh and Ricky Sun -International Latin ballroom dancers. Asuka made it to the last round before the top 20 last year (there's a lot of that going around tonight). They do a routine to "Mercy" by Duffy and they are really good. My favorites so far tonight, though it is still early. The dance started out a bit slow but then really picked up. I actually liked Ricky a bit better than Asuka. Nigel doesn't remember Ricky being that good last year, and notes Asuka is a great performer as well. Mary agrees, though Adam says he could not keep his eyes off Asuka. Both get tickets to Vegas! I hope to see more from them since they were both impressive.

Montage of great dancers who we don't get names for. One girl dances with a scarf, another in a white tutu. They sandwiched a guy who was really good as well.

Nathan Trasoras- He quit dancing in eighth grade since people always made fun of him. His brother told him to keep going and now four years later he is on this show. I don't love his choreography but he definitely has skills. One move gets a cheer from the crowd though it doesn't seem that impressive to me. The rest of his dance was really good though. Adam calls him bleeping impressive, and Mary agrees. Nigel loves his spins and centers. Unfortunately he is only 17 and thus too young for the show (apparently you must be 18 to audition). But Nigel gives him a ticket to Vegas for NEXT year, and he promises to come back. I don't know why he even bothered to audition if he was too young though. I'm also surprised the age limit is so high since on Idol you can audition when you are only 16.

24 dancers got through on Day 1- that's a pretty good number. No clips of the choreography since we didn't see anyone who got sent there.

Day 2:
Sammy Ramirez- A former wrestler with Allison Iraheta red hair. Now he's a locker who was taught by a dancer named Junior who went to jail for gang violence. The other thing I learned watching this show last season is that I'm not a big fan of the style of popping, but I have to admit this guy is pretty good. He's even kind of entertaining, though he spends a bit too much time moving his shoulders and not enough moving his legs or arms. The judges love him but fear he may only know this style. Nigel has Sammy show off his hair choreography, where he literally moves his hair. That's kind of cool. He is sent to choreography to see if he can learn other styles.

Stacey House does a super fast routine but she actually has some skill in there. She does a weird thing patting her head that is just annoying. I get tired just watching her! The judges thought it was too crazy and send her home. I thought she had some potential but what do I know.

Amanda Kerby- Her dad has MS but has been symptom-free for six years after barely being able to move a few years before that. She dances to a pretty song I don't know and does some impressive turns though the routine was a bit repetitive and it seemed like something was missing. Nigel agrees something was missing but still liked it. Mary loved it even more. Adam says the dance didn't fit the song, which I also agree with. She is sent right to Vegas.

Next up we are re-introduced to Philip, a dancer who made it to Vegas last year but got pneumonia and couldn't go. The judges spot him as he warms up and send him right through to Vegas without an audition. That was nice of them, though it does seem a bit unfair since other returnees had to audition once again this year. We only get to see a glimpse of his audition from last year but it looked pretty impressive.

This year Phillip has a partner, a girl named Arielle Coker who goes to his school. She was in a really bad car accident with her parents. She and her father had relatively minor injuries but her mother broke her leg and neck, among other things. Phillip drove Ariel to the hospital and cheered her up during that time. Aww such a sweetie! She taught him how to partner dance while she was in a wheelchair. That's pretty impressive. They dance together for her audition. The choreography is great and both of them are talented, though I think I like Phillip better. The routine also had a few too many lifts in it and not enough dancing. The judges had trouble taking their eyes off of Phillip but thought she was good as well. She is sent to Vegas after a fake-out from the judges, and she jumps right into his arms.

Alexie Agdeppa dances a routine to a version of "To Make You Feel My Love" sadly not done by Kris Allen. Despite that she does a great job, one of my favorites so far. Diana Vaden also dances well though the electronic soundtrack distracts me from her actual dance. Chanel Smith dances to "Then You Look at Me", another great song, and is another one of my favorites so far despite her weak choreography. All are sent to choreography.

Kevin Cormier- His nickname is "Shakiro" because of his hip shaking, not his looks. He promises something the judges have never seen before. That usually means bad dancing is coming, but he is actually not horrible at the belly dancing. There is not much else in his routine though. He's no Shakira, but he's better than I thought he would be. They say that his audition was just shaking and no dancing, which is true, and they send him home.

All that is left is the choreography round, where we see some of the others from earlier in the episode. Chanel lost her spark from her first audition and is sent home. Too bad I really liked her. She seems devastated by the news. Sammy is up next- I thought he looked great in the clip of his choreography, and the judges agree, sending him through along with Alexie and Diana.

Seattle Day 1: It's raining, of course. Maybe people can use umbrellas for props like that guy last week did.

Wow this is the last audition city- that was fast! Why doesn't Idol have only two days of auditions?? Mia is serving as the guest judge, and I realized last season I don't love her choreography but oh well.

Christopher Keller- He does mix of tangos and swing that will mix gender roles. If the judges didn't like the male partner dancers last week I doubt they'll like this. His partner is his friend from school who is not auditioning so she can stay in school. He gives an odd smirk to the judges as he starts. Then they dance like two drunk high schoolers at prom. There was lots of stiffness and stomping. The judges can't stop laughing before Nigel puts an end to his misery and stops them. Chris says it felt rough since he only had a week to prep. That doesn't surprise me. Again they get the "social dancer" card and are sent off.

Nick "Nasty" Salzman- An aspiring tattoo artist who looks like a wrestler with the muscles and huge tattoos and big earrings. He starts out kind of slow but then starts doing some madly impressive breakdancing/hip ho, complete with a flip. I don't know if his dancing quite matches the music but he certainly has a lot of talent. And of course as soon as I write that he messes up the roll-on-the-head part and stops. He said he wanted to come out and do something different and is happy with what he did. Nigel is offended by that, though I'm not quite sure why. Mary is so offended she switches her vote from a yes to a no!!! All three vote no!!! I thought he was great and should have gotten to do choreography at least! I don't get why what he said was so offensive. Other contestants said the same thing and the judges weren't offended. Though I agree if he can't last through a two minute routine he will have issues on this show. He did say the two ladies were nicer, but that isn't exactly breaking news. And it's no worse than what Idol contestants say to Simon.

Dmitrious Bistrevsky- Over six feet tall. Thought he was a good dancer until he saw himself on tape a week before his audition. I think his instincts were right as he tries and fails to breakdance to a hard rock song. If they didn't send Nick through they better not send him through. He's only been breakdancing three months, and it shows. Mary is scared for his safety. Mia thought the music was killing him, which leads to a cursing match among the judges. He is sent home.

The judges are so bored they are falling asleep during the dances, only to be woken up when one guy falls hard to the ground during his routine. They start being cranky towards the contestants, causing them to cry. Many of them are apparently not showing a lot of passion in their movements, causing Nigel and Mary to yell at those waiting to perform.

Next up after this tirade is Kelsea Taylor, who is begged by Nigel to be good. She is not the best so far tonight but she certainly is the best in the weak Seattle crop that we've seen. Nigel says she fits Sonja's style, which is very true. Then again I don't like Sonja's style which is probably why I didn't love it. The judges like her zany, new style and ask her to do choreography.

There she joins 23 others. Wow no dancers were shown getting tickets right to Vegas. Seattle must have as little dance talent as it has singing talent (at least according to Simon Cowell, who a few years ago called Seattle the worst audition city for Idol of the season, even with Jordin and Blake auditioning there). Kelsea loses some of her spark in her choreography but did a decent enough job to go through to Vegas. Only three other dancers from Day 1 join her. They weren't kidding about the lack of talent in Seattle.

Day 2:

Nigel tells this new crop of dancers to bring it after yesterday's disappointing showing.

-Kuponohi'ipoi Aweau- A Hawaiian dancer whose name is impossible to pronounce or spell. However we may be hearing his name a lot since his solo is one of my favorites so far. It comes complete with a chair and reminds me of some of the dances from the top 20 last year. Mary loved parts of it but thought it was too feminine. Really I didn't see that at all. He gets the comparisons to Mark from last year, which is odd since I didn't like Mark but I liked him. The judges give him a chance to do choreography. I wanted a ticket straight to Vegas for him but hopefully he will impress later on.

The day is off to a better start, with a girl getting invited to choreography and a very impressive guy in a white sweatshirt getting the same. So does another Asian guy. This gets the judges all happy.

But that will change with the return of a guy called "Sex". All I know about him is that he auditioned last year and was told never to do so again. That can't be a good thing. But he's back. His real name is David Soller, and he is a horrible breakdancer who I think is too old for this competition anyway. Nigel did tell him not to come back but that didn't stop him.

Meanwhile we meet Leonid Knyshov- a Ukranian who does grief counseling for a living. I can't really understand much of what he says though with his accent. He does a fast routine like Stacey House earlier in the episode. Then again since they hated her they'll probably hate this too even though I don't think it's that bad. As he slows down though he shows his poor technique more though. It reminded me of someone playing DDR. Leo claims it has elements of jive, though I couldn't see that and neither can the judges. Nigel says it was like it was at a rave party, which actually kind of makes sense. Mary says it was like little kids twirling around, and Mia wants a battle between him and Sex.

And on that note Nigel asks Sex onstage to see which bad dancer can out-bad dance the other.

The producers show footage of great boxing matches and them set up the Battle in Seattle- Leo versus Sex, aka Sex with Leo. That just sounds wrong. I think Leo is better from what I've seen of Sex, not that that is saying much seeing how bad Sex is.

Love the commercial for "Glee" with the kids calling themselves "Gleeks"!

And now the moment we've all been waiting for (well not really)- Leo versus Sex. I'd rather see if that Hawaiian guy made it through to Vegas. They do have an announcer calling the match like a boxing match. Sex wins Round 1 apparently. The second round is closer, and is called a draw after Sex hits the floor and Leo jumps in the air. Leo does a good double turn, while Sex comes back with the worm. Sex is pooped, so Leo wins Round Three. It is a draw, and the judges must pick a winner. Mia picks Leo, as does Mary. Nigel picks Sex, and gets arguments from the ladies. I do agree Leo did a much better job, especially with his twirls. I still think some of his moves are pretty decent, unlike Sex, who is just all around bad.

Nigel suggests Sex go to the choreography round!!! Really??? He does seem to think Sex will fail there, and he does it in hopes it will get Sex to stop auditioning every year. Well that actually does makes sense- maybe if he has some success he will give up. Then again success might encourage him to try even harder next season, and already he is comparing himself to Twitch, who apparently auditioned multiple times before making the top 20 last year.

All that's left is the choreography round. And unfortunately that is right when my TV basically dies. So I guess that is its way of saying my blog should end, though I'm hoping when I wake up tomorrow I'll find out that guy from Hawaii made it through to Vegas. He was one of my faves of the night, along with the Asian ballroom dancers, Sammy Ramirez, and Alexie. I also think Phillip is growing on me if he stops popping and does styles I actually like.

Thoughts on tonight's show? Anyone else think the tattoo artist should have gotten through? Post your comments below.

SYTYCD Recap Episode 2

Hey all so I've decided this week to start quasi live-blogging my favorite summer reality shows, starting with So You Think You Can Dance. I also hope to do America's Got Talent and Hell's Kitchen once they get started up. As for last week's show, my early favorites were the tap dancer guy, the Japanese guy, the African-American girl (Arielle?) who was cut early during Vegas week a few years ago, and Brandon, the last guy cut from the top 20 last year. I did think Natalie, the last girl cut before the top 20 last year, was overrated, but then again I didn't see her last year since last season was my first time watching the show and I only watched from the top 20 on. Anyway on to Wednesday night's show...

Miami Auditions Day 1:
Yeah for the show's producers playing "Right Round" in the background during the introduction to Miami- that song is so catchy. Thought it is a bit weird that my 60 year old father has it on his iPod...

The guest judge for this round is Tyce Diorio. I do find this rotating third judge thing a bit weird since I'm used to the typical three judge mainstay on Dancing with the Stars and American Idol (until this year of course) but it is nice that they have experts on different styles of dance.

Tony Riendeau- He claims to have his unique "Tony" style where he moves like a rubber band. This could be really good or really bad. I'm guessing the latter. He's dancing to Footloose, which makes him cool in my book. Though I should put "dancing" in quotes- he's mostly just jogging in place and then doing a few sloppy breakdancing moves. And then he falls down trying to do a cartwheel (I think). Thankfully the judges don't like it either. Tyce calls him "flush it like a public toilet bad", whatever that means. Then he calls it "baahahahaaad". Nigel would have put him through to the choreography but the other two thankfully pass.

After his audition Tony starts feeling faint and asks for a medic. Yet as the show reminds us, during his pre-audition package he said he could go for hours and not get tired. I do hope he's okay though...

Priscilla Marrero- She claims to have been raised on rice and beans. Well whatever she was raised on it worked as she comes out with an impressive routine. The choice of music was weird though and kind of distracting. But she did show great toe-pointing (sorry for the lack of technical terms) and good choreography. She apparently was injured when she was a teen but never gave up. Sympathy points! Nigel loves her lines, Mary says she is captivating, and Tyce says she makes him happy to be a dancer. She gets a ticket straight to Vegas. Not one of my absolute favorites, but good enough to go to Vegas for sure.

Meanwhile Tony is still seeing the medic. To be continued...
After the break we find out he has eaten a banana and drank some water so he is now fine and dandy.

Next up are two more Season 4 returnees- Janette Manrara and Romulo Villaverde. Only Janette made it through to Vegas last season and she was cut before the top 20. It seems like this show gets a lot of repeat auditioners- moreso than on Idol. They have added a backflip lift to their act this time around. They dance a ballroom routine (a salsa) and are pretty good, especially with their lifts. Nigel says it was nice to see some salsa, Mary gives her patented scream, Tyce loved their lifts. They also get through to Vegas. I think that was well-deserved- they remind me of the pros on Dancing with the Stars, though I wonder how they'll do with other styles. Especially since Romulo's celebratory break dance looked like Tony style more than breakdancing....

The Guadix twins- Jennifer and Jessica. They claim to love all kinds of dancing. They do a routine that starts with them sitting and sliding across the floor and then look like drunk girls dancing at a hip hop party. I thought this show focused more on good auditions than Idol does but I guess I was wrong. I read on other blogs last week that the premiere episode had fewer bad acts than usual but I was hoping they were wrong. I guess not. They claimed they only had one day to practice. Nigel wonders why they did not dance in unison and one twin claims they were supposed to be. The key phrase being "supposed to be", as Tyce points out. Is it just me or does he seem Simon Cowell-esque obnoxious tonight? Or maybe he's always like this. Mary says she's never seen anything like that before. Tyce says it was fun yet tragic. Needless to say, they are sent home.

Speaking of Tyce, more shots of him being obnoxious to bad dancers. He calls one dancer a milkshake full of Tylenol. Another one makes him want to call the dance police, and another he compares to Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz (and not in a good way). Okay he definitely is the Simon Cowell of this panel.

Joseph Smith- Claims he will "Schwamm" the judges, and I'm still not sure what that means even after he explains it. I'm not sure if he did that but he did do a very impressive hip hop routine, complete with a split. My favorite of the night so far. Nigel enjoyed it, and Joseph claims he will give a big "Schwamm" once he catches his breath. Mary says he is a great entertainer, but Tyce was only half impressed. They send him to choreography, which disappoints me a bit but I guess his routine was so comedy filled they needed to see if he could do more actual dance, which is fair. He does well with the choreography, at least to my eye. And the judges agree, sending him to Vegas. Good for him. The "Schwamm" is getting really annoying though.

18 dancers get through from the first day in Miami, which I think is a decent number though less than the number that got through NYC on Day 1.

Haha one girl dropped her ticket while celebrating and had to chase after it. I always wondered if those tickets were real or just souvenirs....

Miami Day 2:
Wislande Letang- She feels like she ate a bowl of butterflies before her audition, and during it she just looks like a bad dancer in a rap video. Her movements are ten times slower than the music playing, and her breasts are hanging out under her very short shirt. Mary says it was a dance for Nigel, Nigel says there was no personality in the dance. I think that was the least of her problems. He says it was full of basic step-ball-change moves done by little girls when they first learn to dance. Tyce points out how she shows her crotch during the dance, which is a big no-no as well. She tries to argue back but doesn't make any progress and she is sent home.

Montage of sad rejections, and Nigel crushing dreams, telling mediocre dancers they should consider other careers. Harsh, but someone had to tell them the truth.

Eric "Silky" Moore- A tapper who has done tap and hip hop since he was 10. He wants to bring tap back into the mainstream. He starts out with a cool hip hop slide and then goes right into some fast, smooth tap dancing to "Thriller". He even adds a moonwalk for good measure. Another one of my favorites so far. He then adds some hip hop at the end and he's just as good at that. He even does the worm! Nigel loved the hip hop especially and says he threw everything into that solo. Mary says she didn't want it to end and agrees it was one of the best today. Tyce says he came prepared, whatever that means. Eric explains he got his nickname because he was silky smooth at a dance battle. Then he says he starting tapping to get girls. This guy is awesome! And he gets a ticket right to Vegas! Wow I thought they might make him do choreography but I'm pleasantly surprised they didn't.

Paris Torres- Won a Miss Washington pageant and claims the girls there are actually nice. She comes out and does a pretty routine to a slowed down version of "Toxic". What's with the weird song choices today? It doesn't matter though because she was still really good. Nigel thought it was fabulous and she kept him interested. Mary calls it beautiful and says it was everything they are looking for. Tyce says she focuses too much on her legs and feet- he really is a party pooper. Tyce wants her to do choreography but the others overrule her and send her right to Vegas. She was the best female dancer so far tonight though I wasn't as enthused as Mary and Nigel.

Next up is a montage of dancers who got to Vegas. Henry Rivero does a great contemporary routine. Megan Kinney also impresses, though she does a bit too many handstands/cartwheels and not enough dancing for me in her short clip. Alex Wong is also pretty good- not my favorite, but he does have great lines as Tyce says.

Geo Smith- African dancer complete with headdress. He jumps off the stage and rushes the judges before coming back on and dancing some more. He actually isn't bad. I would send him to choreography to see what else he can do. The judges agree and send him off.

Talia Rickards- married when she was 18 and hasn't auditioned in two years. She was married for four years until her husband crashed his motorcycle one night and died. Wow I though she was going to say they got divorced but this is so sad. She learned not to take life for granted anymore. She does a sexy hip-hop routine that is a bit belly-dancerish for me but still really good. Also hated the music but what can you do. Nigel warns her not to scrunch up her face too much and says there wasn't enough material. Mary likes her fire but agrees on the lack of substance. Tyce says she was one with the music but says there was little hip hop and all energy, which is all fair. Tyce rejects her outright, but Mary says she wants her doing choreography. It's up to Nigel. I'm rooting for her, so I hope he says yes. He says "I'm sorry.... to have to disagree with Tyce!" Oh Nigel, you've been watching Simon Cowell too much!

On to the choreography round, where I thought both Geo and Talia were good but I don't know how to judge them. Geo does get through to Vegas, as does Talia! Good for her, she seems to have potential to be really good.

In all 32 dancers from Miami are off to Vegas... Now it's off to Memphis.

Joining Mary and Nigel is Lil C, a krump legend. All I know about krump from last season is that I hate that style. I do like hip hop though so he won't be too bad, hopefully. He can't be any worse than Tye.

Marico Flake- A local police officer. He claims he does a Memphis Juking? style, which is based on a rhythmic bounce, whatever that means. Based on his audition, it means bouncing in place a lot and doing some hip hop in between. Not really my style but I'm sure some will love it. I do wonder why the song he picked has a lyric saying "He was black not Jewish"- that's kind of random. Nigel enjoys it, as I figured. Lil C says it was just juking, with no fusion of other styles with great humor as well. Mary loves it as well, especially his performance value. They send him straight to Vegas. I have a feeling he'll be really popular even though I don't like that style of dance.

Dustin Dorough- His mother has been a cop for years and taught him how to be a man. Okay.... He is Howie Dorough's cousin from the Backstreet Boys! Wow that's awesome! I have a feeling he will be bad but he gets bonus points for bringing me back to my teen years with that reference. He even learned all Howie's moves for school dances, but that made him unpopular! More bonus points for actually dancing to a good song ("Poker Face"). Unfortunately he isn't good at anything else, from the poor dancing to the goofy grin on his face the whole time. I can't even tell if he is trying to do BSB moves or not. Nigel says that the hip hop community would be insulted by that dance. Dustin claims he had to cut out all his power moves because he just had the flu and bronchitis. This isn't Idol, dude- just because you have bronchitis doesn't mean you can't do power dance moves (not that his would be that good anyway). He claims he will come back next year. Mary wonders why he looked feminine with his moves and that it was too martial arts. Lil C says he should try "tricking" which is more a fusion of martial arts. That's good advice, I like him better than Tye already. And love the BSB music as he walks out of the auditions!

Christopher Carrozzaa- Another guy with his own unique style, which he calls electric. There's a lot of those tonight, aren't there? He basically blends a bunch of styles together and makes a new blend. Mostly he just jumps around and moves his arms over his head. It has a bit of a Bollywood feel to it but not really. Nigel says the choreography doesn't show if he's a dancer, which is true. Mary agrees with me that all he did was jump. Chris just seems happy to share his dancing with the world and had figured he wouldn't get through. Chris starts to walk off without hearing Lil C's criticism. Nigel thinks he is being rude, and Chris says Nigel is being rude for being critical. But that's their job, Christopher!!! Nigel must have read my mind since he says the same thing back to Chris. Chris says he had a good time and that's all that matters and he walks off again without hearing Lil C.

Next up is SYTYCD's Guide to a Good Audition. Why do I have a feeling this will be a montage of bad auditions with Cat saying this is what NOT to do.
1)Start with your best move. And sure enough we get montages of people falling down trying to do big moves.
2)Come dressed to impress. One guy rips off his shirt, another lookks like a goth, and a third wears his number on his arm, reminding Nigel of dancing Nazis. Okay some of the dancers in this group were dressed weirdly, but what's so bad about a number on the arm? I didn't even notice it until Nigel pointed it out.
3) Connect with the judges. Shots of contestants trying to dance to the judges and just looking like fools. Crotch-shower Wislande gets a second appearance.
4) Always follow directions. Apparently there are rules for the dancers to follow for their solos that Nigel gives them before hand- no lipsyncing the words to the songs (that should be a rule on DWTS too!), no dancing on the back of the stage, and don't look down during the dance. Yet dancers break these rules and are send home as result. One guy is told by Nigel to come closer to the judges when he dances, so he runs forward and falls off the stage and flat on the floor. Ouch that had to hurt! That clip was in the previews too and it still makes me cringe. Mia is the third judge in the clip, so it must be from a city we haven't seen yet.

Caitlin Kinney- Her sister was Megan Kinney, who auditioned in Miami, yet we only saw her briefly doing lots of cartwheels. Megan is better in the short clip they show while Cat interviews Caitlin. Caitlin is good as well but I like her sister better. Her sister has more energy, which makes her routine more entertaining. She's only been dancing five years, but Nigel says she is superb, and the camera loves her. Caitlin even had hip reconstruction surgery, which makes her dancing even more impressive, as Mary points out. Lil C says it was lovely to watch. They send her right to Vegas, and since her sister was not featured I guess she will make it further than Megan. I think it's just my personal taste that makes me like Megan better.

Six more dancers get through in the choreography round on Day 1, none of whom we get to see actually dance.

Day 2:
Anna Dunn- Her father killed himself about a year ago. Dancing is her outlet for coping with the pain. Sympathy votes! Hopefully she is better at dancing than fellow sob-story reality show contestant Danny Gokey at singing. She is, as you can see the passion as she moves around the stage. She picked a beautiful song to choreograph her routine too and she rolls around the floor like her life depended on it. She is my favorite from the Memphis auditions so far. Nigel says she overchoreographed by moving her head too much, which I did notice, especially early in the routine. Mary agrees that she loved everything except the head movement. Apparently Lil C's father committed suicide as well, and he tells her to use dance to ease the pain. Aw he made her cry.... They send her to choreography so they can see what her face looks like while she dances. Hmm I would have sent her right to Vegas but it seems like they really liked her from their comments, and just her poor choreography held her back. I think she'll get through.

Travis Prokop - From a small New Mexico town where his father is a football coach. Travis was made fun of for being a dancer and not a football player, yet his dad was always supportive and proud of him no matter what. He has potential but is a bit lazy with his moves. His arms don't go up all the way and the movements are just a bit slow. Nigel says he needs strength in his movements. Mary agrees he has a great future but he needs to be stronger. Lil C says he is graceful but has the strength of a hamster. Maybe that was what I noticed when I said he looked lazy in his movements. They tell him to stay for choreography, which surprises me based on their comments. I'm glad he's getting a second chance though.

Brothers Evan and Ryan Kasprzak Evan auditioned last year with a jazz routine and made it to the top 40. This time he has a Gene Kelly-like routine planned. I heard someone on a blog say there was a Gene Kelly-esque dancer on the show this year, so I wonder if this is him. Ryan is doing a more fun routine with a whoopie cushion accompaniment. That actually sounds pretty funny. Apparently choreographs all of Evan's routines. Evan is first and his style is very theatrical, which I guess could be a good thing for this show. He is very talented though, just again not really my taste. He ends with a cool backflip, and his brother claps in approval. Nigel hopes the other dancers in the building notice the great choreography, since that is what made it so great. Mary worries that solo wouldn't get a lot of public support, since viewers won't see how great of a dancer he is. I can see he's a great dancer, just too theatrical. Nigel worries about the other styles. Lil C calls it amazing but also worries about him doing other styles. But they still send him right through to Vegas. The question will be how long he will last there.

Before we see Ryan we see two sisters, Lauren and Lydia Guerra. They are dancing together- hopefully they are better than the other twins we saw before. And wow are they! They are in unison doing a contemporary routine and while I like Lydia better, both are very talented. They are two of my favorites so far. Nigel says Lydia was the better dancer but Lauren the better performer. He calls them a joy to watch. Mary says they have great technique and are solid. Lil C says they are different in how they dance but both are great. They both are sent to choreography. What is with all my favorites in this round going to choreography.

Now it is Ryan's turn. I thought his routine would be all fun but it actually is really good. He taps around the whoopie cushion, occasionally stepping on it for humor. At one point he starts to step on it but then shakes his head and keeps going! He is not as good a dancer as his brother but to me he is more entertaining. Nigel says it is a lot of fun and asks him what else he can do. He says he taught Evan what he knows and also has done other styles of dance. Mary thinks it is clever and pure entertainment. Lil C says he used his prop well. Nigel wants him to do choreography, but Mary and Lil C send him right to Vegas! I knew I liked Lil C!!

All that's left is the choreography round. I hope Anna and the twins get through. Twin Lauren is sent to Vegas, as does Anna (yeah!!!). Travis is surprisingly sent to Vegas since he improved with the choreography. The last one left is Lydia. Nigel teases her a bit saying he hates splitting up family. Then all we see is Lydia bursting through the door with a ticket in her hand! Double yeah!!!

15 Dancers in all get through from Day 2 at Memphis.

So while they were more clunkers tonight there were some standouts as well. My favorites were Joseph Smith, Eric "Silky" Moore, Megan Kinney (in what little glimpse we saw of her), Ryan the whoopie cushion dancer, twins Lauren and Lydia, and Anna Dunn.

Any thoughts on tonight's show? Feel free to post your comments below.