# America's Got Talent - 2018 (Spoilers)



## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

I didn't see a thread, so sorry if one exists and I missed it. Stop reading if you haven't seen the show yet.

My favorite acts so far were: 
Close up card magician. Dude was amazing!
Little girl rapper. Sign her to a deal she is going to be a legit star when she grows up. How did she not get the golden buzzer?
The final act. These aren't pros? That was like a Cirque du Soleil act. I almost stood up and clapped in my living room when they were done. Not usually a huge fan of this stuff but something about that act was just amazing to watch. Oh, that is why the girl didn't get the buzzer. Fine by me.

Weirdest acts:
The four college grads doing the water fountain routine. I know it was dumb. I know it is a one time novelty. But still - HILARIOUS! and so gross. Reminded me of the SNL skit where they chew food and feed each other. Disgusting yet funny.

The scary girl magic trick wasn't the best, but I enjoyed how it was presented. 

The trained cats. Are you kidding me? How the heck!?! Wow. Just Wow. Those aren't dogs people!!!

Looking forward to seeing less dancing, singing, and common stuff and more original performances. Great start to the season.


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## Allanon (Nov 2, 2005)

nickels said:


> Little girl rapper. Sign her to a deal she is going to be a legit star when she grows up. How did she not get the golden buzzer?


Flau'jae was on season 3 of The Rap Game, she didn't win.

Flau'jae - The Rap Game Cast | Lifetime


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

I generally don't like the group dance troupes. But that last group was so good I didn't FF through them as I normally would have.

The magicians don't entertain me like they used to. Especially since the producers cut away for reaction shots so much. I suspect some of it is so we don't see all the deck switches that the first guy did.

The cats were just crazy. I've never seen a cat do anything, other than be uppity.

Mel B looked sick to me. Is something physically wrong with her?


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

nickels said:


> The final act. These aren't pros? That was like a Cirque du Soleil act. I almost stood up and clapped in my living room when they were done. Not usually a huge fan of this stuff but something about that act was just amazing to watch. Oh, that is why the girl didn't get the buzzer. Fine by me.


No rule against "professional acts." At least one winner (Kenichi Ebina) was well-established in another country when he competed; the producers conveniently leave that part out of his storyline.



Donbadabon said:


> Mel B looked sick to me. Is something physically wrong with her?


When did the auditions take place? Maybe she was "suffering" from the fact that three of the five Spice Girls were invited to the Royal Wedding (Beckham, Halliwell, and Bunton), and she wasn't one of them. Strange, considering that Mel B claimed at one point that the Spice Girls were not only going to attend, but perform at one of the receptions.

And I have a feeling that even if the card magician doesn't finish in the top three, he'll end up with the "wild card" spot in the Vegas show that Piff the Magic Dragon and Tape Face got.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

Mel B has also been in the middle of a horrid divorce with claims of physical abuse - I have a friend performing this weekend at some kind of arts festival in Vienna and Mel B is one of the hosts.

I saw Beckham but I didn't see the other 2 at the wedding.

I enjoyed most of the acts - I fast forwarded through the rapper. 
I'm surprised they brought Tyra Banks back as the host.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

I know Melb has a lot going on in her personal life but I think mileage is just catching up with her. Shes at the age where all the crazy stuff she did in her younger days is coming home to roost.


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## jay_man2 (Sep 15, 2003)

Still miss Nick Cannon.


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## gossamer88 (Jul 27, 2005)

jay_man2 said:


> Still miss Nick Cannon.


I do too. Tara is just a poor version of him.

Love the act with the guys doing the fountain. I was LMAO! Didn't get the love for the rapper. Then again, that genre is just not my cup of tea.

Also thought the golden ticket winners were not deserving.


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

For the Golden Buzzer, it seems like a waste to me to use it on acts that don't seem to have a risk of going home before the finals. I would think they would use it on acts that are on the bubble, but there is something about them that a particular judge loves, so that judge pushes the button.



Spoiler: On this seasons Britain's Got Talent



In episode 1 the hosts also pushed the golden buzzer for someone. Since it happened for us too, it really makes me think these things are scripted


.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

Good to have AGT back again!

I love the cats...loved the card magician...loved the young female rapper...

I haven't finished the episode yet, so I might have more faves, but those are the ones that stand out for me so far... The water spitting trio was entertaining, but I am not sure I would reward that act with $1M... Not sure how much staying power they will have through the competition... I guess we shall see...


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## justen_m (Jan 15, 2004)

nickels said:


> My favorite acts so far were:
> Close up card magician. Dude was amazing!
> Little girl rapper. Sign her to a deal she is going to be a legit star when she grows up. How did she not get the golden buzzer?
> The final act. These aren't pros? That was like a Cirque du Soleil act. I almost stood up and clapped in my living room when they were done. Not usually a huge fan of this stuff but something about that act was just amazing to watch. Oh, that is why the girl didn't get the buzzer. Fine by me.
> ...


Pretty much agree with all of that, except the rapper girl. Just didn't seem extraordinary to me.

I love the card magician, Shin Lim. I've seen him before, on Penn & Teller Fool Us, twice, IIRC. He is absolutely amazing, and makes everything seem so effortless and smooth. You can find vid clips on youtube.

I've never seen cats trained by that, but definitely not a win-it-all act, IMO. Still, I agree with the judges in that I'd like to see 'em again.

The act that got the golden buzzer was amazing. There were little kids flying everywhere, getting huge air.


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

I also liked the 60+ comedienne. The editing made it seem like she was going to flop but she was actually pretty funny. There was something affecting about her heartfelt reaction to the audience showing their love.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

Donbadabon said:


> For the Golden Buzzer, it seems like a waste to me to use it on acts that don't seem to have a risk of going home before the finals. I would think they would use it on acts that are on the bubble, but there is something about them that a particular judge loves, so that judge pushes the button.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Originally, the Golden Buzzer was meant to "save" someone who didn't get three Yes votes. Presumably, they figured out that none of the Golden Buzzer acts were good enough to make it to the live shows. I see the current system as a replacement for when they brought everybody that advanced to Vegas, then told a group of them, "We know you're good enough for the live shows; you don't have to do your acts again here - we're sending you through to the next round."



Spoiler: As for the spoiler...



I don't know if Golden Buzzers are "scripted" (presumably, by the producers) but I am pretty sure the judges (and the host) know who they want to give them to in advance - otherwise, they could either use one before they see an act they feel is more deserving of one, or save it just in case there's a better act, and end up not using it. They also have to talk to each other to make sure two of them don't want the same act.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

justen_m said:


> The act that got the golden buzzer was amazing. There were little kids flying everywhere, getting huge air.


There was so much flying and of such a type that I thought that the fliers indeed might be mannequins. I wasn't absolutely convinced otherwise until the bows and follow-up discussion.


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## rharmelink (Dec 1, 2015)

The problem I have with the cats is the comment was made that it can take up to a year to train a cat a trick. So how many tricks can be left for later shows? It's not like they have years to teach the cats new tricks for the next show.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

rharmelink said:


> The problem I have with the cats is the comment was made that it can take up to a year to train a cat a trick. So how many tricks can be left for later shows? It's not like they have years to teach the cats new tricks for the next show.


Except that, remember: cats have 9 lives.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

nickels said:


> The scary girl magic trick wasn't the best, but I enjoyed how it was presented.


That is "The Sacred Riana", among other names. She's already won Indonesia's Got Talent. I'm not big fan of mentalist acts, but her's is less about the trick and more about the presentation and I find myself enjoying it.


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## dthmj (Mar 12, 2002)

I was only half watching this latest episode, but actually was watching the last contestant. It got a little dusty in the room.

It is very distracting with the changing outfits and hair. I like how The Voice does it where they just wear the same thing for each section, regardless of the night.


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

Some fun performances on this episode. Enjoyed the show by the yo-yo juggler Mochi. The family on the last segment was super sweet.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

The Howie with the pineapple on his head trick was pretty cool...and funny...

I wonder what sort of safeguards are in place for the audience and judges... OK, so maybe (and probably) the audience participants are plants... But what about Howie? What if there is a psycho that actually wants to make news by beheading a celebrity on a national television show?


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

MikeekiM said:


> I wonder what sort of safeguards are in place for the audience and judges... OK, so maybe (and probably) the audience participants are plants... But what about Howie? What if there is a psycho that actually wants to make news by beheading a celebrity on a national television show?


Well, presumably they realize that the earlier rounds are pre-recorded, and their "stunt" would not get aired, so if it's going to happen, it's going to happen on a "live" show, and even then, you would think NBC has been burned by live shows enough times (SNL; NASCAR) to have some sort of delay so they can show something else if they want something not to air. Case in point (although I don't think it was NBC): Sally Field was at (I think) the Emmys, and when she said something objectionable, the camera shot cut away to an earlier shot of the audience and empty stage.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

Some of the live performances are taped. The disclaimer says portions are taped. Some people incorrectly, think that only applies to the background segments.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

Yeah... My comment was more about the fact that the act of aggression would be newsworthy because it is a nationally televised program. I don't think it would ever make it on the air, even if it was a "live broadcast" since, as you said, there are delays and safeguards for that sort of thing...

But as a celebrity on a nationally televised show...do you put yourself in front of a blindfolded man wielding a sharp sword and risk a possible assault?


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## dthmj (Mar 12, 2002)

Apparently Simon had already seen the pineapple stunt on Britain's Got Talent back in 2013. So he probably knew Howie wasn't going to get beheaded.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

I love Mochi! Seems like a great guy!


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

tivotvaddict said:


> Some fun performances on this episode. Enjoyed the show by the yo-yo juggler Mochi. The family on the last segment was super sweet.


Yeah, the singer at the end were "super sweet"... that said, I didn't think his singing was "golden buzzer worthy"... His backstory was though...


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

dthmj said:


> Apparently Simon had already seen the pineapple stunt on Britain's Got Talent back in 2013. So he probably knew Howie wasn't going to get beheaded.


The judges probably all saw it in rehearsal too. I don't believe for a moment that judges frequently get up on stage, do exactly what they're supposed to do without screwing up the stunt or trick, and have no idea what's expected of them. If nothing else, they'd wreck every single magic trick.


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

MikeekiM said:


> Yeah, the singer at the end were "super sweet"... that said, I didn't think his singing was "golden buzzer worthy"... His backstory was though...


Agreed. Unusual for Simon to be swayed by a backstory, but he's mellowed over the years. His rhetoric of not judging someone based on size rang a bit false as I distinctly remember him saying words to the opposite when he was on American idol.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

MikeekiM said:


> Yeah... My comment was more about the fact that the act of aggression would be newsworthy because it is a nationally televised program. I don't think it would ever make it on the air, even if it was a "live broadcast" since, as you said, there are delays and safeguards for that sort of thing...
> 
> But as a celebrity on a nationally televised show...do you put yourself in front of a blindfolded man wielding a sharp sword and risk a possible assault?


Almost all of the acts which make it to the live shows don't come in through the open audition cattle calls we see on TV. AGT has talent scouts who recruit and sign acts which are already successful but not well known. A few years ago people were asking one act if he was disappointed he didn't make it through the judges cut round. He said he was only signed for two appearances.

You can google *Aaron Crow.* He is an established magician. No different then asking if XXX (fill in the name) was tempted to really saw XXXX (fill in the celebrity) in half. No question the act was rehearsed.

I don't have any specific information regarding this act, or any other magicians act but in general I've read


Spoiler



you should assume every magician who is blindfolded can see. This applies no matter what people verifying the blindfold tell us. The "magic" is in the acting and presentation. Not in the act itself. Do you think there is anyway Howie Mandel would agree to sit for the trick if Aaron couldn't see what he was doing?



Golden buzzer serves as way of telling us what acts are worthy of winning. I think some of the professional acts are guaranteed a spot in the live shows.

A few years ago each audition episode was edited from auditions taped in a named city. The judges wore the same clothing every day for continuity. Heidi said she is used to doing multiple wardrobe changes per show. Wearing the same outfit for days was not her norm. The shows are now pulled from any audition date. AGT doesn't claim the auditions were done in one taping. Keep the same outfit for all auditions and people would wonder why the judges only have one outfit.


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## Regina (Mar 30, 2003)

tivotvaddict said:


> Agreed. Unusual for Simon to be swayed by a backstory, but he's mellowed over the years. His rhetoric of not judging someone based on size rang a bit false as I distinctly remember him saying words to the opposite when he was on American idol.


Definitely agree that Simon has mellowed - since the birth of his son, he's a big ol' softy - of course, sometimes he's still his bad ol' self, who we all love, but he's not nearly as much fun!


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## Regina (Mar 30, 2003)

Loved the "virtual reality" act on tonight's show. Simon is right-like nothing we have seen before.

The comedian with Tourette's could go far-like the stuttering comedian a few seasons back. He's pretty funny!

We had a tornado warning in a southern county here in Indiana so I didn't see the final act and (I assume) the Golden Buzzer of the night-can someone please fill me in? TIA!


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## justen_m (Jan 15, 2004)

The VR act was great. One of the best acts I've ever seen on this show. I can't wait to see 'em again.

The escape artist? Yawn. Poor acting by the artist and his fiance. As if there was ever any danger. I don't find escape acts that are so obviously staged entertaining. Not sure why. I love other magic acts.

Hans, International Superstar, was hilarious! I was literally LOL. He was just so bizarre and funny.

Tourette's comedian was funny.



Regina said:


> so I didn't see the final act and (I assume) the Golden Buzzer of the night-can someone please fill me in? TIA!


Last act, after him, was super nervous, shy 13-year-old British(?) singer Courtney Hadwin. Sang Black Crowes' Hard to Handle. Totally unexpected. Especially the sounds that came out of her and her dancing. Fun as heck. Howie commented first, compared her to Janis Joplin, and hit the Golden Buzzer. None of the other judges even got to talk.


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

The Virtual Reality act was amazing. They really took it to another level.

When the quick change couple came out I was expected to be bored, since we've seen this several times. But they too brought their A-game. Those 3 changes in a row were done so well, and I thought their ending beach-wear was cool.

I am still against acts that have had prior commercial success appearing on the show. I always think of this show as finding the unknowns, the hidden talents we would've never known existed.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Donbadabon said:


> When the quick change couple came out I was expected to be bored, since we've seen this several times. But they too brought their A-game. Those 3 changes in a row were done so well, and I thought their ending beach-wear was cool.


I watched it a few times, including in slow motion--and I still don't see how it was possible.


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## Regina (Mar 30, 2003)

justen_m said:


> Last act, after him, was super nervous, shy 13-year-old British(?) singer Courtney Hadwin. Sang Black Crowes' Hard to Handle. Totally unexpected. Especially the sounds that came out of her and her dancing. Fun as heck. Howie commented first, compared her to Janis Joplin, and hit the Golden Buzzer. None of the other judges even got to talk.


Thank you! I will check it out on You Tube!

Agree with others-the Quick Change was fun-I don't think I have seen one where the man "changes" as well-that was a nice touch! And they brought Tyra in too!

I also loved Hans-especially since he didn't understand the German that Heidi spoke to him-that was hilarious! He's a hoot! Reminded me of Prince Poppycock-with some more outrageous outfits and AGT's production values, he could go far!


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

I don't work for the show, so when I say this I mean it (they say it every single year): This season has had the most talented acts to date. That girl who sang the Black Crowes was beyond words. Seriously, this kid is a prodigy. She is only 13. Amazing:





The act projecting a scene on a guy in the wolf costume was mind blowing. The quick change act was the best version I've ever seen of it. The guy from Glee was not really an amateur, and you could tell. My goodness, the third episode had a finale feel to it.


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## justen_m (Jan 15, 2004)

I hate that she got the golden buzzer. I want to see her again now.


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## TIVO_GUY_HERE (Jul 10, 2000)

That's what I hate about the Golden Buzzer. 

I would love to see more of that act from few weeks ago,that Mel buzzed.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

Regina said:


> Quick Change was fun-I don't think I have seen one where the man "changes" as well-that was a nice touch!


I still vividly remember the Quick Change act when that vile Piers Morgan was a judge and how much he went after them week after week for not changing up the act. Not sure I have their names right Dani and David maybe?
They had the man change from a black suit to a white suit in their act.

It is kind of interesting to see that structurally this act is exactly the same as theirs - the only differences being the multiple changes at each station and smoke instead of confetti at the end.

I'll be curious to see if this couple can switch things up...


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## osu1991 (Mar 6, 2015)

Courtney Hadwin is pretty well known before being on Americas Got Talent. She made it to the finals of The Voice Kids UK last year.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

nickels said:


> I don't work for the show, so when I say this I mean it (they say it every single year): This season has had the most talented acts to date. That girl who sang the Black Crowes was beyond words. Seriously, this kid is a prodigy. She is only 13. Amazing


Yeah... She was definitely talented... However...do we all really think she is really as shy as she portrayed herself at the start, before her performance? Maybe I am wrong... But it just felt like the producers encouraged her to tell (or exagerate) her shyness, soft-spoken backstory for drama... I feel "played" a bit here...

I'd feel much better (and have more respect) if she just came out...recognized that she had some talent that she'd been working on for most of her life, and that she was going to go out there and kick some *ss...

That said, my disclaimer is that I reserve the right to be wrong...and yes, I recognize that she has talent.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

Courtney made it to the finals last year in the Voice Kids UK.

I agree with PP, shyness was almost certainly staged.

I see a PP already posted, my bad.

The acts that make it to the live shows are recruited.


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## justen_m (Jan 15, 2004)

Don't tell me this. I just like watching the acts.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

MikeekiM said:


> Yeah... She was definitely talented... However...do we all really think she is really as shy as she portrayed herself at the start, before her performance? Maybe I am wrong... But it just felt like the producers encouraged her to tell (or exagerate) her shyness, soft-spoken backstory for drama... I feel "played" a bit here...
> 
> I'd feel much better (and have more respect) if she just came out...recognized that she had some talent that she'd been working on for most of her life, and that she was going to go out there and kick some *ss...
> 
> That said, my disclaimer is that I reserve the right to be wrong...and yes, I recognize that she has talent.


Ive watched some of her other videos on YouTube. The shyness was 100% staged.


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## rharmelink (Dec 1, 2015)

KungFuCow said:


> Ive watched some of her other videos on YouTube. The shyness was 100% staged.


That kind of taints the "performance" for me. I'd rather she was truthful about her performance history, like Noah Guthrie was...


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

A link which describes how AGT operates. How the contestants "story" is controlled by AGT.
'AGT': Contestants Must Sign Their Lives Away

In case above link becomes stale a link to the contestants agreement.
5
AGT Contract

Basically AGT can decide how to present an act. Producers can lie and contestant can't speak up. Producer6s have the right to pick a winner using any method they want.


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## warrenn (Jun 24, 2004)

I really wish AGT would not have karaoke singers. What other type of act can look through a back catalog of 1000's of canned performances, pick one, and perform it pretty much like it was originally done and move on through the contest? Can comedians perform old Richard Pryor bits? Can dancers just redo a Gene Kelly dance? If they're going to have singers, they should only allow them to sing their own original works.

The other problem with karaoke singers is that I don't feel any emotional attachment to their performance. I may relate to their backstory, like them as a person, or appreciate the technical aspect of their performance, but I won't care too much about it. They're not saying anything new or impressing upon me their emotions. 

I thought it was great that Grace VanderWaal won, because it truly was her original performances we were seeing. And she's producing great work now. Even her remakes of other songs are great! I know I just said I think using existing songs is a cop-out, but her background as a song creator means she actually makes an old song into a new song. She's not just mimicking someone else's performance.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Agreed, if they want to sing they need to audition for The Voice.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

osu1991 said:


> Courtney Hadwin is pretty well known before being on Americas Got Talent. She made it to the finals of The Voice Kids UK last year.





MikeekiM said:


> I feel "played" a bit here...


I kinda wish I didn't know this - I feel played too. Mostly by the representation that she is both an amateur and as shy as they presented her to be.
I wonder if the kid can handle a ballad? 
- I notice in both performances she seems just a bit winded at moments...


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Just saw the VR guys, I don't call that talent, I call it art. I find those acts entertaining but would never vote for them. Let's face it, a computer was doing most of the work. IMHO


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## rharmelink (Dec 1, 2015)

The ability to create art is a talent -- an amazing one. The computer just did what it was told to do. Just like an actor is doing what a director told them to do. Or a dancer is doing what a choreographer told them to do. An actor or a dancer can *add* their talent and abilities to the process, but for the computer, *all* of the talent is in the creation of the program.

I am a programmer, and I wish I had the creativity and talent to make games and music and books using my computer.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

DouglasPHill said:


> Just saw the VR guys, I don't call that talent, I call it art. I find those acts entertaining but would never vote for them. Let's face it, a computer was doing most of the work. IMHO


If you have a dance troupe, the individual members can adjust their timing slightly to match the movements of the other members. A computer plugs along with millisecond accuracy and in the case of the VR performance, there is one person who has to match that timing just as accurately. Then you have to add in that the performer was on flying wires the entire time but had to make sure it didn't look like it. It was probably more talent then most of the contestants.


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## warrenn (Jun 24, 2004)

DouglasPHill said:


> Just saw the VR guys, I don't call that talent, I call it art. I find those acts entertaining but would never vote for them. Let's face it, a computer was doing most of the work. IMHO


That is an interesting point. In most of the other acts, 100% of what is on stage is being created there in the moment. Sure, they have practiced it before, but sum product of what is on stage is being made on stage. But with the computer performances, a big part is a pre-recorded video. The performers are reacting to that unchanging video. While that does take talent and precision, the act is a mix of static and dynamic performances.

In some sense, it's like one of those dance video games at the arcade where the player has to respond exactly correctly to the game (e.g. Dance Dance Revolution).

However, I do find those acts very interesting and would pay to attend one. So while I can see how it has a fundamental difference, I think it's okay for them to be in the show.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

Cainebj said:


> I kinda wish I didn't know this - I feel played too. Mostly by the representation that she is both an amateur and as shy as they presented her to be.
> I wonder if the kid can handle a ballad?
> - I notice in both performances she seems just a bit winded at moments...


She has a cover of Aerosmith's "Dont Wanna Miss A Thing" so Id say yes?

She really doesnt have a lot of of her work online so she seems a lot less established than some of the people they have brought on and maybe she is kind of shy but none of the YouTube videos she has seem to indicate that. I did find it kind of funny that she only has 500 subscribers to her channel. Youd think for someone thats been on shows in other countries that she would have more of a following. I dont know.. I dont think social media is as popular in other countries.


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## rharmelink (Dec 1, 2015)

warrenn said:


> The performers are reacting to that unchanging video.


As some singers (and some other types of acts) perform and react to recorded and unchanging audio. Although later performances usually use live music.


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

I have to admit, the fact that they are selling me that little girl as a timid amateur really rubs me the wrong way. I loved her act and story, now I feel like I was manipulated by lies. If they had sold me that kid is good, and she knows it, it wouldn't have made me like her any less. Deception on the other hand... I am really angry that she was like "I thought I was going to get a buzzer." No, you didn't you filthy liar!


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

I just FF thru the stories and go right to the acts.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

DouglasPHill said:


> I just FF thru the stories and go right to the acts.


I have now adopted the practice, for this show, to FF through the backstories, backstage fluff/scripted conversations, extended intro, and also the dance group acts.


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

getreal said:


> I have now adopted the practice, for this show, to FF through the backstories, backstage fluff/scripted conversations, extended intro, and also the dance group acts.


What does that leave you, like 15 minutes of viewable content?


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## MPSAN (Jun 20, 2009)

getreal said:


> I have now adopted the practice, for this show, to FF through the backstories, backstage fluff/scripted conversations, extended intro, and also the dance group acts.


I am glad that I am not the only one who just does not like ANY of the dance groups! I like the singers but I hate the ones who are still very young and they all say "music is my life". Well, everyone can not make it so you may want to at least look into something else as well. I also hate ALL of the 5 or 6 year olds who are pushed by their family! I wish there was a minimum age!


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

MPSAN said:


> I am glad that I am not the only one who just does not like ANY of the dance groups! I like the singers but I hate the ones who are still very young and they all say "music is my life". Well, everyone can not make it so you may want to at least look into something else as well. I also hate ALL of the 5 or 6 year olds who are pushed by their family! I wish there was a minimum age!


YES! Get rid of the little children. LOCK THEM UP! Oops! I mean, give them their own talent show. And do NOT have a 5 year old girl or boy singing ADULT love songs. UGH! BLECCHH!


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## MPSAN (Jun 20, 2009)

Well, what they should say to little children is what my mother used to say to us a long time ago when we were that age and a little older. She would say "go out and play". Now all the kids know is FaceTube!


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

nickels said:


> What does that leave you, like 15 minutes of viewable content?


The dog acts!


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## warrenn (Jun 24, 2004)

The kid singer who was a lonely, only child had a strange sob story. He wanted a dog so he wouldn't be lonely?!? Really? He can get a dog at any time for practically nothing. I'm sure there are kennels and foster groups in his area who would even give him one for free. It almost seems like the producers told him to come up with something before he went on stage.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

I know I'm naive at times (and/or just not following things), but I've now become totally suspicious of being played by the AGT backstories, and find myself skipping them entirely. It's amazing how little content there is in the 2-hour show when you do so.


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## Ruth (Jul 31, 2001)

I did some research a few seasons ago and came to the conclusion that the backstories mostly are completely fiction or at least super overblown. It really has gotten super predictable and annoying, especially with the kids. They really want to have that Susan Boyles unexpected contrast between your expectations and the actual performance, and I get that it makes for great TV when it's real, but when it's created through editing I find that it undermines the effect. When they were making that girl out to be over-the-top painfully shy, for example, it was totally obvious that she was going to end up being the most dynamic performer EVER, so it really didn't have much of an emotional impact when the expected narrative played out. Same for dressing kids very, very young to manufacture the surprise moment when they start performing. Grace Vanderwaal for example was dressed and styled like a 5-year-old heading to church, when you could see from other sources that she typically dressed like an age-appropriate, somewhat fashionable tween girl. 

I also call BS on the entire idea that the lounge singer guy prepared that second song in an hour with no previous knowledge of the song or warning that he'd be asked to do this. That whole interlude seemed obviously to be a complete fiction and honestly left me rolling my eyes about how dumb they think the viewing audience really is.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

I have also gotten fed up with the backstories/sob stories and skip straight to the actual performance.

I've also checked out Britain's Got Talent and now I am a bit annoyed when acts that have performed well in BGT just last season -- which just wrapped weeks before AGT started airing the Audition episodes -- and the same acts appear before Simon, who also judged BGT. e.g., the Asian guy who pulled ever-smaller scarves over his naked body made it to the final 10 in BGT! Also the Asian girl who does the creepy non-verbal magic act where she tries to look as if she is possessed was also in a recent BGT season. At least Simon acknowledged the Russian guys from appearing recently on BGT.

It is just less about discovering "new" talent and more about casting acts on multiple shows across multiple "[insert country] Got Talent" franchises.

So I have finally learned to fine-tune my personal viewing methods to catch the 15 minutes of actual performances I enjoy and trim the fat from the edges.


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## Jayjoans (Jan 23, 2003)

Nearly every time there's an AGT on the DVR, my wife wonders why I record it. I tell her it's only 10-15 minutes of potentially interesting stuff. 

I agree, it's all fake and staged, I can't stand the background crap. >>>3 to the stage acts takes no time at all.

The lounge singer situation was so painfully phony I didn't watch the 2nd performance.

I'm still not at all comfortable with the deaf singer from last year.


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## Ruth (Jul 31, 2001)

Jayjoans said:


> I'm still not at all comfortable with the deaf singer from last year.


I liked her. And did some googling and I actually thought she seemed legit. Did you find something I didn't?


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## super dave (Oct 1, 2002)

Jayjoans said:


> Nearly every time there's an AGT on the DVR, my wife wonders why I record it. I tell her it's only 10-15 minutes of potentially interesting stuff.
> 
> I agree, it's all fake and staged, I can't stand the background crap. >>>3 to the stage acts takes no time at all.
> 
> ...


When I was skipping through the back stories my wife asked me why I didn't want to see what phony story they came up with. 
Could see immediately the lounge singer was a set up. 
Can't stand that they never show the acrobatic acts in full, but always the singers.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Seriously? A golden buzzer for the Janis Joplin wanna be? Omg


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

The guy with the "power to move things with his mind" - Intellectually not my thing, but to my utter surprise I found myself laughing out loud multiple times.

Daredevil Nock - daughter of guy who was on last year. I dunno, this kind of act doesn't really interest me much, but she was cute and sweet I guess

The 71 year old dancer - If she was, say 50, we wouldn't think anything of that performance. Good for a 71 year old, but nothing I need to see in the abstract

THE SINGERS
Boy who wanted dog - I doubt the Janis Joplin type singer really snubbed him like they made it seem.
Opera guy - will be interesting to see if he makes past next round
Natural Woman girl - something super appealing about her voice and personality. Just weird to hear a tween sing "you make me feel like a natural woman" Happy she got the Golden Buzzer


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## Redoctobyr (Jun 21, 2008)

The "moving things with his mind guy" ("telekinesssis") was really funny, I thought 

He reminded me of Chips Cooney, from a while back: 





I thought the boy-dog singer was really good, as was the 2nd performance of opera guy. Setting aside what may/may not be real about what we were told, I thought they both sang very well. I liked them better than Janis Joplin girl, personally.

Daredevil Nock, I dunno, I certainly don't want to do it! But in a way, it wasn't that fascinating/compelling a performance, to me. In that it's a bunch of setup, but not a lot to actually watch.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

Count me as another who skips all of the backstory stuff. I couldn't care less, whether it's true, somewhat true or not true. I just watch the performances. Whittles down the 2 hours to half hour or so. I'm surprised the quick change couple were on. I've seen many of these in person and on TV, there was nothing new about this one. They are all the same, different outfits. And I agree about singers, put them on the Voice, keep them off AGT.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

What was the deal with the camera staying so far away from the trapeze act? Also what's the deal with only showing brief glimpses of many of the acts?


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## bruinfan (Jan 17, 2006)

Catching up on the show.

Just wanted to say:

Big fan of Us the Duo. Happy to see them, annoyed that Howie said no, for the dumbest reasons (it's not for me, there is so much talent this year blah blah), when they let so many crappy and mediocre acts through. Us the Duo is legit.

Saw them on tour opening for Pentatonix. Their youtube channel is nice.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Actually enjoyed last night's AGT more than usual, procedurally--unless I just wasn't paying attention, they seemed to cram in more acts and skipped the backstories. (Or maybe I've just gotten so used to fast-forwarding through the backstories that I didn't notice they were there.  )


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

This week I noticed that the Skip Mode cues are set up great on AGT. You can skip the ad (of course), skip the human interest buildup after the ad and go to the performer coming onstage, skip to the end of the performance, and/or skip the post-performance feedback and the next ad break.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

pdhenry said:


> This week I noticed that the Skip Mode cues are set up great on AGT. You can skip the ad (of course), skip the human interest buildup after the ad and go to the performer coming onstage, skip to the end of the performance, and/or skip the post-performance feedback and the next ad break.


Thanks for the reminder--I had forgotten about the new beta skip chaptering.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

pdhenry said:


> This week I noticed that the Skip Mode cues are set up great on AGT. You can skip the ad (of course), skip the human interest buildup after the ad and go to the performer coming onstage, skip to the end of the performance, and/or skip the post-performance feedback and the next ad break.


Wait, what?

I didn't know they implemented this... How does one know that this has been implemented for the show that you are watching? Very cool...


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

Mikeguy said:


> Actually enjoyed last night's AGT more than usual, procedurally--unless I just wasn't paying attention, they seemed to cram in more acts and skipped the backstories. (Or maybe I've just gotten so used to fast-forwarding through the backstories that I didn't notice they were there.  )


It seemed to me that only the acts they aired in full got the backstories, and there did seem to be more "partial acts" than usual in this episode.

Schedule change: originally, NBC announced "Best Of The Auditions" for July 3, but have replaced it with a repeat of the first episode of the season.
Based on the listed proposed schedule at The Futon Critic, here's how I think it works out:
7/10 - final audition round (I think Heidi still has her Golden Buzzer)
7/17, 7/24, 7/31, 8/7 - judges' cuts (and guest judge golden buzzers; 7 per show (including the guest golden buzzers) get through, plus the 5 golden buzzers from the auditions and 3 wild cards)
8/14, 8/21, 8/28 - quarter-finals (12 acts each; 7 per show get through, plus one wild card); Wednesday result shows start here
9/4, 9/11 - semi-finals
9/18 - finals
9/19 - winner announced
9/20 - speculation begins as to which act gets the "wild card" spot in the Vegas show (there is always one act that gets in ahead of acts that finished ahead of it in the finale; the last three years have been, IIRC, Piff the Magic Dragon, Tape Face, and Preacher Lawson)


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

MikeekiM said:


> Wait, what?
> 
> I didn't know they implemented this... How does one know that this has been implemented for the show that you are watching? Very cool...


I discovered it by accident when I hit Skip in the middle of an act thinking I'd go to the next act after the ad and it took me to the post-act critique.


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## realityboy (Jun 13, 2003)

pdhenry said:


> I discovered it by accident when I hit Skip in the middle of an act thinking I'd go to the next act after the ad and it took me to the post-act critique.


Last I saw, it was shows like this, SYTYCD, Shark Tank, SNL, & some sports highlights.


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## realityboy (Jun 13, 2003)

Here's the thread, but I think you have to go to Facebook for the latest:

*BETA* feature test: "Chaptering"


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

When I saw it announced it was primarily for sports (see the OP in your linked thread) so I didn't pay much attention to it. I think AGT and the like is a good use of the feature.


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

Thanks for the tip on Chapter skipping, I had no idea that was a thing!

I am almost through the latest AGT but have a few acts left. The motorcycle/Howie act, even if this is scripted or whatever, there is no way he wasn't in actual danger during that routine. The act where the singer's Mom came out was just awkward. The young piano player kid who never kissed a girl felt like one of those fake stories to make us feel bad for him. While it will never win a million, that girl with the jump rope was about as good as anyone can be with a jump rope. Not sure I would have put through the comedian with the accordion.


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

nickels said:


> Thanks for the tip on Chapter skipping, I had no idea that was a thing!
> 
> I am almost through the latest AGT but have a few acts left. The motorcycle/Howie act, even if this is scripted or whatever, there is no way he wasn't in actual danger during that routine. The act where the singer's Mom came out was just awkward. The young piano player kid who never kissed a girl felt like one of those fake stories to make us feel bad for him. While it will never win a million, that girl with the jump rope was about as good as anyone can be with a jump rope. Not sure I would have put through the comedian with the accordion.


- wholeheartedly agree on the motorcycle act putting Howie in danger, if that was indeed not filmed with a stunt double in parts. That's just crazy. 
- accordion comedian made me laugh, so I was glad he got through
- don't remember many other acts from this last show


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## MPSAN (Jun 20, 2009)

I always try to skip on ALL recorded shows using the D button. If SKIP is not enabled on the show then D does nothing. No harm in trying.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

Right, but the new mystery is where the skip-to points are located.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

nickels said:


> The motorcycle/Howie act, even if this is scripted or whatever, there is no way he wasn't in actual danger during that routine..





tivotvaddict said:


> - wholeheartedly agree on the motorcycle act putting Howie in danger, if that was indeed not filmed with a stunt double in parts. That's just crazy.


Howie was absolutely in no danger. Absolutely no way he would have been allowed to do it if it was even 10% as dangerous as it looked. Once we agree the act wouldn't have been allowed if How was under any danger we can consider what was really done.

I'll speculate the segment wasn't taped in front of the audience. Possibilities include using a dummy for close up scenes. I wonder if Howie was under a sheet of plexiglass. Howie would be 100% protected and editing would only show near misses and not what would appear to be hits. We could watch in slow motion and try and figure it out.


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

Hit the 1:39 mark and watch for about 10 seconds. What about that looks fake? I haven't seen a single article where it goes over how they faked this routine and it has almost been a week since it aired. It wouldn't surprise me if it was fake, but so far I have no evidence besides common sense that says it wasn't real.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

Unless it's really not as dangerous as it looks...


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

lew said:


> Howie was absolutely in no danger.


So was Howie green screen into an edited segment? Because if they filmed it live...there's no way that this could be done with zero risk to Howie... Is there?

As I mentioned previously, I am always shocked when they allow these sorts of acts, even if properly screened... What if the guy has a hiccup in his act and misses by a hair, causing some bodily harm to Howie, or anyone else...even if it's not an innocent bystander... Could be an insider, an audience plant, someone who is officially part of the act... Someone can get hurt, no?


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

The motorcycle tires were pretty flat. That would make a difference if it landed on you. Nowhere near as harsh as if the tires were fully inflated.


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## andyw715 (Jul 31, 2007)

MPSAN said:


> I always try to skip on ALL recorded shows using the D button. If SKIP is not enabled on the show then D does nothing. No harm in trying.





pdhenry said:


> Right, but the new mystery is where the skip-to points are located.


The latest ep of Instinct had one skip point, to the 47 min mark.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

andyw715 said:


> The latest ep of Instinct had one skip point, to the 47 min mark.


Yep--I assumed that the Skip Dude/Dudette with responsibility for the show was at a party and didn't get home until 45 minutes after the show started. I hope it wasn't car problems.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

Motorcycle dude was a trials rider. Howie was always perfectly safe. The tires looked flat because flatter tires provide more traction. Just watch bits of this video and you can see the kind of riding abilities a trials rider has.


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

I too don't see them putting Howie in that situation, even if the rider is the most skilled motorcycle rider alive. Even if he's a skinny guy and it's a lightweight bike, and the tires are super flat, Howie is still an old guy with brittle bones, and he's the high paid celebrity. I don't see how you risk it.

You could minimize some of the danger (Howie was wearing a helmet, could have been wearing a cup) but I don't see how you could minimize it all. 

This is a television show. I'm automatically skeptical of edits, stunt doubles, rehearsals, etc.


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

Siegfried and Roy were also trained professionals who never had a problem onstage... until they did. I don't care how good these trials riders are in real life, there is still a possibility of an accident. Howie was in danger, although maybe not as much as it appeared. The only way he was 100% safe is if it was fake.


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## Redoctobyr (Jun 21, 2008)

I agree. The rider could still have an unexpected mechanical failure (sometimes stuff happens), or simply fall victim to human error, and hit Howie. 

I'm not saying it was fake, but it seems a little extreme to me to say that Howie was in no danger, if there was a motorcycle riding/landing right next to him.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

Redoctobyr said:


> I agree. The rider could still have an unexpected mechanical failure (sometimes stuff happens), or simply fall victim to human error, and hit Howie.
> 
> I'm not saying it was fake, but it seems a little extreme to me to say that Howie was in no danger, if there was a motorcycle riding/landing right next to him.


+1

There is a difference between "low risk" and "no risk"... In my opinion, this might be "low risk"...but certainly not "no risk".

As @nickels mentioned above, this would only be "no risk" if it was fake... And if that's the case, then that will launch a tirade of different posts to this thread altogether!


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Oh boy! Another kid singer gets a golden buzzer. Zzzzzz


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## Jolt (Jan 9, 2006)

She deserved it. I haven't watched any other part of the show this year but man she was amazing.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

I liked the kid who sang in Spanish.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

If they want to sing, they should be on The Voice.


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## lambertman (Dec 21, 2002)

It wasn’t even a “sad kid singer” getting the golden buzzer this time. That girl’s life seemed pretty charmed.


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## Ruth (Jul 31, 2001)

I thought the girl who got the golden buzzer did seem really talented, so I don't have much of a beef with that.

Must every episode have a "you're singing the wrong song, so Simon will give you a different one and you'll instantly transform from mediocre to fabulous" segment now?

The boy rapper had me rolling my eyes just based on the ridiculousness of dressing him in a freaking suit just to manipulate the judges' and audience expectations.

I liked self-deprecating goth comic.

They were all agog about the choir that did the rainstorm, but I thought they were pretty bad. The rainstorm part was OK, but once they started singing? "Africa" basically in unison, a nothing arrangement, with average soloists? Pretty bad. _That_'s the best choir they've ever seen?!


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## Ruth (Jul 31, 2001)

Oh, and also the "singing dog" did nothing for me.

I liked the Rube Goldberg guys a lot, because I like Rube Goldberg machines. But how are they going to keep presenting new material in the next rounds? They said their audition machine took 300 hours to perfect! That doesn't seem very sustainable for this type of competition.


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

Ruth said:


> Oh, and also the "singing dog" did nothing for me.
> 
> I liked the Rube Goldberg guys a lot, because I like Rube Goldberg machines. But how are they going to keep presenting new material in the next rounds? They said their audition machine took 300 hours to perfect! That doesn't seem very sustainable for this type of competition.


I was wondering that same thing! Looking forward to seeing what they come up with.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

The auditions are now done so the winner will be someone we've already seen. That's disappointing. The pool seems a lot less talented this season. A lot less.


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## Redoctobyr (Jun 21, 2008)

Hmm, yeah, that's interesting. 

Though sometimes I thought we still meet new groups after the auditions are done. People who auditioned, but didn't get a full aired performance segment during the auditions. Maybe there are still people we just saw as a brief clip.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

Ruth said:


> They were all agog about the choir that did the rainstorm, but I thought they were pretty bad. The rainstorm part was OK, but once they started singing? "Africa" basically in unison, a nothing arrangement, with average soloists? Pretty bad. _That_'s the best choir they've ever seen?!


I agree with you - but 2 days after watching I suddenly had one of their vocal arrangements stuck in my head out of nowhere - that weird scatting high vocal line the women did a couple of times.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

Redoctobyr said:


> I'm not saying it was fake, but it seems a little extreme to me to say that Howie was in no danger, if there was a motorcycle riding/landing right next to him.





MikeekiM said:


> +1
> 
> There is a difference between "low risk" and "no risk"... In my opinion, this might be "low risk"...but certainly not "no risk".
> 
> As @nickels mentioned above, this would only be "no risk" if it was fake... And if that's the case, then that will launch a tirade of different posts to this thread altogether!


Drive in the left lane and you're 12 inches from a head on collision. Walk across the road and you run the risk of being hit by a car. Either case could be a driver who is under the influence, drugs or booze..a driver who has physical issues.

I guess Howie could get a heart attack on stage.

Go back to Aron Crow's act. The Pineapple was sitting on a metal platform supported by a pole. Had Aron missed the pineapple the sword would have hit the plate or the pole not Howie. I think this qualifies as no risk. The general rule is blindfolded magicians can always see. Regardless Howie was under no real danger.

I think the motorcycle stunt was done on Britain's got talent. Similar to Aron's audition the motorcycle stunt is either no risk, ultra low risk if you prefer, or was faked. Even for the "live" shows some acts "live performances" are taped in advance. My first thought is Howie was physically protected. My second guess would be a dummy or green screen.

Start with the premise the stars won't be placed in any danger. You can then review the recordings and try to figure out how the apparent danger was an illusion.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

lew said:


> Drive in the left lane and you're 12 inches from a head on collision. Walk across the road and you run the risk of being hit by a car. Either case could be a driver who is under the influence, drugs or booze..a driver who has physical issues.


Agree...but aren't these examples that you are using to prove your point excellent examples of "low risk" scenarios, and not "no risk"? And I guess it is important to note that as risks go, these are low probability, high impact risks. Almost everyone who gets on the freeway believes that there is a 99.999% chance of them coming home. But in the low probability that it happens, the consequences are potentially very dire.

Maybe this is just a situation where we agree to disagree... I still don't think that Howie was at no risk. To me, he was still put in a low risk situation. Especially since his well being is in the hands of another individual. Who knows the mental state of these contestants? Maybe one of these contestants comes on the show and passes all of the preliminary auditions so that they can get on the live show and do something newsworthy (and not in a good way)? Yes, it won't likely be televised, but it will still be newsworthy. And even if you remove the scenario of a "mad-man" trying to be newsworthy, there are still small tolerances to some of these acts. Sneeze or hicccup and maybe that's the difference between safety and a minor (or major) injury.

Like I said previously, maybe there are 100% safe guards in place. Or maybe the show is "fake" and none of the celebrity judges that volunteer to be part of the act are ever in any danger at all.

But I still perceive these situations to be (at the very least), low-risk activities.


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

Just caught up, but that audience was too kind to the mediocre acts. I am pretty sure they spoiled the golden buzzer winner in the opening montage. The (pompous) kid rapper, yeah that lame act isn't going far now that the shock has worn off. The choir of 10,000 people was underwhelming. Another fake Simon stops the show and makes the contestant sing something else, like we haven't seen this routine multiple times already. The singing dog, boring and blah. The girl with her dad doing the balance routine was about the coolest act of the night. Finally, I am a huge fan of Rube Goldberg devices. The biggest. Love them all... but their's was boring. About the only people that have found a way to make Rube Goldberg devices entertaining are the writers for Wile E Coyote cartoons and OK Go - This Too Shall Pass video. Other that that it doesn't really work well for this type of show.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

nickels said:


> Just caught up, but that audience was too kind to the mediocre acts. I


I went to a few tapings when AGT was in NY. Before we saw a single act crowd reactions were taped. Applause, standing ovation, waves etc. The audience reaction you see on TV isn't necessarily for the act you're seeing. For the live shows we're told, often, every act that made this far deserves a standing ovation.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

First judges cut show
18 acts - 7 spots. 
I pretty much agreed with the choices (or were OK with the choices) EXCEPT the guy who does the yoyo whatever in front of all the projections - I would have not have chosen him.
I would not have chosen the married couple who announced they are pregnant.
I would have put thought the opera singer instead of either of those spots.

My 3 standouts were the guy with the bow and arrow and the apple (getting the ring was incredible!)
The trapeze couple - with the girl who fell...
And the singer who is a nurse by day.

I am glad those 3 got through.

The dance group from the Philippines dancing in heels are great 
- but OMG enough already with the tears and talking about their poverty and how they are doing this for their families - the backstory all sounds totally made up at this point.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

Cainebj said:


> I pretty much agreed with the choices (or were OK with the choices) EXCEPT the guy who does the yoyo whatever in front of all the projections - I would have not have chosen him.
> I would not have chosen the married couple who announced they are pregnant.
> I would have put thought the opera singer instead of either of those spots.


Don't forget that (usually) there are three acts that get through to the first round of live shows as wild cards; the opera singer can still make it.


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## Regina (Mar 30, 2003)

That Don Guy said:


> Don't forget that (usually) there are three acts that get through to the first round of live shows as wild cards; the opera singer can still make it.


They made a big deal of showing the judges discussing how cutting him was "a mistake" and all so I am pretty sure he will be back-but I still think that the show should be called "America's Got Talent, Except for Singing.."


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

IMHO, its all scripted, everything. It used to be America's Got Talent but now its America's biggest sob story.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

Cainebj said:


> My 3 standouts were the guy with the bow and arrow and the apple (getting the ring was incredible!)


I'm convinced that that's a "magic trick," not an actual feat. He didn't actually fire an arrow; it was all sleight of hand.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

pdhenry said:


> I'm convinced that that's a "magic trick," not an actual feat. He didn't actually fire an arrow; it was all sleight of hand.


Something felt up to me as well--it was just too precision-requiring (and chancy, life-threatening-wise).


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## super dave (Oct 1, 2002)

pdhenry said:


> I'm convinced that that's a "magic trick," not an actual feat. He didn't actually fire an arrow; it was all sleight of hand.


You are correct sir.


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

Does anyone watch "next weeks preview" after the show? I swear about two weeks ago they previewed an act that looked horrible, it was some guy vomiting. The show aired (prior to judges cuts) but thankfully that act wasn't aired. I am positive I saw it in the preview though... anyone else see it? I looked it up his name was Herb Marple and it was supposed to air on week 6. Maybe I missed that episode.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

super dave said:


> You are correct sir.


I am not bothered by this at all...

I love the ingenuity of the solution, and the convincing illusion...

Magic is never magic... It's always an illusion... I am not sure why people who find out that magic isn't real are disappointed when they discover that it's not "real" magic.

And yes, Aaron Crow does not bill his act as a magic act. But kudos to him for creating this illusion, and putting all of the tension and suspense into the performance. I am still a fan...


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

pdhenry said:


> I'm convinced that that's a "magic trick," not an actual feat. He didn't actually fire an arrow; it was all sleight of hand.


So was I (even before the video), especially when the ring was revealed, except maybe he legitimately fired the arrow at the target; certainly, the arrow wouldn't slice the apple like that.



MikeekiM said:


> I am not bothered by this at all...
> 
> I love the ingenuity of the solution, and the convincing illusion...
> 
> ...


I am in the James Randi camp on this one - an illusion should never be passed off as a legitimate feat of skill. This is how charlatans operate. I agree that Crow did what he did well, and had that been, say, Mat Franco, or Penn & Teller (who do pretty much the same thing with their Dual Bullet Catch) doing it, and everybody knew it was a trick the whole time, I would still be impressed, but don't use illusion to promote yourself as something else.



Regina said:


> They made a big deal of showing the judges discussing how cutting him was "a mistake" and all so I am pretty sure he will be back-but I still think that the show should be called "America's Got Talent, Except for Singing.."


I don't know; I have a feeling one is going to go to the "singing dog." Mel B is just mad that Vic, Geri, and Emma got invented to the Royal Wedding...

Question: did any act that did not get put through have its entire act shown (I think Patches the rapper did) - or, for that matter, did any act that _did_ get put through _not_ have its full act shown?


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

MikeekiM said:


> I am not bothered by this at all...
> 
> I love the ingenuity of the solution, and the convincing illusion...
> 
> ...


Agreed that all magic is an illusion and the question of how good a magician is is how well s/he executes that illusion. I also really appreciate knowing the "secrets" behind the illusion.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

That Don Guy said:


> I am in the James Randi camp on this one - an illusion should never be passed off as a legitimate feat of skill. This is how charlatans operate. I agree that Crow did what he did well, and had that been, say, Mat Franco, or Penn & Teller (who do pretty much the same thing with their Dual Bullet Catch) doing it, and everybody knew it was a trick the whole time, I would still be impressed, but don't use illusion to promote yourself as something else.


Hmmm... Interesting perspective... So it matters who is doing the trick...not just that the trick was performed well... I can see that perspective...

That said, if Penn & Teller did it, they would not have to announce that "this is an illusion". They have a reputation... and it is okay to leave that unsaid...

The challenge with Aaron Crow is that he is not claiming that what is being done is real...nor is he claiming that what he is doing is illusion... And he doesn't have a reputation, so we can't assume anything either...

The fact that he says nothing means that we don't know if he is a danger act or a magic act.... He hasn't positioned himself in one or the other... Certainly escape artists claim that this is a dangerous and life defying escape..when clearly it's magic/illusion... How do we reconcile that with what Aaron Crow is doing here?


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

MikeekiM said:


> Hmmm... Interesting perspective... So it matters who is doing the trick...not just that the trick was performed well... I can see that perspective...
> 
> That said, if Penn & Teller did it, they would not have to announce that "this is an illusion". They have a reputation... and it is okay to leave that unsaid...
> 
> ...


"It matters who is doing the trick" only in that if it was Franco or P&T (or Lance Burton, or Melinda Saxe, or even if Crow himself did it on CW's _Masters of Illusion_), then we would know from the start that they are not pretending that they can really shoot an arrow through an apple after spinning around like that.

The fact that he is not saying that it is an illusion, added with the fact that his first appearance clearly was not an illusion, leads me to believe that he does not want us to think that there is any illusion involved in this, but it is entirely his skill.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

I'm behind on my viewing, just saw the young looking 13 year old rapper. :thumbsdown::thumbsdown:

Followed by the 1000 member choir :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Not gonna lie, getting really tired of Simon's kid getting shoehorned into every episode.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

I sort of feel the same about singers having to change up after Simon stops them.


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## Regina (Mar 30, 2003)

UGH! The Golden Buzzer went to singers! (The choir)

..and I was super bummed that they sent the - well - what would you call him? The super serious not comic not magician - he was so funny and clever! I hope they bring him back as a wild card!


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

I agree about Simon's kid. Enough already.

And Mel B needs to stop vocalizing everything she sees. I bet she reads with her finger too.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Donbadabon said:


> ... Mel B needs to stop vocalizing everything she sees.


Sometimes vocalizing is good :smilingimp::smilingimp:


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

Riddle me this - guitar guy, Hunter Price, "Poor song choice" - BUT, why didn't Simon stop his performance and make HIM pick a different song? Piano kid is dying up there, they make him do a different song (shocking, I know) then send him to the live shows even though he was nervous and bad. Sending up that Hans guy who did the terrible lounge act was a travesty. The fact that he went through is baffling to say the least. The Human Fountains somehow managed to be even more disgusting this time around. Both magicians were really good, but I suspect they had some editing and post production help with their routines. I really like that older female comedian, despite her comedy set being fairly weak. I am shocked the 5 year old girl got axed, she is too adorable.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

Hans going through is a joke. He never should have made it past round 1. While "disgusting" the human fountain guys are creative, I'll give them that. I kind of wanted to see what they'd do next. Simon is also a joke, I wish he'd move on to something else and get a new judge in there.


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

Regina said:


> UGH! The Golden Buzzer went to singers! (The choir)
> 
> ..and I was super bummed that they sent the - well - what would you call him? The super serious not comic not magician - he was so funny and clever! I hope they bring him back as a wild card!


THIS!!! That guy had my literally laughing out loud, not just once but multiple times. He is so different than anyone else. Darn Heidi, bet she blackballed him. The "raining men" act got through and this guy didn't? :rage::rage::rage::rage::rage::rage:


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## Ruth (Jul 31, 2001)

I was glad the 5 year old didn't make it through. She was unbelievably adorable, no doubt about that. But I think right now she's more precocious than talented. In 5 years when she's no longer cute as a button, will she be a great talent? Or will it turn out there's not much there once she's outgrown being tiny? I really can't tell, which is why I'm glad they didn't put her through. The other little kids who have done well have certainly benefitted from the cuteness factor, but at least you could see they were truly talented and not just ultra adorable kids who can carry a tune.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

tivotvaddict said:


> THIS!!! That guy had my literally laughing out loud, not just once but multiple times. He is so different than anyone else. Darn Heidi, bet she blackballed him. The "raining men" act got through and this guy didn't? :rage::rage::rage::rage::rage::rage:


I'm not sure the judges really have a say. I suspect the producers, Simon, are the real decision makers. I'm sure Simon can "blackball" an act. Heidi, probably not.
Many of the acts have professional experience. Some have competed in other "talent" shows. Good chance the producers already know what the acts have to show in future performances. I enjoyed Lioz Tov but maybe we already saw his entire act. I've ready some acts aren't really competitors, they're signed on for one or two appearances.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

lew said:


> I'm not sure the judges really have a say. I suspect the producers, Simon, are the real decision makers. I'm sure Simon can "blackball" an act. Heidi, probably not.
> Many of the acts have professional experience. Some have competed in other "talent" shows. Good chance the producers already know what the acts have to show in future performances. I enjoyed Lioz Tov but maybe we already saw his entire act. I've ready some acts aren't really competitors, they're signed on for one or two appearances.


Agreed. This is in no way an open competition at all. I believe that before they perform the decision has been made over which 7 acts go on. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it's all figured out to the end right now.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

Not through this week's episode yet...but of the acts I watched so far, I really liked the close-up magic act. The human fountain was better than I expected. I really liked when the big bass drum comes, and they "power spit" into the air... LOL... I don't think it is a million dollar act, but it was fun to watch...

Don't know who goes through yet...like I said, I haven't finished the episode yet... 

Will be back again to report any other interesting acts...


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

VegasVic said:


> Agreed. This is in no way an open competition at all. I believe that before they perform the decision has been made over which 7 acts go on. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it's all figured out to the end right now.


I think it's a legitimate "open competition" - a little too open. They definitely hide how much training (Season 3 winner Neil Boyd won a national collegiate opera singing competition, which was never mentioned on air), or how popular in other countries (Kenichi Ebina comes to mind), some acts are. I am also convinced that the original five Golden Buzzers are decided in advance - maybe not by the producers, but by the judges (and Tyra), if for no other reasons than (a) two of them don't go after the same act, and (b) they don't see an act they like more than the one to which they had already given their Golden Buzzer.

The producers also have to "seed" the four judges' cuts rounds; otherwise, you might end up with the 10 best acts in the same group, and (before wild cards, anyway) three of them get sent home. Speaking of wild cards, I wouldn't put it past Simon to cut the act he thinks is the best, only to "realize his mistake" and bring it back as a wild card; that's pretty much what he did with the first winner of The X Factor USA.

It could also be like MasterChef - the producers can "suggest" which chefs/acts go through, but in the end, it's up to the judges. The cynic in me makes me think that the reason that, on the live shows, there's a commercial break just before the judges choose the last act to advance is so they can get some communication from backstage.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

Lioz was hilarious... His act is so stupid, it's actually quite funny....

Angel City Chorale... Liked their first audition (mainly because I like the song "Africa")... This one was also good...I don't know if it's golden buzzer worthy, but yeah...I still like them...

The second magician was good...I enjoyed him... I liked the illusion, and can't imagine how he moved both people to their new locations so quickly...

I really like the stand-up comedian. Very likeable, and this is clearly something that's important to her...yes, it's important to everyone, but she has a lot of emotions tied up in this competition. She did a great job. I think stand-up comics have one of the toughest challenges...


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

Do they still (or didn't they once) break up acts into categories like singers, danger acts, magicians, novelty etc.?

That is the only reason I can see Hans getting in over other acts - because he fits into a category quota.


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

Cainebj said:


> That is the only reason I can see Hans getting in over other acts - because he fits into a category quota.


IMO the only reason he went through is that he somehow wow'd the live audience. Maybe his act magically comes off better in person? On TV it was horrendous.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

They certainly do not make the categorization a visible part of the process anymore.

But I am sure this is a consideration as they put acts through. Their goal is not to let the absolute best talent through to the live shows, it's to get the most viewership. And from that perspective, they need a variety of acts to attract the most viewers.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

IMHO - There is no link between the quality of the talent and moving on to the next level.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

DouglasPHill said:


> IMHO - There is no link between the quality of the talent and moving on to the next level.


No link at all? I don't know if I agree with that... I think there is some link... It's not as strong a link as I would prefer... There are definitely other factors, most notably the category of the act, as well as the act's "good TV" factor.

Good TV = Likeability, backstory, quirkiness of the act, etc...

But I do think there is a link...even a strong-ish link...but it definitely is NOT the only factor.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

DouglasPHill said:


> IMHO - There is no link between the quality of the talent and moving on to the next level.


An extreme point of view. Upon further thought it may be more true then we think. I think the goal of AGT is to generate talent for Simon's company and summer programming for NBC. Simon's company gets the right to represent contestants. Marketing, back stories (real or fake) , is as important as talent. Simon's bait and switch, having the singer perform an alternate song makes a mediocre singer sound a lot better. We notice how much better the second song is rather then how just above average the second song is.

Poster ask about Hans. AGT generally has a "novelty" act in the live shows. One year it was Dorothy Williams, recipient of Nick's golden buzzer. Another year it was the guy who wanted to be a one hit wonder. His song was booty. It gets people talking, how did he get through? It adds a bit of humor. It gives the producers of AGT a chance to have a production type of act.

AFAIK AGT doesn't have a published quota as to how many acts in each category make it to the live shows. No question the system is set up to give us a variety. We're not going to see a finals with nothing but singers or only magicians.

Not sure why we don't see a lot more and better comedians. Until the last few performances they only need 3 or 4 jokes. Even a warm up comedian goes 10-20 minutes in a comedy club vs a few minutes on AGT.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

Cainebj said:


> Do they still (or didn't they once) break up acts into categories like singers, danger acts, magicians, novelty etc.?
> 
> That is the only reason I can see Hans getting in over other acts - because he fits into a category quota.


I think they stopped doing this when they changed from "all at once" judges' cuts (when they were held in Las Vegas). It wouldn't look fair to do it that way if you selected seven acts per night. However, I would not be surprised if they take how many of a particular act are there into account when deciding.

I also wouldn't be surprised if they go through all four "days" of the Judges' Cuts acts before making any of the decisions; it wouldn't be that hard to have each of the guest judges there, then bring them out one at a time when the decisions are made.



DouglasPHill said:


> IMHO - There is no link between the quality of the talent and moving on to the next level.


That depends on just what you mean by that. Did you notice any cases of "talented" performers not getting through the first round? Certainly, "less talented" performers do; it's a matter of talent vs. likability (the "singing dog" comes to mind). In the judges' cuts round, they may also take "we don't want too many of the same act getting through" into account. IMO, had it not been for Terry Fator, both of the first two seasons would have been branded as "_American Idol_ for singers not between 16 and 28."


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

That Don Guy said:


> I also wouldn't be surprised if they go through all four "days" of the Judges' Cuts acts before making any of the decisions; it wouldn't be that hard to have each of the guest judges there, then bring them out one at a time when the decisions are made.


It does seem odd that the guest judges aren't there when they do the actual cuts. They show them "deliberating" with the regular judges but then there's an empty chair when they bring out the acts.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

VegasVic said:


> It does seem odd that the guest judges aren't there when they do the actual cuts. They show them "deliberating" with the regular judges but then there's an empty chair when they bring out the acts.


For some reason, I thought they were, but in that case, it probably works like this: acts perform in front of the first guest judge; they show the five judges "arguing" over which ones to send through (how much of this is legitimate at this point, I don't know; they could be doing a "preliminary ranking" prior to the final decisions, since they do have to choose seven per guest judge); repeat for the second guest judge, then the third, then the fourth; the four regular judges then decide on the top 28, limiting it to seven per guest judge, and then possibly choosing the three wild cards as well.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

I think some posters are overthinking the cut shows. The last year in NY the judges cut round had an audience. Half the acts performed. There was a late lunch/early dinner break. A different audience was seated. After the last act performed there was a short break, maybe 15 minutes. We saw who went through. We got to give standing ovations. It looks like there isn't an audience for the announcement. I suspect AGT clears out whoever was in the audience, takes a break then tapes the announcement. No reason to keep the celebrity judge around. Look at what the judges are wearing. If it's the same outfit for the entire round the taping was done in one day I guess 2 if there was a big problem. Are the judge wearing the same clothing during the results? Then it was taped the same day.

Acts are assigned a performance date. Producers know what to expect. In some cases they've already seen the act perform in another venue or at least during rehearsal. A cynic would say the producers know in advance which acts will advancing. A less cynical person would say most of the acts advancing are kind of decided in advance. A couple of acts might benefit from a great performance or hurt from a bad one. 

Look at what we know. An acrobat fell and went through. A singer was off key and went through.


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## bruab (Nov 16, 2001)

I can’t believe a singer stops a song in the middle of a huge audition, has a discussion with the judge and then performs a totally different song. That seemed totally staged to me.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

lew said:


> ... Acts are assigned a performance date. Producers know what to expect. In some cases they've already seen the act perform in another venue or at least during rehearsal. A cynic would say the producers know in advance which acts will advancing. A less cynical person would say most of the acts advancing are kind of decided in advance. A couple of acts might benefit from a great performance or hurt from a bad one.
> 
> Look at what we know. An acrobat fell and went through. A singer was off key and went through.


There was a case within the past 2 or 3 seasons where a group act with some projection or black light effects experienced some sort of technical difficulty during the live show and the producers played a taped rehearsal for the judges instead of the live performance, and they got through based on that rehearsal.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

bruab said:


> I can't believe a singer stops a song in the middle of a huge audition, has a discussion with the judge and then performs a totally different song. That seemed totally staged to me.


Next you're going to tell us Santa doesn't exist. Seeing the improvement with the better song choice makes a mediocre singer appear above average. It helps identify the acts simon likes


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## super dave (Oct 1, 2002)

And another show and Simon stopped a singer to change songs.


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## Redoctobyr (Jun 21, 2008)

Yeah, that's getting kind of old.


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## Regina (Mar 30, 2003)

..and once again, a clever comedian (the goth guy) goes home ...

OH! from the previews from next week...



Spoiler: Look who's joining the judges for judge cuts!



Chris Hardwick-I guess all is forgiven?


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## series5orpremier (Jul 6, 2013)

Regina said:


> Spoiler: Look who's joining the judges for judge cuts!
> 
> 
> 
> Chris Hardwick-I guess all is forgiven?





Spoiler



No, to be forgiven first he would have had to do something inappropriate. The AMC investigation concluded it was a non-issue.
Chris Hardwick to Return to NBC Following Abuse Allegations
My own interpretation is she wanted to have friendships with other guys, which he saw as cheating. He let her know he wanted a monogamous relationship, which she saw as him being controlling and abusive.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

super dave said:


> And another show and Simon stopped a singer to change songs.


Ridiculous. Love to have a new judge replace him next year.


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## Regina (Mar 30, 2003)

series5orpremier said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Spoiler



I totally agree-I sarcastic quotes around "all is forgiven" to indicate it-thank you for pointing this out!


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## super dave (Oct 1, 2002)

VegasVic said:


> Ridiculous. Love to have a new judge replace him next year.


He is better than Stern was, and that's not saying much.


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## Redoctobyr (Jun 21, 2008)

Can we change Tyra for someone else too?  If Nick would come back, great, but just someone.


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## MauriAnne (Sep 21, 2002)

Redoctobyr said:


> Can we change Tyra for someone else too?  If Nick would come back, great, but just someone.


  This. So very much this.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

I kind of figured that the Spanish-singing kid was a shoe-in. I guess that's why I'm not a talent scout.


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## justen_m (Jan 15, 2004)

Tyra's gotten better, but still seems a bit awkward. Nick was great, total natural and seemed at home on stage.

I was disappointed the goth comedian didn't make it through. I found him very funny. Not a huge fan of the cat ladies, but the daughter is pretty funny,


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

Regina said:


> ..and once again, a clever comedian (the goth guy) goes home ...
> 
> OH! from the previews from next week...
> 
> ...


Either that or the show was recorded prior to...

I prefer your thinking though!

ETA: Looks like you're right, with more to follow!


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

The goth goes home but the cats stay?


Nah.


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

Normally by now I have a clear favorite to win or at least get top 3. At this point nobody stands out to me.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

Please cut out the stupid "reaction shots" of Tyra during the performances. Hell cut out all of her, she's terrible.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

nickels said:


> Normally by now I have a clear favorite to win or at least get top 3. At this point nobody stands out to me.


ITA, when in doubt go with a singer. They auto tune and mix making a mediocre singer sound pretty good. First time I saw Kenicha I knew he would win, or at least be at the top.

A comedian opening in a comedy club give us a 15 minute set. The comedians we're seeing are giving us 3 jokes. Maybe 2 minutes. Surprised we don't get better comedians.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

lew said:


> ITA, when in doubt go with a singer. They auto tune and mix making a mediocre singer sound pretty good. First time I saw Kenicha I knew he would win, or at least be at the top.
> 
> A comedian opening in a comedy club give us a 15 minute set. The comedians we're seeing are giving us 3 jokes. Maybe 2 minutes. Surprised we don't get better comedians.


I go to a lot of comedy shows. I've probably seen 50 comedians this year where you could pick out any 2 minutes of their act randomly and they are 100X funnier than any comic on AGT. Of course they don't have a schtick (goth, clown from last year, old lady, etc...). They're just funny.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

I'm a week behind, just saw another "Simon interrupted a bad singer to sing a different song." omg it looks so staged from the sheepish frown and self deprecating "yeah I chose a bad song". Everything on this show is staged. And while I'm at it, there were like 4 acts that all had lots of movement, tumbling, dancing whatever. They all looked like they would be fun to watch, but I really don't know because AGT only showed a few seconds of each one mixed in with pics of the judges and audience. wtf? And finally, the guest judge got lots of camera face time, she was cute for sure, and she seemed to brighten right up with that one male singer. I'm just saying.....


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

18 acts. They could easily show the full 2 minutes or whatever they get for each and cut the fluff crap.


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

I am more bothered the over-produced intros on some acts. Take the scary magician girl, she had a segment before her act that looked like it took lots of time and money to create. They have to make her extra spooky because let's face it, her "magic" act is weak. Of course she went though. It was so fake from the "oh she is soooo scary" to the over the top Mel B leaving the set to calm down. This is not a reality show anymore (assuming it ever was one to begin with), this is scripted television.


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## Redoctobyr (Jun 21, 2008)

I don't get the scary magician girl. The whole thing feels over-done or forced (and good point about the over-reacting by Mel B). And the act itself doesn't do anything for me. From some stuff I read, she won Asia's Got Talent last year. So Simon, at least, knows who she is, and she's certainly not someone they just found off the street. 

I still like the show, but it seems like each season I enjoy it a little less. Though maybe I'm just a bit put-off at the moment by all the stuff with Simon stopping the singers repeatedly, and the questionable decisions by the judges this week.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

I'm sorry that they eliminated the 2-man circus act of the guys, with the one lying down and then balancing the other on his feet and then spinning him around, ultimately doing it blindfolded. I know that there is a limit to the repertoire there, but this was a 1st class circus act. Certainly of a different class than spooky girl (who was just fine, but not at the same level of talent/expertise, IMHO).


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

super dave said:


> He is better than Stern was, and that's not saying much.


I will take either of them over that twat Piers Morgan.
This is Simon's show. He has no other presence on American TV right now, he's not going anywhere.



Mikeguy said:


> I'm sorry that they eliminated the 2-man circus act of the guys


I was surprised they and the Goth comedian didn't make it through.

I was glad the "high school" dance team made it. Buzzing them was so not needed, I don't know what Howie was thinking.

And I'm sorry - of all the acts you could have given the golden buzzer to - Martina picks the old lady ballroom dancer? Really?


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## series5orpremier (Jul 6, 2013)

I think I can understand their thinking with the goth comic. They kept emphasizing only 6 spots available. While his jokes are all cleverly constructed, at the core they’re all the same self-deprecation joke which has it’s roots in Rodney Dangerfield’s catchphrase “I get no respect.” Maybe if he had a joke or two with a different theme he could have advanced, but I think the repetition was his downfall.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

Redoctobyr said:


> I don't get the scary magician girl. The whole thing feels over-done or forced (and good point about the over-reacting by Mel B). And the act itself doesn't do anything for me. From some stuff I read, she won Asia's Got Talent last year. So Simon, at least, knows who she is, and she's certainly not someone they just found off the street.


If she won Asia's Got Talent, Asia doesn't have much talent.


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## Ruth (Jul 31, 2001)

I thought this was a very weak episode in terms of talent level of the finalists. I didn't love any of the acts. Spooky Girl, the goth comic, the ballroom dancers, the singing kids, the sibling trio, all just meh. I think the 2-man acrobat act is OK, but there's just not enough variety in the tricks for me. It's impressive at first, but then I get bored watching it because it seems repetitive. I think that specific type of talent act is more suited to something like Cirque de Soliel, where there's other stage business happening at the same time. 

I hate to say it but I think my favorite act from this ep might be the cats.  Glee guy would be my second choice, although I rolled my eyes pretty hard at doing the song-choice stunt AGAIN. Seriously, we get it already.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

I can't believe she golden buzzed the dance couple.


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## Redoctobyr (Jun 21, 2008)

Ruth said:


> I hate to say it but I think my favorite act from this ep might be the cats.


Hey, as a cat-lover, embrace it!  I think the cats are great, though I'm admittedly biased. But even without my bias, it's very difficult to train a cat to do anything, so I still think the act is impressive, even if you don't really like it. I don't know if you can make an entire Vegas show out of trained cats, but I'm enjoying them.


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## Ruth (Jul 31, 2001)

I am actually SO allergic to cats that I started feeling sick just watching it! But it really is impressive what they've managed to do, and I found it entertaining as well.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Omg, seriously? They got one pick correct on talent, the rest is just BS. This has been one of the lower talent seasons.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

Did they already show the "danger act" where somebody jumped the shark?


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

i do enjoy the sibling trio singers. It's hard to get folks to like an original song on first hearing, which they're able to do. Also appreciate that they actually write their own songs.

Wish the two-guy tumbling act got through. Old lady dancer? impressive, but not a show. Creepy girl magician? Not all that creepy and not interesting at all to me.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

VegasVic said:


> If she won Asia's Got Talent, Asia doesn't have much talent.


The Sacred Riana is an act that relies on either a belief in the supernatural or someone that enjoys watching the reactions of someone with a belief in the supernatural. Most of Asia has a belief in the supernatural, so she was a shoe-in. America has many who believe and many who enjoy watching to see if Mel B will actually piss herself on TV.

Her magic game is quite week, but her showmanship is excellent.


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## jay_man2 (Sep 15, 2003)

Frowning and shaking your head with your hair covering your eyes is showmanship?


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

She's copying the girl from the Ring movies (Ringu in Japan, I believe). I agree that the magic is we*a*k, but overall, with the judges hamming it up too, it's quite effective.

I, too, like the sibling singers. Their harmonies were sick!


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## Redoctobyr (Jun 21, 2008)

I certainly saw the comparison with the girl from The Ring. But The Ring was actually scary. She is not, IMO, and I guess I disagree about her showmanship being excellent, and the act being effective. But that's OK, it's only my opinion.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

I just dumped my season pass.


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

I think my favorite act so far is the group UDI Dance who did the story/projection act red attacks blue. It is original, entertaining, creative, and really perfect for a Vegas stage act. This type of act has won in the past so they have a decent shot of at least being in the final 3.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

I found it shocking the two sumo type wrestler guys got through over the quick change act.

The female singer who sang Nothing Compares to You is great - she reminds me SO much of Leona Lewis who made her claim to fame from Britain's Got Talent - whether she wins or not, I can already see Simon taking over her career.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

I've seen a lot of quick change acts, they all do the same thing and these 2 are no better than any of the rest of them so I'm fine with them not making it further. But the sumo guys? Come on man. And how about America's Got Talent limiting acts to American citizens. Maybe I'm the only one to find it odd to have people who have been on other "Got Talent" shows around the world being on AGT.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Should be all amateurs, no singers (they have The Voice) , no back stories, and show the complete acts.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

VegasVic said:


> And how about America's Got Talent limiting acts to American citizens.


Amend that to residents, and I agree.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Tyra gets more and more annoying each week. There was a moment when the girl rapper was doing her thing and there was a wide aerial shot of the stage and you can see Tyra in the corner completely hamming it up for the camera. Thankfully, that angle didn't make the final cut.


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## Anthjo (Aug 7, 2007)

Cainebj said:


> I found it shocking the two sumo type wrestler guys got through over the quick change act.
> 
> The female singer who sang Nothing Compares to You is great - she reminds me SO much of Leona Lewis who made her claim to fame from Britain's Got Talent - whether she wins or not, I can already see Simon taking over her career.


Glynnis Grace....and she's established in Holland or the Netherlands I believe. She's no amateur. Go look her up on Youtube. She probably one of about five or six star quality level singers that America has been sleeping on. I'm amused that it's taken a corny talent show to get her even the slightest bit of exposure here in the US. Of all the shi**y acts that get signed to record deals, it's taken this long for this chick to get noticed?


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

Anthjo said:


> Glynnis Grace....and she's established in Holland or the Netherlands I believe. She's no amateur.


Is she American?


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

Any guesses as to which acts get the three Wild Card invitations to the live shows?

I have a gut feeling at least one "gimmick" act gets through just for novelty's sake - probably Human Fountains, although they might go for Oscar the "singing dog."


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

Cainebj said:


> Is she American?


That no longer matters, despite the show's name.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

That Don Guy said:


> Any guesses as to which acts get the three Wild Card invitations to the live shows?


If there was any justice some of the inexplicable deletions should make it. I thought Simon was impressed by the kid who sang Spanish songs and was surprised he didn't go thru.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

pdhenry said:


> That no longer matters, despite the show's name.


Maybe the show should be renamed "America's Got a Talent Show".


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

I'm not going to quote posters.
I'd like to see Lioz Tov as a wild card BUT we may have already seen his entire act. Might we see another performance by a "non-contestant"? I'm thinking of Nock, Rube Goldberg Trio and Kenny Thomas.
Many of the contestants aren't American. Judges aren't American, at least by birth. AGT gives us talent Americans enjoy watching.
Some of us, including myself briefly, thought this was an amateur competition. There is no such requirement. A true amateur competition would exclude a singer who was ever in a wedding band. A comedian who was paid to open in a comedy club. A magician who performed on a cruise ship. An AGT with pure amateur's wouldn't even be a gong show.
The criteria appears to be an act which doesn't currently have an agent, or can be released. Simon's company becomes the agent for at least the finalists.

Get rid of the singers. Get rid of the acts which are making a living performing (true amateur and you're looking at a public access channel show). Get rid of all the "back stories". Maybe you'll have enough for 3 shows; 2 semifinals and the finals. Even then it probably won't be watchable. The threads, if they even exist, will be wondering why anyone would possibly watch such garbage. Acts we don't see the entire performance. For the most part they are acts which aren't going through and probably aren't watchable.

My, cynical, thought, Simon has one (or may 2-3) acts he wants to highlight. Golden buzzer, song switch, wild card and good back "stories" all suggest to the audience acts worthy of being put through.

Despite some people's, in some part myself, impression AGT isn't American's, amateurs, or even true contestants. The reason so many of the acts are reasonably good is they've been scouted, recruited and signed. Some only signed to perform once or twice.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

pdhenry said:


> That no longer matters, despite the show's name.


I was curious if she is an American who found fame in another country 
- or if she is legit a European who was cast by AGT...

And - answering my own question via Google 
- she is Dutch and her first claim to fame is from 2005 when she was picked to represent The Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest.


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

I remember a past season where a guy hamming up a poor mimed Charro impression (and nothing else) got through and an act called the Three ******* Tenors didn't. I'd seen the latter in a full concert and they were a shoe-in, but the other act was a completely talentless waste! The Tenors vowed never to appear again, and they haven't.

All this was before I came to the realization that this is NOT a talent competition, but a 'reality' show, and over the years, has shown how scripted and fake it really is.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

getreal said:


> Maybe the show should be renamed "America's Got a Talent Show".


 At the same time, it's pretty amazing to be in a country that sets so much of the entertainment standard, that success can mean conquering the U.S.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Cainebj said:


> I found it shocking the two sumo type wrestler guys got through over the quick change act.
> 
> The female singer who sang Nothing Compares to You is great - she reminds me SO much of Leona Lewis who made her claim to fame from Britain's Got Talent - whether she wins or not, I can already see Simon taking over her career.


Sumo guys got through? I missed that--I must have coughed then.

I counted this time--they did a whopping *3 "impressions" *(plus a repeat of 1 with the guest host). A cute/stupid comedy idea for a 1-off but, c'mon--this gets you through to the live rounds, and suffices to take the place of genuinely talented performers?


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

TonyTheTiger said:


> I remember a past season where a guy hamming up a poor mimed Charro impression (and nothing else) got through and an act called the Three ******* Tenors didn't. I'd seen the latter in a full concert and they were a shoe-in, but the other act was a completely talentless waste! The Tenors vowed never to appear again, and they haven't.
> 
> All this was before I came to the realization that this is NOT a talent competition, but a 'reality' show, and over the years, has shown how scripted and fake it really is.


At some point in time wrestling went from fake to scripted. I guess that was around the time states wanted to regulate it as a sporting event. WWF (as it was called then) decided they were promoting "sports entertainment"

We don't consider the boxing matches in the Rocky movies as fake, they're scripted. I'm beyond thinking AGT is fake. It's entertainment. I tivo the shows. If I enjoy a performance I'll watch it, otherwise hit the button.

The escape artist. It doesn't really matter if he's suspended over alligators, a fire pit, sharp stakes etc. The trick is the same. Kind of boring. Skill of escaping the locks combined with the illusion of real danger.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

lew said:


> ... The escape artist. It doesn't really matter if he's suspended over alligators, a fire pit, sharp stakes etc. The trick is the same. Kind of boring. Skill of escaping the locks combined with the illusion of real danger.


The only real "danger" in any of the acts are in the aerial acrobatic stunts. All magical escape acts are pushing only the ILLUSIONS of danger.


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## Redoctobyr (Jun 21, 2008)

Mikeguy said:


> Sumo guys got through? I missed that--I must have coughed then.
> 
> I counted this time--they did a whopping *3 "impressions" *(plus a repeat of 1 with the guest host). A cute/stupid comedy idea for a 1-off but, c'mon--this gets you through to the live rounds, and suffices to take the place of genuinely talented performers?


I did think their their act was funny (the owl, specifically), but I agree that they shouldn't have taken a spot from someone else.



lew said:


> The escape artist. It doesn't really matter if he's suspended over alligators, a fire pit, sharp stakes etc. The trick is the same. Kind of boring. Skill of escaping the locks combined with the illusion of real danger.


Agreed. As an example, the ropes weren't burning through, they were being released (in a controlled fashion, I'm sure) from the black disk they attached to. They left empty holes in the disk, not burned-up ropes still anchored to it.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

I was hoping to see the father/daughter act go through... The act seemed to be completely genuine, and not an illusion act, and I thought they deserved a chance to go through...

That's my heart talking, I am sure... Nevertheless, that was my hope...


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

getreal said:


> The only real "danger" in any of the acts are in the aerial acrobatic stunts. All magical escape acts are pushing only the ILLUSIONS of danger.


and the aerial stunts aren't nearly as dangerous as it looks. One contestant missed. Look carefully. The fire was in front of the performers not under them. The fire hid the padding/trampoline that was used to cushion the fall. How to fall without kill yourself is part of learning. Still has real risk, a lot less then we think.



Redoctobyr said:


> I did think their their act was funny (the owl, specifically), but I agree that they shouldn't have taken a spot from someone else.
> 
> Agreed. As an example, the ropes weren't burning through, they were being released (in a controlled fashion, I'm sure) from the black disk they attached to. They left empty holes in the disk, not burned-up ropes still anchored to it.


The act didn't take a spot away from a great contestant. The live shows always have a few novelty acts, maybe one per quarterfinal.

What ropes? I'm sure at least one was a steel cable. Of course there was something around them that would burn.


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## justen_m (Jan 15, 2004)

lew said:


> What ropes? I'm sure at least one was a steel cable. Of course there was something around them that would burn.


i think there _may_ have been a failure in that act. After the first three "ropes" released, err, burned through, and he escaped to the ground safely, the fourth one was still suspending the platform in the air, safely. I suspect the fourth was supposed to release after he was safe, dropping the platform holding the burning rope into the aligator pit. You know, more dramatic.


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## super dave (Oct 1, 2002)

But when I was watching it looked like it was in front of the "alligator pit" so if he fell he would have been outside of it, it was just the angle of the camera making it seem to be over the pit.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

They showed one shot where it looked like he was swinging over it.

I was really hoping that guy wouldnt go through. He was as lame as the escape artist they had last season with the wife that needed acting lessons.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

That Don Guy said:


> Any guesses as to which acts get the three Wild Card invitations to the live shows?
> 
> I have a gut feeling at least one "gimmick" act gets through just for novelty's sake - probably Human Fountains, although they might go for Oscar the "singing dog."


They announced the wild cards in the "Road to the Lives" special - Human Fountains, Daniel Emmet (the opera singer Simon had change songs to something he had never heard before in his first audition), and Front Pictures (the "virtual reality" act that, for some reason, didn't get shown in the Judges' Cuts episodes)


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

justen_m said:


> i think there _may_ have been a failure in that act. After the first three "ropes" released, err, burned through, and he escaped to the ground safely, the fourth one was still suspending the platform in the air, safely. I suspect the fourth was supposed to release after he was safe, dropping the platform holding the burning rope into the aligator pit. You know, more dramatic.


Only 2 of the 3 ropes holding the platform released. Once the guy got the straight jacket off, they dropped a 4th rope for him to grab. Not sure if that is normal for his act or if it was lawyer insistance due to the previous accident performing the act or the alligators in the tank.



super dave said:


> But when I was watching it looked like it was in front of the "alligator pit" so if he fell he would have been outside of it, it was just the angle of the camera making it seem to be over the pit.


They setup the escape in front of the tank. Once he was hoisted up, they rolled the pit under him and once he had escaped the straitjacket, they rolled it back out of the way. It would have been easier to do that then to setup the hoisting rig to translate over the pit.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

I wonder what effect the "Xfinity Vote" (where people with Xfinity can vote with their remotes) will have. I also wonder if they will be using this for "the save."

Also remember that there will be one Wild Card from the quarter-finals into the semi-finals. In each the three seasons where they have been using the current system (seven advancing from each of three 12-act quarter-finals, plus a wild card), none of the three acts that lost a judges' vote was selected. Not surprisingly, none of the three wild cards made it to the finals, although I was a little surprised they didn't take last year's wild card (Pompeyo Family Dogs) combined with the fifth-place act (Sara & Hero) as the "wild card act" in the live show.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

There certainly weren't 7 deserving acts last night.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Mel and Tyra both need to be shown the door next year.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

I like Mel B. Tyra on the other hand. I seriously didn't think she could get any worse and yet - wow - she is bad bad bad. Trying to get Mel to talk about her backstory - the moment she sniped at Heidi they only had 2 minutes left - that painful lame narration of the escape artist's act.

I agree there were not 7 worthy acts from that bunch. The young girl singer who pretends she is shy who has been around the block? All I could think was - She phenomenal for 3 minutes... but Can you imagine sitting through a 2 hour concert of that? I'd slit my wrists.


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## justen_m (Jan 15, 2004)

I like Mel B, and Heidi, Howie and Simon. Tyra is no Nick. She is bad, and not in a good way. Heck, I'd prefer Gilbert Gottfried over Tyra.



VegasVic said:


> There certainly weren't 7 deserving acts last night.


I agree.


USA TODAY said:


> the seven advancing acts are: musical siblings We Three; comedian Vicki Barbolak; singer Amanda Mena; singer Courtney Hadwin; magician Shin Lim; Angel City Chorale; and high-heeled dance group Junior New System.


I only really liked five. Vicki Barbolak, both girl singers, Shin Lim and JNS. The siblings and ACC just didn't seem extraordinary. Elated that Lord Nil, the escape artist, finally got booted. His act is SO fake and predictable. I found the Human Fountains funny, and the Diabolo artist entertaining, but figured they'd go. PAC Dance Team didn't stand a chance when compared to the skill, acrobatics, and athleticism shown by JNS.

I know Courtney Hadmwin's shyness is just an act, and she's performed before on UK's The Voice with Simon as a judge, but I just love watching her act. She's a great entertainer, AGT faked foolishness be damned.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

I was a little surprised Flau'Jae (the 14-year-old rapper) couldn't even crack the top 8. I had Shin Lim, Hadwin, JNS, Angel City Choir, and Mochi in my top 5. I was also surprised Human Fountains were in the bottom four as well, but they're a "one-note wonder." (Yes, there's that one Wild Card spot, which they could make three if they wanted to have 12 acts in each semi-final, but if the viewers didn't like an act the first time, they won't like it the second time either.)

And I see that some of the judges have learned basic math; when there are 4 acts remaining and 3 will go through, and they are announced in pairs, one of the pairs will have both acts go through, and at least one of them (Mel B, I think) realized this. Expect the other way around in the semi-finals, with 8 acts (besides the "Snapple Save" 3) going for 3 spots, so there should be some "neither of you" moments.


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

Tyra should have been replaced this year since she is 10 steps down from Nick Cannon. I am glad the older female comedian got through even though once again her act wasn't the best. She is just likable and genuine. I can't believe that high-heel gimmick mediocre dance group got in over the incredible Diabolo artist. Originality and skill should have given him that final spot. 

Anyone else find that routine from Darci Lynne as a cry for help? She has been working non-stop since she won, I bet she really wants it to stop. You can see why she won, she is unbelievably good.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

That Don Guy said:


> And I see that some of the judges have learned basic math; when there are 4 acts remaining and 3 will go through, and they are announced in pairs, one of the pairs will have both acts go through


I thought the exact opposite - I thought Mel B and Howie were "shocked" the two singers were being brought up together.


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## dthmj (Mar 12, 2002)

I think shy girl, probably is a little shy in real life. You can just tell by her demeanor in all the interviews - I don't think she's like she is on stage all the time, and then she suppresses it for the camera. I do think AGT exaggerates it. I think she's just a normal kid that comes to life when singing. Having said that, I don't particularly like her performance.

I like Moochi - sorry to see he didn't get through - not found of the dance act that went through instead. 

I think Flau'Jae will be back as a wildcard - Simon likes her way too much - or maybe he'll just sign her to a record deal without the contest.


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

dthmj said:


> I think shy girl, probably is a little shy in real life. You can just tell by her demeanor in all the interviews - I don't think she's like she is on stage all the time, and then she suppresses it for the camera. I do think AGT exaggerates it. I think she's just a normal kid that comes to life when singing. Having said that, I don't particularly like her performance.


If you mean Courtney, I really like her, but I think the shyness is all part of the act. Which I wish they wouldn't do.

She made it to the top 6 in the UK's The Voice Kids last year, so I find it hard to believe she is so shy.


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## warrenn (Jun 24, 2004)

Donbadabon said:


> If you mean Courtney, I really like her, but I think the shyness is all part of the act. Which I wish they wouldn't do.


I think it's more that she feels she's an outcast rather than shy. She is somewhat unconventional, which can lead to a lot of social and emotional issues depending on her environment. If the kids in her school have always teased her for being so goofy and dressing funny, she's probably built up a pretty big shell. If instead she was in an environment where the kids though she was cool, she'd probably have a much bigger personality.

If you've ever been a parent of a quirky kid, you may have experienced this yourself--especially as they go in middle school. Your outspoken kid with odd hobbies and a unique fashion sense disappears and becomes a kid who is very concerned about conforming and what people think of them.

I often don't like the singers which seem like they are just copying the original singer. When someone does a song like "Proud Mary" and sings and dances exactly like Tina Turner, it makes me think they don't have any originality and are just copying whatever they think will get them farther. But I don't get that sense from Courtney. I think we are seeing the goofy girl she really is. Even if she doesn't continue, I'm really happy she's getting validation for being her own person. Hopefully she can get enough confidence to be who she wants to be and not worry about everyone else.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

VegasVic said:


> There certainly weren't 7 deserving acts last night.


Even less this week


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

I was sad that the comedian with Tourette's didn't have a better set this time. Hopefully he'll get through and have a chance to work on another one.

-The sound effects boys are good for a giggle in the first round, but should be done at this point.
-I didn't think Heidi's singer was impressive. She'd be kicked out of a singing comp imho.
-What the heck was the Riana thing? They seemed to go right to commercial during part of the act. Technical difficulties they just glossed over because they seem to like her so much?


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

tivotvaddict said:


> I was sad that the comedian with Tourette's didn't have a better set this time. Hopefully he'll get through and have a chance to work on another one.


It didn't help him any that the background video boards (with the road signs on them) were glitching through the entire set, and the audience may have been distracted by that. (Well, that, and the LA audience wondering, "Where's the 380 offramp from the 101?"; it's, er, just north of the airport...San Francisco International, that is; it's mainly there to get from the airport to the Golden Gate Bridge without getting stuck in the Bay Bridge commute traffic).


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

tivotvaddict said:


> -What the heck was the Riana thing? They seemed to go right to commercial during part of the act. Technical difficulties they just glossed over because they seem to like her so much?


Yeah that was weird. She was climbing up the wall, there was a scream, and then right to commercial. And when they came back the act was over.


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## dthmj (Mar 12, 2002)

According to Good Housekeeping, the abrupt cut off was part of the act.

'America's Got Talent' Fans Enraged After Sacred Riana's Act Was Suddenly "Cut" Off


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## Zephyr (Sep 16, 2005)

That Don Guy said:


> It didn't help him any that the background video boards (with the road signs on them) were glitching through the entire set, and the audience may have been distracted by that. (Well, that, and the LA audience wondering, "Where's the 380 offramp from the 101?"; it's, er, just north of the airport...San Francisco International, that is; it's mainly there to get from the airport to the Golden Gate Bridge without getting stuck in the Bay Bridge commute traffic).


Beyond you and a few other viewers, what the hey did that background, blinking or not, have to do with this act. I found nothing here or most of the other acts satisfactory. Thinking... the 50 year old singer I liked the first time and last night, I'm going pitchy, ouch, and they say good "good chord changes..." ok? Even my most favorite act, the singers from CA came out looking like monastic escapees with bad sound management. Tyra looked like their house Mom while Simon freaked out on... what? An awful show all around! I hope they get their rent back from the theater! Might save the show from oblivion.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Hey Tyra, stop ending every sentence with a drawn out vooooooooooooowel.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

dthmj said:


> According to Good Housekeeping, the abrupt cut off was part of the act.
> 
> 'America's Got Talent' Fans Enraged After Sacred Riana's Act Was Suddenly "Cut" Off


Fortunately that "act" is out. And what the heck is Good Housekeeping doing commenting about AGT haha


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

VegasVic said:


> Fortunately that "act" is out. And what the heck is Good Housekeeping doing commenting about AGT haha


I will believe she is out when (a) she's not on the first semi-final show, and (b) they announce the acts for the second semi-final and she's not on that one either. Note that, in the three years where the current format has been used (3 12-act quarter-finals, 2 11-act semi-finals), none of the nine acts that lost a Judges' Choice vote got selected. Then again, I think the frontrunners for the wild card are Human Fountains and Yumbo Dump, although Hans could get it if he isn't voted through next week.

I am usually pretty good at guessing who is going to go through in each "matchup," but this week's results pretty much completely threw me. When Voices of Hope and the cat act came out together, I thought for sure that they would get the "both of you" bit out of the way early. (I even had the cats penciled in not only to get to the finals, but to be the "wild card" act for the Vegas show.)


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

Donbadabon said:


> She was climbing up the wall


Anyone wanna conjecture how she scaled the wall? It must have been some elaborate tech set up the way they were only showing the other girls coming at her without her in the shot... BUT - I thought the scale up the wall was well done...


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## robbhimself (Sep 13, 2006)

Cainebj said:


> Anyone wanna conjecture how she scaled the wall? It must have been some elaborate tech set up the way they were only showing the other girls coming at her without her in the shot... BUT - I thought the scale up the wall was well done...


there was a break in the wall behind her, probably a hook and pulley


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## Redoctobyr (Jun 21, 2008)

I liked Savitsky Cats, though I'm biased, being a cat person  I'm glad the tourette's comedian (Samuel Comroe)went through, as well as the trapeze couple (Duo Transcend). 

Yumbo Dump was amusing at times, but I didn't think this was a good performance, and I'm not sorry to see them leave. 

And, with apologies to those who liked her, I'm glad Riana is gone. I just don't get that act, it does nothing for me. All I see is an overly-dramatic (failed) attempt to be creepy/weird, and that's about it. As for scaling the wall, I recall seeing a visible vertical gap at the center of the wall, where she "climbed". So my assumption was there's a device riding in that gap, which she got attached to, and then lifted her up.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

Riana was better in Asia's Got Talent. And her act is basically a trip through a haunted house with a few magic tricks for spice. If you don't get haunted houses, then you won't get Riana's show.


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

I guess I am the only one furious when a creative, original act like Front Pictures loses to yet another mediocre dance group. Hey look, they dance, I've never seen that before!


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## Regina (Mar 30, 2003)

nickels said:


> I guess I am the only one furious when a creative, original act like Front Pictures loses to yet another mediocre dance group. Hey look, they dance, I've never seen that before!


No, you are not! I was quite upset. I thought Simon was going to leave it up to the audience vote, which I was praying would go to Front Pictures. I was bummed that 2 variety acts were on the bubble like that. I think AGT is all about variety (not singing!).


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

I was not a fan of Front Pictures. I found them kinda boring and nothing we haven't seen on past seasons.
It's like that genre was completely exciting and original 3 or 4 years ago and now every season there is another knockoff of it (and the shadow dancers - which thankfully we don't have one of this year).


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## TriBruin (Dec 10, 2003)

Wonder how the show is going to handle this tomorrow:

Mel B is entering rehab following PTSD diagnosis: 'I have been at a crisis point'

Just have three judges (since the judges don't mean much now, except for the judges save)? Bring in a "guest" judge? (What's Sharon up to these days?)

Regardless, I wish Mel B a speed recovery.


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## MauriAnne (Sep 21, 2002)

The article says she's entering rehab "in the next few weeks" so perhaps she's waiting until after the season ends. In any case, I hope she gets the help she needs.


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## Ruth (Jul 31, 2001)

Is it just me, or did Simon seem, well, high during the last judge cuts episode? First he had that giggling fit for no apparent reason and couldn't pull himself together in order to critique one of the acts before they had to cut to commercial, and then in the next segment he turned bright red and was just kind of babbling. 

My top acts from the last group were the trapeze artists, the high-heeled dancers, Front Pictures, and Mochi. Not a fan at all of the belly guys or Sacred Riana. And I didn't think that Da Republic was all that, either.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

The news of John McCain's death Saturday night cut in on a replay of AGT on the East coast. After the somber announcement they "returned to your regularly scheduled programming" which happened to be the middle of "Porpoise Love" (or whatever that segment of the stomach noises act was called). Talk about a juxtaposition...


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## justen_m (Jan 15, 2004)

I hope my like doesn't imply that I'm glad he's dead. He's a hero. We studied him at Annapolis. I found your post funny. And I happen to be watching the show right now.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

I thought most of the acts last night were meh... You know you are in trouble when after 75 minutes the most entertaining thing is Hans!!! Who I actually preferred over most else. I did like the woman who did Changes from Dreamgirls (seriously Mel B - you've never heard that song before?) although, I don't think she knocked it outta the park. The dance troupe that did the Adam and Eve thing were quite good. Everybody crying over that last guy? I wasn't feeling it.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

The knife in a paper bag trick? Good God. Aaron Crow better not go forward. Although the competition is weak as hell. Not a Hans fan at all. Daniel Emmet can sing.


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## dthmj (Mar 12, 2002)

I thought this week's acts were much better than previous weeks. I loved Hans! I liked the couple singer - Us the Duo. I was meh on the other singers, though the last guy tugs on the heart strings, but I wasn't all that thrilled with the singing.

The adam and eve dance was pretty cool - but how many dance acts do we need?


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## Ruth (Jul 31, 2001)

The Garden of Eden dancers were _amazing_. I could watch that all day.

Hans was surprisingly compelling.

The couple who loves their baby did much better than their last performance, but the cheesiness level was just too high for me.

I like the electric violin guy, too, but I didn't think this was his best performance, and the weird dancers didn't add anything at all -- if anything they took away from his performance by being distracting and stupid. What were they even doing, stretching? What connection did that even have to the main part of the act?

Everything else was meh at best. The motorcycle illusionist was terrible, also way too cheesy and dated, like a bad testosterone-fueled beer commercial with the bikini-clad women and motorcycles. Aaron Crow . . . man, I don't know. Definitely went on way too long. At least it was a better reveal than I expected -- I had thought the knife had "disappeared" under the table so that they would just smush all the boxes and get nothing, and I was like "this is so dumb, there's no knife!" and so there was no drama for me. So at least the reveal was better than I expected, but it was still just waaay too much plodding build-up for what it was.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

The knife under the bag is one of the easiest "tricks" to perform. Anyone can do it easily. No practice, no skill. It's just the "drama" about whether he (or Simon) will be impaled. The whole "tick tock" and Howie on the sledgehammer was ridiculous. IMHO anyway. The motorcycle disappear/reappear was just about as bad. But at least there was some skill involved when Rob Lake switched places with the other guy (shortly after he put on his helmet). It was pretty seamless.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Aaron Crow is easily one of the worst acts we've seen on this show. He's one of the 3 to be saved. Up against a forgettable singer and a forgettable dance troop.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Not sure we can get lower as a species than a stage shared by Eric Cowell and Tyra. They cut his mic because he's a psycho. Too bad they didn't cut her's too.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Judges put that hack through...


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

They only announced 10 acts for next week, so I assume #11 is the wild card. If it was up to me, I'd probably choose Hans (with Savitsky Cats a close second), but I have a feeling it's either Yumbo Dump or Sacred Riana. (Maybe Human Fountains, but I don't see them getting two wild cards in a row.)


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## dthmj (Mar 12, 2002)

Odds Bodkins said:


> Not sure we can get lower as a species than a stage shared by Eric Cowell and Tyra. They cut his mic because he's a psycho. Too bad they didn't cut her's too.


He's a child.


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## Mikeyis4dcats (Oct 2, 2003)

MarkofT said:


> Riana was better in Asia's Got Talent. And her act is basically a trip through a haunted house with a few magic tricks for spice. If you don't get haunted houses, then you won't get Riana's show.


I liked her work. Interesting to me that some complain about how trite and hackneyed some magic acts are then "don't get" things like this that are unique.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

Unique yes. Talented no. At least not on AGT.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

I think they should limit the number of singers.


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## andyw715 (Jul 31, 2007)

Cainebj said:


> I think they should limit the number of singers.


To zero. Isn't that what "The American Voice Idol" is for?


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

andyw715 said:


> To zero. Isn't that what "The American Voice Idol" is for?


Except that (a) on both of those shows, there are age limits (both shows don't let anyone younger than 15 on), and (b) I'm pretty sure there are points during both shows where a singer is expected to sing out of his/her "specialty," which isn't a problem on AGT.

Besides - as long as Simon Cowell is involved with AGT, singers will always be allowed, for no other reason than he wants to be able to sign them to recording contracts. (Back when he was involved with Idol, he once told Larry King that this was pretty much the sole reason that he was involved with that show.)


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## Mikeyis4dcats (Oct 2, 2003)

I don't mind some of the singers, especially the groups. I admit I FF through any opera, and I don't get the love for the guy singing in Italian.


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## Mikeyis4dcats (Oct 2, 2003)

Cainebj said:


> I think they should limit the number of singers.


next you'll say they should all be American too!


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

They should be


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

And the Wild Card into the semi-finals goes to...*Front Pictures*, according to their Facebook page


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

Not my favorite eliminated act but at least it's not Riana.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

dthmj said:


> He's a child.


I'm just now seeing my autocorrect put psycho instead of Syco, Simon's company, to which Eric is a client, IIRC. I was trying to be "clever" with a play on words but obviously failed. I don't believe he's an actual psycho but the kid is incredibly high-strung and Simon was mortified at his behavior. Also, he keeps parading him out there so this will probably happen again. Tyra just makes everything worse.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

VegasVic said:


> Not my favorite eliminated act but at least it's not Riana.


Absolutely. Could've been a zillion times worse (Riana).


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

That Don Guy said:


> They only announced 10 acts for next week, so I assume #11 is the wild card. If it was up to me, I'd probably choose Hans (with Savitsky Cats a close second), but I have a feeling it's either Yumbo Dump or Sacred Riana. (Maybe Human Fountains, but *I don't see them getting two wild cards in a row*.)


And that being said, they ended up choosing an act that got its second wild card in a row.


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

VegasVic said:


> The knife under the bag is one of the easiest "tricks" to perform. Anyone can do it easily. No practice, no skill....


Well, it may not be that easy... just Google "live Magic act goes wrong" and watch the first result. I guess that trick isn't so easy after-all! hahaha

Enjoy


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

nickels said:


> Well, it may not be that easy... just Google "live Magic act goes wrong" and watch the first result. I guess that trick isn't so easy after-all! hahaha
> 
> Enjoy


Starting a car, putting it in drive and driving away is easy. Some people inadvertently put the car in reverse and back into a garage. The fact that something is easy doesn't mean someone can't screw up.

That trick is popular and it considered easy. A hack trick.


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## Redoctobyr (Jun 21, 2008)

Very true, things can go wrong at any time, and we've all done things wrong, despite having done them 1,000 times before. Reminds me of the earlier discussion about the motorcycle stunt rider with Howie. The guy can be an expert, but something could still randomly go wrong, and you get a motorcycle landing on you.

That said, with that video, holy crap!! During the episode last week, I noticed that he briefly moved the remaining 2 bags, before squashing one. I know nothing about how the trick is done, but I had assumed that maybe that brief movement of the bags allowed him to feel for which was heavier. The knife would have had some weight, and you could get a feel for which was lighter by moving them a little on the table. Or, maybe is has nothing to do with that.


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## Ruth (Jul 31, 2001)

The clear winner for me last night was Zucaroh and I think they are my favorite overall as well. Second for me were the high-heel dancers, and I thought Shim Lim and Samuel Comroe had strong showings too. 

I was disappointed in the trapeze act because I love their aerial work, but I thought the roller skating part was really weak. I don't care for that type of act anyway, plus there was that roller skating couple a few seasons ago who did it a lot better, so this just seemed lackluster in comparison. I understood they were going for the drama of the drop, but it left them with half of the act on the ground doing something that did not play to their strengths. I would have preferred to see them get back up on the trapeze afterward, or have the drop be the end of the act. I was surprised that the judges loved it. 

Everything else was forgettable for me and I even ff'd through a bunch of the singers.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

Front Pictures was bad. Boring. I've had enough of those type of acts. I didn't like any of the singers. Shin Lim is good. The comic just isn't very funny. Overall it's a real crapshoot tonight, I wouldn't be surprised at any result Very weak group.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

The card magician is absolutely incredible. Would've been better without Tyra squawking every 3 seconds though.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

VegasVic said:


> Front Pictures was bad. Boring. I've had enough of those type of acts. I didn't like any of the singers. Shin Lim is good. The comic just isn't very funny. Overall it's a real crapshoot tonight, I wouldn't be surprised at any result Very weak group.


Unfunny comic goes through... whoopee. His set was better last night but his quarters performance was cringeworthy.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

Redoctobyr said:


> I know nothing about how the trick is done, but I had assumed that maybe that brief movement of the bags allowed him to feel for which was heavier. The knife would have had some weight, and you could get a feel for which was lighter by moving them a little on the table. Or, maybe is has nothing to do with that.


I'm posting from a cell, not sure how to use spoiler tags. You can Google the trick. It's easy. Almost obvious. Zero skill in figuring out which. Brief pause, and switch, was intended to make us think there was doubt and uncertainty as to which bag had the knife


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

Thoughts from the first semi-final:

Thank you, thank you, thankyouthankyouthankyou to whomever decided not to pull the "the act going through is...neither of you" stunt. The only downside to this is, they had to pad the show a few minutes more, but it was worth it.

Mel B looked like she took the elimination of her golden buzzer a bit hard.
And that was the "battle of the golden buzzers," right - Mel B's, Heidi's, and Simon's faced elimination together?
Speaking of which, it seems strange that four of the five original golden buzzers would have to be in the same semi-final.

The only way I see Shin Lim losing is if either (a) he botches a trick in the final, or (b) the oft-rumored cabal of teenage girls that "vote for one of their own" comes out in force for Courtney Hadwin. My current prediction for the Vegas show, assuming they do what they have done in the past (top three plus another finalist) is Shin Lim, Hadwin, Zurcaroh, and Brian King Joseph, although they might want to include a stand-up comedian (which is probably why Preacher Lawson got in last year), in which case Samuel J. Comroe gets the fourth spot (yes, over Vicki Barbolak). They like "variety" in the Vegas show, so I don't expect to see two singing acts unless they're both in the top three.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

It is just so interesting how we all react to acts differently.
I cannot stand Shim Lim - I just wanna smack him upside the head.

I was surprised the trapeze act was in the bottom 3 over him - but - in the end - I think the acts that were supposed to continue on to the finals are the ones that did.

BTW - I just started watching the UK version of The X-Factor cos it is now available on AXS-TV on my cable line up. That is a singing competition and each act auditions and are told to have a back up song. So that whole Simon stopping them and asking them to do their other song is part of his schtick over there. It might be manufactured, but - he's usually right.

OMG you posted this while I was writing mine:


That Don Guy said:


> The only way I see Shin Lim losing is ...


I don't even understand why that guy is still on the show, let alone that he is going to win. Fascinating...


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## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

Cainebj said:


> It is just so interesting how we all react to acts differently.
> I cannot stand Shim Lim - I just wanna smack him upside the head.
> 
> I was surprised the trapeze act was in the bottom 3 over him - but - in the end - I think the acts that were supposed to continue on to the finals are the ones that did.
> ...


Even among other magicians Shin Lim is considered one of the best card magicians out there. I understand why some may not like magicians and others could be turned off by his stage persona but there is no doubt, in my mind at least, that what he does takes every bit the amount of practice, skill and talent than any other act on the show.


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

And I thought Samuel J. Comroe killed it in the semi finals. (Agree his quarter finals were a bit weak.) Humor is so subjective. I never laughed once at Preacher Lawson's material.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Boy, I'm enjoying it and missing it less and less these past few weeks. I tend to watch the 2-hour show in under 1/2 an hour, wondering if the talent really is.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Janis Jr. is so good just. stop. the. horror. screams. please.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

Yeah I also record and FF through it in less than half hour. Aaron Crow, my God how did he make it this far. Such simple things he does. Emmet has a good voice, judges don't like him though. Brian King Joseph is talented but you can hardly hear him behind the backing mix. Old comic is better than the guy from last week but 2 comics in the finals? Glennis Grace is good. Angel City Chorale probably gets in because of what they sang not because they are very good. Done with dance groups, Da RepubliK sucks. We Three, horrible. Courtney Hadwin is entertaining, Born to Be Wild was not her best performance. Noah Guthrie and Christina Wells....Meh.


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## justen_m (Jan 15, 2004)

The 2hr show, took me like 9m minutes, cause I skipped all the moronic music. Only the last singer girl was entertaining. The comedian was great too.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

VegasVic said:


> Aaron Crow, my God how did he make it this far. Such simple things he does.


Simple to us, sure, but he's selling it to Joe Ticketbuyer.


Spoiler



I'm pretty sure I know how this one was done - and note that the boxes were so flimsy that the "anvils" probably couldn't have done more damage than a slight headache had they actually hit somebody - but...


Spoiler: Just to be sure that you want to see this



At first glance, I didn't see a "fifth" person come in to lift the box.

Howie wearing black under his white coat was a dead giveaway that he was never in any of the boxes until he was revealed. Also, the "camera" (obviously a recording) of Howie in the box showed him wearing earphones of some sort, but did he, or anybody else, have them when they revealed him?


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## warrenn (Jun 24, 2004)

justen_m said:


> The 2hr show, took me like 9m minutes, cause I skipped all the moronic music. Only the last singer girl was entertaining. The comedian was great too.


I skip most of the music as well, although I typically pause in the middle to get an idea of what they sound like. "Oh, a slow, emotional, church-y, power ballad with a rising crescendo? How original! I should probably rewind and watch the whole thing."


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## dthmj (Mar 12, 2002)

Aaron Crow's "trick" was the same as last time, except with bigger boxes instead of bags. 

He's got an interesting persona - which is getting tiresome, but beyond that, lame "magic".


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

The comedians this year are abysmal.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

At least Aaron Crow didn't make it. Another save for Emmet, I like the guy, I don't think he can win. I was somewhat surprised Grace wasn't in the top 3, glad she was saved. I think it's either Courtney Hadwin or Brian King Joseph as the winner next week. I know Hadwin is only 14 but she's not some newcomer to the spotlight, she was in the finals of The Voice Kids UK last year. I think she overdoes the emotion.


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## Ruth (Jul 31, 2001)

Brian King Joseph was best of the night. I though Courtney Hadwin did well too. And the female comic is sort of wearing on me at this point but I did agree that she kept going after her slow start and it got funny by the end.

I would have advanced Da Republic even though they aren't that great, because nobody else rose above mediocre IMO, and some were affirmatively terrible. (Aaron Crow I'm thinking of you! Did he think nobody would notice he was doing _the exact same trick_ he did last time, just with bigger bags?!?! Which wasn't a very good trick to begin with?)


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

Yeah - what you all said. I was also surprised Grace was not in the top 3.
I thought Born to be Wild was a terrible song choice for Courtney.
For BOTH - I can practically see the wheels turning in Simon's brain. I mean - anybody who can turn Fifth Harmony into a success should have no problem with those 2.


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)




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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

innocentfreak said:


>


Very funny!

"Her son is fine. He has WiFi and Internet. He is fine.
...
Her son is still fine."


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## spartanstew (Feb 24, 2002)

Odds Bodkins said:


> The card magician is absolutely incredible. Would've been better without Tyra squawking every 3 seconds though.


Agreed. By far the best card magician I've ever seen. My kids are convinced he's and alien from another world. The stuff he does isn't even logical. He has a single card in his hand and in the blink of an eye it's a whole deck of cards. WTF?

He's the only act I actually watch. The others, I'll listen to or casually look at while surfing the net, but I'm mesmerized every time he's on the screen.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

AGT has been known to aid card magicians through camera tricks. I don't have any specific claims regarding this guy.


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## robbhimself (Sep 13, 2006)

shin lim is a pretty well know slight of hand magician, he's already fooled penn and teller twice on their show. i personally prefer the act when he doesn't speak and has the music set the tone, like his first appearance on "penn & teller: fool us"






having him speak, and especially tyra's reactions just throw off the flow


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Honestly, I've never cracked so much as a smile with either of these comedians.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

Odds Bodkins said:


> Honestly, I've never cracked so much as a smile with either of these comedians.


I'm a little kinder, maybe one chuckle from each. Either comedian is maybe/almost good enough to be the first (of 3 or 4) opening comedians in a comedy club.

Last singer wan't much better then a karaoke singer. Do we even know how much of the back story is even true?


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

The two stand outs for me were Glynnis Grace and Duo Transcend.

I do not watch the back stories and after Duo Transcend I was trying to figure out who they gave the closing spot to. That guy. I barely remember him from his other performances and I am pretty sure I will have forgotten that one by the time I wake up in the morning. I am perplexed why Simon is all over him.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

I'm predicting the final showdown will be between Janis Joplin Jr. (Courtney Hadwin) and Sin Lim the card magician, and Courtney wins the $25K for the next 40 years.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

getreal said:


> I'm predicting the final showdown will be between Janis Joplin Jr. (Courtney Hadwin) and Sin Lim the card magician, and Courtney wins the $25K for the next 40 years.


I think so too but I hope Shin Lim wins. I didn't think Courtney was great last night but Shin was, as always, terrific.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

Bored with Courtney, hope she doesn't win. Wasn't Shin Lim's best but still entertaining. I think Brian King Joseph has a shot, he's entertaining. Emmet has a good voice but not my cup of tea. I thought the two comedians were funnier than previously but not close to winning this thing. Zurcaroh... nope. Don't like them at all. I realize the guy from Duo Transcend was blindfolded but I've seen way too many similar acts, in person and on AGT. Not worthy to win IMO. Ketterer... yes a good back story but certainly not the best act. At all. Glennis Grace has shot, good voice, good performer.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

I found the performance of Shin Lim lacking, perhaps the least of his performances, to the point that I kept on wondering if trick after trick was AGT camera trickery. But I don't deny his talent--I just don't trust AGT. 

Courtney Hadwin was a force of nature--but, for me personally, I can't imagine taking her in large doses . . . .


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

Agree with that. As a one song novelty act fine, going to see a whole concert of her? Nope.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

Considering the trend in recent years where the teeny-bopper girl wins (though I agreed about the ventriloquist teen's win), they apparently have a HUGE voting base which puts them over the top in the finals. Personally, though I dislike his smarm, I would rather see Shin Lim get the $25K for 40 years, but I think the teen votes will push Courtney to the top.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

Mikeguy said:


> ..... I kept on wondering if trick after trick was AGT camera trickery. But I don't deny his talent--I just don't trust AGT.
> 
> Courtney Hadwin was a force of nature--but, for me personally, I can't imagine taking her in large doses . . . .


Reverse it. HD cameras. DVR ability to slow motion and freeze frame. Close up camera shots can ruin a magicians act. Magic is designed to fool people sitting in the audience. I'm not going to spoiler this. It's a general observation. Not necessarily applicable to any specific act. Lying accomplices, both celebrities and "random" people from the audience is a common tool used by magicians. Shin Lim fooled Penn and Teller twice. I don't trick photography is the way Shin Lim does all (or at least most) of his tricks.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

getreal said:


> though I dislike his smarm


YESSSSSSSS!!!!! THANK YOU!!!


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

Tyra is a total jackass announcing the 5th place act like he won. She sucks and hope she is gone next year.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

Banks is HORRIBLE. EVERY SINGLE WEEK.

Happy with the winner, surprised at some of the top 5.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

A night of hype. With AGT as the champion, but "MasterChef" a close contender.

There is a reason I keep on watching PBS' (from the UK) "The Great British Baking Show," even in reruns.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

Mikeguy said:


> There is a reason I keep on watching PBS' (from the UK) "The Great British Baking Show," even in reruns.


Insomnia?


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

The best is how in this two hour show all you needed to watch was the last 5 minutes. What a waste of time. I was happy with the outcome, but surprised that Courtney Hadwin didn't make the top 5. Tyra was as bad as ever. Why the heck was she right up in Vicki Barbolak's face interviewing her right after she lost? She was on crazy pills last night for sure.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

getreal said:


> Considering the trend in recent years where the teeny-bopper girl wins (though I agreed about the ventriloquist teen's win), they apparently have a HUGE voting base which puts them over the top in the finals.


Apparently, they were all watching the season premiere of _tosh.0_ or something instead of voting, although I am surprised she didn't even crack the top five.

Shin Lim is not the first winner not to be any of the regular judges' or host's Golden Buzzer since they started using them to send acts to the live shows in 2015 (before then, it was used to save acts that did not have enough Yes votes to advance to Judges' Cuts); Paul Zerdin in 2015 also had to go through Judges' Cuts. However, Shin Lim is the first not to get a Golden Buzzer from a guest judge either.

Here's a history of how well non-guest-judge Golden Buzzers have done:
Heidi - 4th (Sal Valentinetti, 2016), two Semi-Finals (Arielle Baril, 2015; Makayla Phillips, 2018), Quarter-Finals (Angelina Green, 2017)
Howie - winner (Grace VanderWaal, 2016), 2nd (Drew Lynch, 2015), Final 10 (Courtney Hadwin, 2018), Semi-Finals (Christian Guardino, 2017)
Mel - winner (Darci Lynn Farmer, 2017), 5th (Laura Bretan, 2016), two Semi-Finals (Sharon Irving, 2015; Amanda Mena, 2018)
Simon - 4th (Mandy Harvey, 2017), 5th (Michael Ketterer, 2018), Semi-Finals (Calysta Bevier, 2016)
Tyra - 2nd (Zurcaroh. 2018), 3rd (Light Balance, 2017)
Howard Stern - Quarter-Finals (Freckled Sky, 2015)
Nick Cannon - Quarter-Finals (Dorothy Williams, 2016)

There's still one more thing the show has to do - announce the acts in the Vegas show. I am assuming there will be four acts, like in the previous two years, and am predicting:
Shin Lim (of course)
Zurcaroh
Brian King Joseph
and Michael Ketterer ("well, we have to have a singer, and we don't want to spend half the show explaining why we took Courtney instead of him when he got more votes than she did")
_Maybe_ Samuel Comroe gets in instead of Brian King Joseph, if the show organizer thinks, "It's Vegas; we have to have some sort of comedy act" (Tape Face and Preacher Lawson were "wild card" selections the past two years), but I don't think so.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

nickels said:


> The best is how in this two hour show all you needed to watch was the last 5 minutes. What a waste of time. I was happy with the outcome, but surprised that Courtney Hadwin didn't make the top 5. Tyra was as bad as ever. Why the heck was she right up in Vicki Barbolak's face interviewing her right after she lost? She was on crazy pills last night for sure.


It's such a great show for watching: I was able to watch both the AGT final and the MasterChef final (each 2 hours long, being broadcast at the same time) in the same 2-hour-and-5-minute broadcast period. 

I, too, thought that the Tyra-in-Vicki's-face moment was bizarre, and even replayed it to make sure it wasn't my imagination or the camera angle--did Tyra's adrenaline just cause her to totally misjudge a modicum of personal space? (If I had been Vicki, I fear that my hand would have slapped Tyra's face away purely as an automatic defensive mechanism.) And it was precious when the male comic was announced as the finalist over Vicki, watching the judges' incredulous reactions and especially that of Howie--I thought that he was going to demand a recount.

Such a wasted amount of time--rather than doing fluff pieces on the judges, the show could have presented a _real _talent showcase, expanded the 10 finalists' presentations 2- or 3-fold and perhaps brought back favorites from over the Summer.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

That Don Guy said:


> There's still one more thing the show has to do - announce the acts in the Vegas show. I am assuming there will be four acts, like in the previous two years, and am predicting:
> Shin Lim (of course)
> Zurcaroh
> Brian King Joseph
> ...


And this year's show is six acts:
Shin Lim
Brian King Joseph
Samuel J. Comroe
Courtney Hadwin
Vicki Barbalok
and Duo Transcend

Noticeably absent: Zurcaroh, and Michael Ketterer.
I have a feeling Zurcaroh's absence may have something to do with getting all of those kids out of school long enough to rehearse in Vegas (either that, or the show includes both a matinee and an evening performance on Sunday, and either whoever runs the group thinks that might be too much for some of them, or child labor laws may kick in).
As for Hadwin over Ketterer, my best two guesses are (a) Ketterer is already committed to a tour of some sort (that comment he made about singing at Notre Dame makes me think that), and (b) somebody is under the impression that Hadwin not finishing in the top five is just a glitch of some sort, and she is more likely to draw people in.

Also strange: two stand-up comics, but only one singer, even though there were four singers in the top 10.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

Daniel Emmet already performs in Vegas in a show called The Cocktail Cabaret at Caesars. Since AGT Live is at a Caesars property I thought maybe they would include him. Nope.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

Garth Brooks invited Ketter to perform at garths concert in Notre Dame. It was announced before the final result show, not sure if it was announced before final performance.

Could AGT and/or the casino been unwilling to pay expenses (flights, hotel, per Diem) for Zurcaroh?


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

lew said:


> Garth Brooks invited Ketter to perform at garths concert in Notre Dame. It was announced before the final result show, not sure if it was announced before final performance.
> 
> Could AGT and/or the casino been unwilling to pay expenses (flights, hotel, per Diem) for Zurcaroh?


The Notre Dame announcement was made right after he was told he had finished fifth.

As for AGT "not paying expenses," what would have happened had they won? "I know we promised that you would headline a show in Las Vegas, but..."


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## spartanstew (Feb 24, 2002)

VegasVic said:


> Banks is HORRIBLE. EVERY SINGLE WEEK.
> 
> Happy with the winner, surprised at some of the top 5.


Agreed on all counts. He deserved to win, although I really thought Duo Transcend should have been second. They were phenomenal.



nickels said:


> The best is how in this two hour show all you needed to watch was the last 5 minutes. What a waste of time.


I watch all the result shows in about 5 minutes. FF until you see 2 or 3 people on stage.



nickels said:


> but surprised that Courtney Hadwin didn't make the top 5.


I just didn't get here. Every time they gave her a standing ovation, I was surprised. Every time she moved on, I was surprised. I thought she was extremely annoying.


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## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

That Don Guy said:


> The Notre Dame announcement was made right after he was told he had finished fifth.
> 
> As for AGT "not paying expenses," what would have happened had they won? "I know we promised that you would headline a show in Las Vegas, but..."


Garth announced it on Monday.

Same argument applies to issue regarding child labor, school and work conditions. Had they won AGT and the casino would have had to make it work.


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## nickels (Jan 11, 2010)

*'AGT' FINALIST ARRESTED FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE*
'America's Got Talent' Finalist Michael Ketterer Arrested for Domestic Violence

D'oh!


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## dthmj (Mar 12, 2002)

No clue how he did this...


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## angbear1985 (Aug 25, 2006)

How does he do that ! wow !


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## markb (Jul 24, 2002)

dthmj said:


> No clue how he did this...





angbear1985 said:


> How does he do that ! wow !





Spoiler



I'm not sure how he knew the card, but it was possibly a force. When he split the deck into piles, he made sure there was a six on top of each pile. The rest just works.[/quote]


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

markb said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not sure how he knew the card, but it was possibly a force. When he split the deck into piles, he made sure there was a six on top of each pile. The rest just works.


[/QUOTE]



Spoiler



Yes it was a classic force to get the 6 of diamonds. Then some manipulation to have a 6 at the bottom of each pile. After they each threw cards in the middle he had them count how many they had left, thereby bringing the bottom card to the top of each one.


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## super dave (Oct 1, 2002)

nickels said:


> *'AGT' FINALIST ARRESTED FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE*
> 'America's Got Talent' Finalist Michael Ketterer Arrested for Domestic Violence
> 
> D'oh!


Says that the mark on her was minor, but usually when there's smoke there's fire. They painted a picture of him ready for sainthood and it could be going to his head. He seemed to be a good guy.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Oof. How to toss away millions in a matter of moments.


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

dthmj said:


> No clue how he did this...


That was impressive! His personality was so much more likeable in this smaller stage format. Great interaction with Ellen.


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

He seems like a nice guy. The Penn & Teller clips are less brooding/mysterious it leads me to believe it was the AGT producers call to make him so.


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## VegasVic (Nov 22, 2002)

Garth Brooks won't sing with 'AGT' finalist Michael Ketterer after domestic violence arrest


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## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

dthmj said:


> No clue how he did this...


The only real trick in that trick is knowing which card was originally chosen. If you assume he knows the card when he splits the deck into piles then then the rest of the trick becomes pretty simple.

And yes, his stage persona seems to be just that. Every interview or offstage interaction I have seen him in makes him seem like a nice and personable person.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

NBC to air America's Got Talent: The Champions this winter - with Terry Crews as host

Apparently, it's some form of "AGT Tournament of Champions," although it will include non-winning acts, as well as acts from other versions of the franchise.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

Just watched the finale...

KISS!!!


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