America's Got Talent Season 5

[mike123abc]

I suspect Ridley got the boot because there are too many singers and Studio One will be the only dance act. In past years Piers has been honest and said AGT is not AI and there needs to be more than just singing talent.

Grasso will have to do a much better trick. Last night I was not impressed by the trick, but he had a far better stage presentation that obviously won over the watchers.

Anna and Patryk I do not see advancing again. They are up against too many other talents and opera girl will probably steal all the cute kid votes.

Poppycock will really depend on his choice of song. I think that going from classical to Queen showed a range that brought in a lot of votes. It won me over because I could see a show being entertained with a wide variety of songs. If he goes back to something classical it better be a song everyone knows and will appreciate - Figaro/Barber of Seville was a good choice, Pagliacci, the one he sang as clown, not so well known.

Of the other singers I think Michael Grimm has the best shot. It all depends on the match of the song to their voice. Anything could happen.

 

[riffjim4069]

As much as I like the Bike Boy Wonder, he had better jump the Snake River Canyon if he hopes to win.

 

[TNGTony]

Well, I had Ridley and the Young dancers reversed. It stinks that there are too many singers. I agree that this is really the reason the dancers were "judged" on.

It's interesting that EVERY judges' choice this season went opposite to my choice!

 

[riffjim4069]

Random thoughts and observations...

Well, here are my random thoughts, observations and babblings going into the Top 10:

- What happened to Twisted Trystan & Krystan (sideshow sword-swallower, etc.)? They advanced to Vegas but, as I recall, withdrew from competition. Does anyone know what happened? I really liked their act and was disappointed when they were replaced with the juggling/riverboat dancing guy.

- What ever happend to the Yo-yo Boy? He was amazing! I saw a partial audition and nothing further. Of course, I am missing all of my July recordings (forgot to set the never delete bit).

- What happend to Amadeus (Simeon the Dutch Boy) playing piano? I vaguely recall him not getting voted through, but I'm not sure.

- What ever happened to Carlos Aponte from Puerto Rico? He was really good at his Chicago audtion and I don't recall seeing him perform in Las Vegas.

- Clownvis was awesome and should be brought back for the finals! He was buzzed only 7-seconds into his act, yet he inspired two standing ovations. Now that's talent! Here is what Robert said about his performance on AGT, "I've been a fan of Clownvis for several years now and after this, I love him even more! He showed exactly how stupid that show (and "reality" TV in general) really is. I think it would have been even funnier if he had came out and said that he'd lived through some tragedy and then burst into tears and sobbed, "This is my dream!" Isn't that what that show's all about anyway? As for the post performace part, everything he said is true. Sharon only got "famous" because she's married to an idiot, Howie's only "talent" was that he could put a rubber glove on his head and host game shows and the British guy is only on there because he's the token "British a**hole" that all these shows HAVE to have. I think we should all be thanking Clownvis for giving us a reason to actually watch that show.
Viva Clownvis!!!!"

- What a keen observation (above). Hopefully this will be the last season in which AGT allows singers to compete with others who, in my opinion, are often far more talented. Historially, singers have an unfair advantage and only Terry Fator (extremely talented...but he probably woudln't have won if his puppets didn't also sing) has broken the mold. I expect the same outcome for this season:

Season 1 (2006) Biana Ryan - singer
Season 2 (2007) Terry Fator - ventriloquist/comedian/singer
Season 3 (2008) Neal Boyd - singer
Season 4 (2009) Kevin Skinner - singer
Season 5 (2010) Michael Grimm or Jackie Evancho or Prince Poppeycock (singers)

- Really...the others acts have almost no/zip/nil/nodda/zero shot of winning!

- Out of the twelve (12) acts that were brought back to perform on 8/17/2010, Michael Grasso and Anna & Patryk are in the Top 10. I would love to see Clownvis brought back to perform in the finals, but that will never happen.

- If AGT doesn't book singers, perhaps they will consider having parallel tracks next year (one of singers and one for everyone else). Heck, why not have others. The shows ratings have been rising each year (#1 rated show this summer), and they are producing more than 3-times as shows than Season 1, so they can certainly award more prize money.

2006 - 9 episodes
2007 - 10 episodes
2008 - 20 episodes
2009 - 26 episodes
2010 - 27 episodes (as of 1 September)

 

[riffjim4069]

The Pretenders...

Anna and Patryk - love these kids, but professional dancers have a lot more experience and their spit & polish remind us that these are just a couple of kids. Additionally, as much as I enjoyed their act their bodies aren't physically capable (especially Patryk) of many professional dance movements. However, I look forward to seeing them compete in a few years. They will not make the Top 5.

Christina & Ali - OK, we all love their touching story...but they should not be on stage at this point. AGT has to knock-out the "touchy-feeling" stuff because the American public will apparently vote through anyone who sheds tears. They will not make the Top 5.

Taylor Matthews - I like this kid but, unless he is writing and composing his own arrangements (as well as finding material within his limited vocal range), he is history. He will not make the Top 5.

Michael Grimm - genuine talent who will do well in the finals. He is a likely Top 3 candidate.

Prince Poppycock - unique individual who should do well in the finals. He is a probable Top 3 candidate.

Fighting Gravity - they keep coming back bigger and better and surprise me each and every time. The act is more diverse than ArcAttack and, more importantly, doesn't have some zombie chick acting drunk and demanding brains. They are probably a Top 5 candidate.

Jackie Evancho - she is too cute and too adorable not to make the final three. While she is an unique talent at her tender years, much like Anna & Patryk her talent does not stand-up well when, in this case, compared to a professional opera singer. She is almost certainly a Top 3 finalist.

Jeremy VanSchoonhoven - I really like this guy but I get the feeling his next act will have to HUGE in order to advance. Of course, I afraid we'll see a spectacular wipeout on national television played to Culture Club's, "I'll tumble for you." As I mentioned before...anything short of jumping the Snake River Canyon will not earn him a million dollars. He may be a Top 5 candiate...if he doesn't maime himself.

Michael Grasso - Could make the Top 5 with a strong performance.

Studio One - they have gone as far as they can go in this competition and will not make the Top 5.

We shall see...

 

[teachsac]

My timer says it will only be a top four, so #5 is just as bad as No 10.

Top 4 in no particular order:

Jackie Evancho
Fighting Gravity
Prince Poppycock
Michael Grasso (needs to pop)

S~

 

[DodgerKing]

Grim is the best singer, IMO. Not the best voice, but the best singer. I am biased towards blues, so that may play a factor in my choice

 

[DodgerKing]

When I see Grasso's female partner, for some reason Robert Palmer videos come to mind.

 

[riffjim4069]

When I see Grasso's female partner, for some reason Robert Palmer videos come to mind.

Besides Michael Grasso having an excellent stage presence (slightly and mysterious), his lovely assistant is fantastic. She sells the act just as well as he does...perhaps better.

 

[riffjim4069]

Tonight is the Big Night...

...I wonder what the order is going to be?

Anna and Patryk
Christina & Ali
Taylor Matthews
Michael Grimm
Prince Poppycock
Fighting Gravity
Jackie Evancho
Jeremy VanSchoonhoven
Michael Grasso
Studio One Young Beast Society

 

[Larobpra]

The biker was awesome!

 

[riffjim4069]

They must be performing in reverse order by votes - at least that what it appears. Studio One, Christina & Ali, Anna and Patryk (the girls tears won't help matters), Jeremy, and Taylor Matthews did well, but the Bike-Guy was the only act that is worthy of a Top Four spot so far. All the big acts are coming up this next hour.

 

[riffjim4069]

Is it me or does that Enrique Inglesias guy sing like Adam Sandler at times? I would rather hear the Sandler version to be honest.

 

[riffjim4069]

- Fighting Gravity was good (very creative once again), but they spent too much time building-up to the performance and not performing IMO.

- Michael Grimm nailed it and will almost certainly be moving on.

- Michael Grasso was excellent, but I've see it. I don't think this was a Top Four performance.

- All I can is "Wow" after watching Prince Poppycock - the guy (I use that word losely) is a one-man broadway show

- Wow! Jackie Evancho was amazing...she sang like an angel.

 

[riffjim4069]

Ranking them as I see it...

The Top Three acts are a no-brainer...the real question is who will be voted in to the 4th and final slot (it could be Fighting Gravity, Grasso or Bicycle-Guy):

1. Jackie Evancho was amazing...she sang like an angel.
2. All I can is "Wow" after watching Prince Poppycock - the guy (I use that word losely) is a one-man broadway show.
3. Michael Grimm nailed it and will almost certainly advance.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Fighting Gravity was good (very creative once again), but they spent too much time building-up to the performance and not performing IMO.
5. Michael Grasso was excellent, but I've see it. I don't think this was a Top Four performance.
6. Jeremy VanSchoonhoven - loved his act, but America is not going to advance him against more mainstream competitors.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Taylor Matthews - surprisingly great job, but doesn't have the vocals.
8. Studio One Young Beast Society - excellent job, but not mainstream enough.
9. Christina & Ali - cute kids did a great job, but their vocals aren't up to the top contenders.
10. Anna and Patryk - cuts kids...would like to see them come back when their bodies mature (of course, her crying for a minor slip at the end hurt more than the very minor error).

 

[mike123abc]

This time around it was a bit harder, the acts were a lot more polished.

Studio 1 hopefully their last performance, I do not think they should have advanced last time
Christina & Ali - better performance for their vocal range, but not the talent to really advance
Anna & Patryk - excellent performance again, but how many times can you watch kids do ballroom dancing. I think they have met their end
Taylor Matthews - another good fit for his vocals, but his vocals are just too limited to go on

The next ones are harder

Michael Grasso - Good performance, but I think he actually did better last time (or maybe it was that tall blonde).
Jackie Evancho - a good song for her range, she has trouble with some of the lower notes.

I think they are both out, but hard to say

Jeremy VanShoonhoven - I am just facinated by the chance of death at any moment, I think he has a good chance of advancing.
Michael Grimm - I think it was his best so far, I think he will advance
Fighting Gravity - Not quite as Wow as before, but I think it was good enough to advance
Price Poppycock - I liked last week better, but this week was good enough to go through. His voice is just so good that he could pull off almost any song.

 

[riffjim4069]

Mike,

I wasn't a "huge" Jackie Evancho fan until this evening. Her performance was absolutely stunning, but I agree that her voice (range) hasn't matured enough to cover a broad vocal range and, as last week showed, she can't handle song with a long of quick moving words for the same reason. She will need to select her songs carefully - like she did tonight. I think she has a lock on a Finalist postion.

As much as I like bicycle guy he has three things going against him: 1) a lot of people still cannot relate to his act...may as well be on a skateboard or surfboard; 2) while hugely entertaining for a few minutes (great as part of a variety show), I just can't see how he can perform a Vegas Show for 90-minutes each night; he doesn't sing and---as this show has proven time and time again---America loves a singer. I think Jeremy, Grasso or Fighting Gravity will take the 4th and final slot...but who knows.

Fighting Gravity's act was very original, but a little disappointing. I would love to see them get a Vegas style budget and do a realy show. I loved Poppycock's act...much better than last week I thought. The unique aspect of PP (Prince Poppycock) is that he combines solid vocals with so many other elements (attire, script, showmanship).

 

[TNGTony]

This was the first night I did not "give up" on an act in the middle of a performance. Good gravy! They were all very fun to watch and super entertaining.

My thoughts:

Studio One - Dance act. Meh... It was good, but...meh....

Christina and Ali - They were entertaining, but compared to the other singers on the show tonight, buh-bye. Sorry. The "cute" vote is split three ways this week and the other two kiddie acts were orders of magnitude better.

Biker-Dude - Meh... seen it all before in a different wrapper. It was fun to watch, but I answered the question I posed last week. Could I watch this act for a dedicated 90 minute show? No.

Taylor Mathews - Was really good and the song choice was really good. But there were two other signers on this show that were soooooo much better. I can't see him going on to the top 4.

Ballroom dancing kids - This could be the end of the road for them. It should be the end of the road for them, but I wonder if they may get a boost from the "sympathy vote" because the girl fell on her backside coming down the steps at the beginning of the act. Nothing really wowed me about their act. I loved their choice of music. The Gene Krupa (Benny Goodman) "Sing, Sing, Sing" is my absolute favorite piece of music of all time.

Fighting Gravity - Still my favorite to win it all, thought tonight's performance was more tailored for the long form show rather than the 90 second performance they had. It was still awesome and worth the win.

Michael Grimm - nothing short of stellar performance. Another one of my all time favorites was chosen which helps a bunch. Michael may have been connecting with the live audience, but he didn't connect with the TV audience. Not one direct look at a camera. This may cost him a few votes, but definitely in my top 4

Michael Grasso - Saw how the trick was done live AGAIN. (when the assistant on the right went out of sight from the cameras for an instant I knew Grasso would pop out of that costume) Great showmanship and entertaining. But i would have really liked to see something that every magician isn't doing all the time. At the bottom of the top 4 and may get bumped by the sympathy vote for the ballroom dancers.

Prince OH MY GOD!!!! - George M Cohan came back to life, woke James Cagney and the two of them killed themselves again after watching this spectacle "vulgar flag waving". This guy has a big voice but it isn't a "good" big voice. I couldn't stomach last week's destruction of Freddy Mercury and I just barely made it through this week. He will, unfortunately be in the top 4.

Jackie Evancho - Holy Aria, Batman! Absolute perfection! Angelic was the best word Sharon used to describe the performance. She is my #2 choice to take it all. Very deserving and getting better every week.

 

[mike123abc]

Mike,

I wasn't a "huge" Jackie Evancho fan until this evening. Her performance was absolutely stunning, but I agree that her voice (range) hasn't matured enough to cover a broad vocal range and, as last week showed, she can't handle song with a long of quick moving words for the same reason. She will need to select her songs carefully - like she did tonight. I think she has a lock on a Finalist postion.

As much as I like bicycle guy he has three things going against him: 1) a lot of people still cannot relate to his act...may as well be on a skateboard or surfboard; 2) while hugely entertaining for a few minutes (great as part of a variety show), I just can't see how he can perform a Vegas Show for 90-minutes each night; he doesn't sing and---as this show has proven time and time again---America loves a singer. I think Jeremy, Grasso or Fighting Gravity will take the 4th and final slot...but who knows.

Fighting Gravity's act was very original, but a little disappointing. I would love to see them get a Vegas style budget and do a realy show. I loved Poppycock's act...much better than last week I thought. The unique aspect of PP (Prince Poppycock) is that he combines solid vocals with so many other elements (attire, script, showmanship).

I have to agree Jackie O picked the best song she could have for her vocal range this week. It was stunning.

The bike guy I have mixed feelings about him which makes me think he would put on a good act. I keep thinking what would happen if he missed his trick. I agree that he would probably not be good for a 90 minute show since he would be a quadraplegic long before he made it through the 90 minutes. I think morbid curiosity will bring him a lot of votes.

The two shows I would sit through in Vegas would be Prince Poppycock (even as Tony mentioned Freddy Mercury would be turning over in is grave, but I think it would be because he only wishes he could have been as campy as Prince Poppycock) and fighting gravity.

 

[riffjim4069]

The two shows I would sit through in Vegas would be Prince Poppycock (even as Tony mentioned Freddy Mercury would be turning over in is grave, but I think it would be because he only wishes he could have been as campy as Prince Poppycock) and fighting gravity.

Just a couple points...I didn't much care for Poppycock's Freddy Mercury meets an albino Captain Hook masquerade the other episode, however that's largely because I detest anything produced by Queen. While I probably wouldn't pay money to see Prince Poppycock (not my tea-bagging), I gotta admit the guy is extremely talented, fresh and original - heck, his singing may actually take a backseat to his costume designing theatric abilities. Regardless, I liked PP's American Tribute with his rendition of Star Spangled Banner, Yankee Doodle Dandy and Stars and Stripes Forever. I think Cohan, Cagney and Sousa may have liked it as well. Heck, I may actually plop down money for a ticket to see PP one day.