After a few odd weeks of Olympics and themed episodes (YouTube, Wildcard), it's the America's Got Talent Semi Finals! 12 will perform and only 3 will go through. Same thing next week. The competition is getting fierce.
This week, personality shined through more than anything as the performers start to become more and more of a marketable character. Performances were bigger than ever as well. Click through the jump for our top 3, and thoughts on the others.
Choosing a top 3 was tougher than ever, but these were the most entertaining of the bunch. Here's my top 3:
Choosing a top 3 was tougher than ever, but these were the most entertaining of the bunch. Here's my top 3:
Eric Dittelman
I think I've figured out each of his tricks each week, and the previous ones were a little flawed but extremely entertaining. Tonight, it was simply entertaining. The closest thing to a flaw was his little mid-act audience question (think of a shape inside of another). I'm sure this was actually part of the trick and not the time-filler that it was described as. Having a second matching easel was no coincidence. Anyway…. I loved it. Definitely the best of the first hour.
I think I've figured out each of his tricks each week, and the previous ones were a little flawed but extremely entertaining. Tonight, it was simply entertaining. The closest thing to a flaw was his little mid-act audience question (think of a shape inside of another). I'm sure this was actually part of the trick and not the time-filler that it was described as. Having a second matching easel was no coincidence. Anyway…. I loved it. Definitely the best of the first hour.
Tom Cotter
Dude is on his feet! He put up a bunch of subjects to choose from and Howie chose "College". He tore it up with faced-paced hilarious jokes about college without skipping a single beat. I love this guy. He's like your weird, funny, dirty uncle… who won America's Got Talent.
William Close
For someone who I thought for sure would go through, I think there were a few things off tonight. He squeezed a LOT into 90 seconds, starting with a steampunk metal girl that doubled as a string instrument. The other flaw was that the song was fast paced and I think the timing of some of his big harp notes were off. The stage show was amazing. I didn't love the scattered bits of the song, but he's definitely one of the best and hopefully the few flaws don't stop him from going through.
-------------------------------------------------------
And the rest....
Andrew De Leon
He definitely showed his vocal range in his goth opera performance tonight. Way better than last week, but I'm still not really into it. I'd love to see it thrown into a big theatrical performance. The non-standard opera singer singing opera thing has been done before (Susan Boyle), so it doesn't feel fresh or new.
Todd Oliver
I think his time is up. He's proven that he has an amazing creation (talking dog), but I really think Todd is too stiff for live performance. Todd needs to be behind the scenes, and the dog needs to be the focus. The Tonight Show set is the perfect setting for the act, but Todd's bumbling, nervous delivery kills it for me. The judges disagreed big time, which is very disappointing.
Donovan And Rebecca
There is such a bizarre elegance in their performances. Donovan is a pretty big dude, and Rebecca holds him up on one tiny high-heeled foot. They also added a little danger into their performance with some kind of reverse-noose. Also, they are crazy in love with each other. Glad they've made it this far.
Edon
This was the first time I really liked Edon's performance. Maybe it was the upbeat song, but I think there was very little to dislike. He was really into it, and it was more than just a good voice, it was a good performance. I'm also glad he didn't step out from behind the piano. It takes some balls to stick with the piano and still keep the audience engaged in an upbeat song.
Scott Brothers
Damn, these guys are cool. They did a crazy artistic vintage styled dance performance in silver-face. Howard Stern said it right, it felt a little long… but these guys are definitely the best dancers on the show. I think a killer bump in the middle would have totally nailed it for them.
Turf
Going into this, the thought was that Turf needs to step it up. I kind of agree with it, because his amazing personality will only take him so far in a heavy performance show. I love watching him, and the bigger styled performance was really cool... I just didn't like the mix of the pop music with his rough, raw contortion. I'll be so sad to see him go.
Bria Kelly
I watch America's Got Talent for the unusual. Something different than everything else that's out there. This seemed more like the country star "guest performance" more than anything else. Obviously very good, but she doesn't stand out among the Turf's and Edon's.
Joe Castillo
His sand art is captivating. It's not edgy at all and very wholesome, but it's still really interesting. If his subject matter was a little edgier he would go above and beyond the hippy craft fair crowd and get through to the finals. But I don't think he'll make it.
Academy of Villains
Weird mimey dance. I kind of liked the performance, but I kind of loved the pacing. It definitely went places and never felt boring. I'm not sure that it has the appeal to make it through. People don't really like mimes. Am I right?
To see all of the clips, head over to: http://www.youtube.com/user/AmericasGotTalent/videos
He definitely showed his vocal range in his goth opera performance tonight. Way better than last week, but I'm still not really into it. I'd love to see it thrown into a big theatrical performance. The non-standard opera singer singing opera thing has been done before (Susan Boyle), so it doesn't feel fresh or new.
Todd Oliver
I think his time is up. He's proven that he has an amazing creation (talking dog), but I really think Todd is too stiff for live performance. Todd needs to be behind the scenes, and the dog needs to be the focus. The Tonight Show set is the perfect setting for the act, but Todd's bumbling, nervous delivery kills it for me. The judges disagreed big time, which is very disappointing.
Donovan And Rebecca
There is such a bizarre elegance in their performances. Donovan is a pretty big dude, and Rebecca holds him up on one tiny high-heeled foot. They also added a little danger into their performance with some kind of reverse-noose. Also, they are crazy in love with each other. Glad they've made it this far.
Edon
This was the first time I really liked Edon's performance. Maybe it was the upbeat song, but I think there was very little to dislike. He was really into it, and it was more than just a good voice, it was a good performance. I'm also glad he didn't step out from behind the piano. It takes some balls to stick with the piano and still keep the audience engaged in an upbeat song.
Scott Brothers
Damn, these guys are cool. They did a crazy artistic vintage styled dance performance in silver-face. Howard Stern said it right, it felt a little long… but these guys are definitely the best dancers on the show. I think a killer bump in the middle would have totally nailed it for them.
Turf
Going into this, the thought was that Turf needs to step it up. I kind of agree with it, because his amazing personality will only take him so far in a heavy performance show. I love watching him, and the bigger styled performance was really cool... I just didn't like the mix of the pop music with his rough, raw contortion. I'll be so sad to see him go.
Bria Kelly
I watch America's Got Talent for the unusual. Something different than everything else that's out there. This seemed more like the country star "guest performance" more than anything else. Obviously very good, but she doesn't stand out among the Turf's and Edon's.
Joe Castillo
His sand art is captivating. It's not edgy at all and very wholesome, but it's still really interesting. If his subject matter was a little edgier he would go above and beyond the hippy craft fair crowd and get through to the finals. But I don't think he'll make it.
Academy of Villains
Weird mimey dance. I kind of liked the performance, but I kind of loved the pacing. It definitely went places and never felt boring. I'm not sure that it has the appeal to make it through. People don't really like mimes. Am I right?
To see all of the clips, head over to: http://www.youtube.com/user/AmericasGotTalent/videos
And let us know what you think. Who are your picks?
I liked the performance that William Close gave last time better than this one, but it was one of my favorite songs. This song was short and not as dramatic. What’s up with the women carrying mallets; were there supposed to be drums that didn’t get out there? My Dish coworker and I always discuss the episode, and I can’t wait for the results of the semifinals. I love AGT so much that I watch in the morning now that I can watch commercial free with Auto Hop. The PrimeTime Anytime recording is always there waiting for me so I watch the day after and still have time to get ready for work and get there on time.
ReplyDeleteThe winners were William Close, Tom Cotter and Joe Castillo. Very surprised about Joe Castillo. I think they're going to set it up to be Joe Castillo vs. David Garibaldi.
ReplyDeleteIt' hard not to think that the producers are very heavy handed in the voting process. This is a TV show after all.