America's Got Talent - 2011 Discussion

[dvdjunkie]

Back for another season is NBC's "America's Got Talent" with host Nick Cannon, and Judges Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel.

Tuesday and Wednesday nights for the next few weeks we will see what America has to offer in the wonderful world of talent, be it singing, dancing, tumbling, magic, illusion, or some other form of talent, such as Captain Splash last night who dove from a platform 25 feet high into 12" of water and lived to tell about it.

Two more weeks of auditions and then they will get to paring it all down to the Top 24 Acts for Los Angeles live audiences. It has been a lot of fun this year so far, with only two weeks of auditions past and two more to go.

Last year, though she did not win, it was Jackie Evanchco, 8 years old, who stole America's hearts. She will be making a guest appearance in a couple of weeks.

Hope you are watching this really good reality show to pass the summer doldrums.

[dvdjunkie]

The three weeks of auditions for "America's Got Talent" 2011 are over and this coming Tuesday night, July 5, will be the first of the Las Vegas cuts. They will trim the list down from over 200 to about 60 and then down to the Top 24 over the next couple of shows.

The live broadcasts of the "America's Got Talent", where we all get to cast our votes for who we like most will begin in just a couple more weeks.

Some very good talent, so far, this year. Not a lot of singers and magicians, but I think they have a well-rounded cast of talented people to choose from and it should be entertaining to say the least.

[dvdjunkie]

Any body else watching this year's "America's Got Talent"?? They have some of the best talent I have ever seen in the past previous years and last night's first show of the quarter finals showcased 12 acts for us to vote on, which only four will make it to the Semi-finals. It is going to be hard to pick the right one's I am sure. There is something for everyone on this year's show and it is one of the best talent shows on television.

Singers, musicians, dancers, magicians, motorcycle daredevils, novelty acts, they are all here for us to see.

Hope you are all watching this show on NBC Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Tuesday is the showcase night, and Wednesday is the results show.

[dvdjunkie]

C'mon, there is nothing else on Tuesday night as good as this show. Everything else is reruns, so why not watch some really good talent and see who wins the Million Dollar Prize and a chance to headline a show in Las Vegas.

The talent pool this year was the best of the previous five years, and last night was second set of 12 talented people vying for positions in the finals. Of the 12 only four will be taken forward to the semi-finals.

This year you can vote either by phone, text, or on-line at NBC.com.

Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, and Howie Mandel are the judges and Nick Cannon is in his third year as host of the show.

Tonight is the results show and next Tuesday we will get the third batch of 12 talented people.

Give it a chance, you won't be bored. You might even "like" it.

[robin]

I've been told that the location of my house is not suitable for the TV digital switchover, and for this reason I can avoid this sort of rubbish. I can still watch my DVD's and videos on it, and I can more than live with that!

[dvdjunkie]

Have no idea what Robin is trying to tell us, but I will continue to let you know what is going on with this summer-long show.

Tonight, Tuesday, July 26, the great Bay Area of Oakland will be represented by a very good group called Poplyfe. They are a group of teenagers who play very modern music and have knocked the judges off their seats with both performances thus far this season. They will be part of the third set of 12 contestants tonight vying for your votes. There are only four positions open in the Semi-Finals, so it is integral that one watches the show before voting, and then use their 10 votes wisely by telephone, text, or on-line voting at NBC.com.

Tomorrow's Results show will feature Stevie Nicks and an appearance by The Smurfs (probably promoting their movie, which starts Friday).

[dvdjunkie]

Last night's show was amazing. The guy called Professor Splash dove 36' 9" into a 12" deep wading pool and got up and walked away. He was amazing. He could never be a headline act in Vegas, but what a show-stopper.

Poplyfe, my favorite group in the contest, was totally awesome, and Piers was convinced that Keilani needs the group as much as they need her and apologized on national television for thinking that she should leave the group behind.

Tonight's Results show at 9 pm Eastern and Pacific time, will have the results of our overnight voting. Only four of the 12 will be forwarded into the Semi-finals. Special guests will be last year's runners-up, who have their own show in Vegas, "Fighting Gravity" will perform as will former lead singer from Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks. Should be a pretty awesome show tonight.

[dvdjunkie]

What an entertaining evening it was until the Judges blew the last call of the night and, in my eyes, sent the wrong act to the Semi-Finals.

Stevie Nicks was great, as she introduced a new song from her new album, and Fighting Gravity showed why they belong in Las Vegas.

The judges decision to send Professor Splash, a 60-year-old man who dives from obscene heights into a 12" wading pool of water, instead of a very good Magician, whose name escapes me at this moment, was the black mark on the night. Clearly the judges overstated what the criteria is for a headline act in Vegas and then they went against all that criteria to send the wrong act forward to the Semi-Finals.

Poplyfe, a music group from Oakland, CA was justly rewarded for all their hard-earned work and sent through to the Semi-finals.

Next week we get the final 12 acts of the original 48, and then we will have two weeks of "wild card" acts, those that get a second chance, and then the Semi-finals will start.

If you aren't watching this show, you are missing some of the best talent that America has to offer. Their talent base was the best of all the seasons so far, and has made it a very entertaining show.

[Midge]

OK, Bill, just for you I watched a replay of the show. All I can say is, I'm glad you enjoy it.

[Kimmer]

I loved the last few seasons of this show, but can't get into this season for some reason. :huh: No acts have grabbed me. Last season I loved Michael Grimm and was thrilled when he won. I got his CD from the library and was totally unimpressed with it. He should've sung some of the songs he sang on the show last year. Then I might've bought my own copy.

[dvdjunkie]

I don't know what you are expecting Kimmer, but all the critics are raving about the talent this year saying that it is the best of all the previous seasons combined, and I will have to agree with them.

Michael Grimm is amazing, but I will agree with you, his album was a big disappointment, and I hope that if there is a second album it will be 100% better than this one.

Tonight, 8 pm Central time is week four of the Quarterfinals and the last 12 of the Top 48 will take the stage for your votes. Then next two weeks will be wild card weeks where they will bring back acts that didn't make the first cut and they will vie for a chance to get into the Semi-Finals.

[Kimmer]

Bill, I honestly can't explain why, but I just can't get "into" it this year. Usually I'm glued to the TV, but not this season. I really did like that one parrot act, I should try to catch that one again......

[dvdjunkie]

Last night's show was the last of the Top 48, and they saved the best for last, in my opinion. The 12th act of the night stole the show completely, they are called "i-lumination" and they were over-the-top. If you remember last year they had a group called "Fighting Gravity" that was a little similar, only this troupe is 100 times better and I really think they will be in the Finals for sure.

KIMMER: If you missed the past three shows you can watch them commercial free on NBC.com. You can also watch the audition shows, some of which were hilarious.

Tonight is the Results show and four acts will be put through to the Semi-Finals and then the next two weeks are Wild Card weeks where some of the eliminated acts get a second chance to show their stuff and make it to the Semi-Finals.

[dvdjunkie]

I truly believe that we saw the winner of this year's America's Got Talent last night on the results show.

Next Tuesday, August 9, we will see 12 acts selected from the thousands who posted videos on YouTube, and then on the 16th we will see a return of 12 acts who didn't make it the first time around in this year's quarter-finals.

Two "wild card" show ensure us of getting to see the best that America has to offer when it comes to a full range of talents. Surprised we haven't see very many singers this year, but have seen some very talented novelty acts, and some great dancers and magicians.

I am starting to believe what the critics are saying about this year's talent - it's the best of all the previous seasons, and could truly crown a Las Vegas star this year.

[Kimmer]

I do agree that the Illumination act was incredible, I remember seeing them perform (I think) Now I'm getting myself confused. Were they the ones who had lighted outlines and performed with a black background or were they the act that performed behind the screen and were sort of like human shadow puppets? (not a great description, but I can't think of a better one right now!)

[dvdjunkie]

You have two of the best acts described pretty well. Team iLumination performs in black light with all the lighted forms, and the name of the other group I have forgotten, but they are in the Semi-Finals also.

Last night (Aug. 9), the show was made up of 12 acts picked from YouTube tryouts and it was a very entertaining show. While some of the acts were not Vegas caliber, others were very good.

West Springfield Dance Team was exceptional in their presentation and after it was over, Sharon Osbourne said that they needed a better name for their team because they were not just another dance team.

One of the worst acts of the night was a High School Choir who tried to emulate "Glee" and failed miserably. Of course, since I hate "Glee" the television show so much, I was probably a little more harsh than the judges were, but all three of them were in agreement that the group wasn't good enough to expect people to pay to see them.

Tonight is the Results show, where the four acts who received the most votes will be put through to the Semi-Finals and next week we get a "Wild Card" show where the judges will bring back 12 acts that didn't make it the first time around and give them another chance.

[dvdjunkie]

Tonight (Tuesday, August 23) is the beginning of Semi-Finals for America's Got Talent. We will see 12 of the final 24 contestants perform tonight with the results on tomorrow (Wednesday) night's show.

They have 24 big-time acts (well, at least 20) who are vying for the $1,000,000 prize and a headline act in Las Vegas. This will all come down to who has the act that you would pay to see again in Vegas. Sometimes I think the judges forget about that, but, so far, the people who watch the show that cast the votes have done a commendable job of routing out the junk from the good stuff.

Watch tonight and then vote and see how well you think you have picked the winner of America's Got Talent.

[Kimmer]

I did watch it last night. I'd forgotten about that great dance troupe from Miami, I LOVE them!!!!!! I also liked Joseph Daniel Baker and a few others.

That acrobatic trio were totally unimpressive last night. I can't believe the lousy way that gal sang. Stick with what you're good at!

[dvdjunkie]

I am still confused as to what the judges were thinking last when they passed over Joseph Daniel Baker and picked the Gothic Dance group from Virginia. I would pay whatever it took to see Baker in Vegas, but I wouldn't cross the street to see that "gothic horror" dance group again.

The Miami All-Stars were sent through to the Finals along with Team iLuminate and Poplyfe and another act, which I have forgotten.

Next Tuesday, we get the final 12 acts before we get to the Top 10 Finalists in two weeks.

If you missed the Results show last night, you didn't miss much as far as talent goes, they had Nu Boys, a rap duo who were just okay, Prince Poppycock from last year's show, and Disney's talentless Demi Lovato.

[Kimmer]

You rate them just as I do. I think to myself "Would pay to see this act?" and I definitely would pay to see the Miami All-Stars, they're phenomenal.

I think the only reason that dance group got put through was because, as Howie put it, this season is all about the dancers. that's not a good reason, it should be the better performer. Joseph Daniel Baker was the better performer. Didn't Piers make the comment that, in a normal season, they'd both have gone though so that says something.

I can't stand that opera singer, Lys. I realize rhat she has a good voice, but it's not my thing at all so I'd never vote for her. I always hit the mute button whenever there's any opera singing on TV, it hurts my ears.

[Midge]

That's funny, Kimmer, because I'm an opera lover, and Lys was the only contestant I liked!

[dvdjunkie]

I am in your corner Kimmer. I can tolerate most music, but when it comes to Opera, I just don't understand what the big thing is. Maybe if I read the stories before I listened to the music, it might make more sense.

This week we have a couple more great acts to see and a couple that I think we should not have to suffer through. "The Kinetic King" and "Captain Splash" are two of the 12 acts who will be on this week, and they better not get put through to the Finals. I wish I had more than 10 votes per system, because I would personally make sure than everyone else got some votes and not them.

Anyway, Tuesday night at 8 pm central (9 Eastern & Pacific) will be the second Semi-Finals and five will go through to the big Finale in two weeks.

[Kimmer]

Aug 25, 2011 16:57:31 GMT -6 Midge said:

That's funny, Kimmer, because I'm an opera lover, and Lys was the only contestant I liked!

I know you're a fan of opera, Midge. I think it's my least favorite type of music, I cringe when I hear it. I think I'd rather listen to rap music....LOL Well, maybe not! ;D It literally hurts my ears.

[Midge]

You and Bill certainly have a lot of company. Lots of people don't like opera. It's an acquired taste, that's for sure, but once you acquire it you are hooked for life.

My parents didn't like opera and whenever I would play it, they'd say things like "Turn off that catfight" or "What are they yelling about?"

[dvdjunkie]

The Semi-Finals are finished and after last night's show I think that we, as viewers, were given some pretty easy choices to send through to the Finals. Of the 12 acts only 5 make it through and in my opinion I am hoping that three of these acts don't get any votes because they don't belong on the same stage as the rest of the talent in the competition.

The Kinetic King: there is no way that anyone would pay good money to see an act like this in Vegas. It takes hours to build the dominoes and only seconds for them to disappear. Why this act got this far I will never understand, because I know I didn't vote for him.

Steven Rechless: the Male Pole Dancer, has no place in a Vegas show, except as a featured player, not a headline act. See him once, and you have seen his act.

Professor Splash: Last night he dove from 70 feet into an eight-foot deep, fire-covered pool of water, and that was it. Who in their right mind would pay to see a ten-second act like this one?

Those are the three that should not make it any further in the show. There are a lot of talented people this year, but these three just defy my sense of what a "million-dollar-talent" really is. Hope I am right.

Tonight, the results show that will feature as musical guests Susan Boyle and Tony Bennett, along with female rapper Nicki Minaj.

[Kimmer]

I'm glad that magician Landon something or other (forgot his last name) made it through. He's great. I couldn't believe that Sharon voted for that Snap Boogie guy.....yawn. I'm glad the guys outvoted her.

[dvdjunkie]

Tuesday, September 6, is the climactic show we have been waiting for - America's Got Talent The Finals!!!!

The Top Ten acts that were voted through will get one last chance to perform before the American viewing audience and the judges have nothing to do with the outcome. Four will be put through for the big final show next week. The Results show Wednesday should be a real good one.

Of course, there will be some surprises along the way, and then Tuesday night, September 13, will be the Grand Finale with this year's winner announced on the following night.

This has been one of the best seasons for AGT. They had a lot of great acts to pick from and I think they truly got it right for the most part. I still don't think Professor Splash and Kinetic King were Las Vegas acts to begin with. Anyway, don't miss the finals tomorrow night!!!

[dvdjunkie]

Out of the Top Ten acts that performed last night, only Four stood out as worthy of moving on to the finals.

Our beautiful opera singer blew her chance to move on for a chance at the million-dollar prize by singing a "Pop-Rock" anthem "Dream On", originally done by Aerosmith. Don't understand why the music choice, but she was criticized by the judges for it.

The Four who did get rave reviews and standing ovations, and who also got my votes, were "Silhouettes", "Landau Eugene Murphy Jr.", "Poplyfe", and "Team iLuminate", who I truly think will be the four that make it to the Finals.

Tonight we will have the Results Show and see how correct I am, and how different America might have seen the acts. Of those four, they are the only ones that I would pay money to see in Vegas, or anywhere they should appear.

Next Tuesday is the Grand Finale, and they have some very good "extra" entertainment lined up including last year's runner-up Jackie Evanchko, the 8-year-old with the big voice.

[dvdjunkie]

The Final Four are set for the Grande Finale next week on America's Got Talent.

Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., Silhouettes, Team iLuminate and POPLYFE have made it through to the Finals to be aired live next Tuesday, September 13, on NBC.

Now it comes down to the big question. Which of these acts would YOU pay good money to see in Las Vegas? Of the four I believe that Silhouettes is probably the weakest of the group, because of their ages 4-30. Of the other three acts, it is going to be a hard one, because all three of them have raised the bar each week in their performances.

POPLYFE is a six-piece musical group headed by a young lady named Kehlani, and they are becoming more polished as they perform. Last week they did a Beatles song, and this week they took on Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five with a spirited medley of hits.

Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. is a former worker in a car wash in Virginia, who gave it all up to try out for America's Got Talent, and now he is in the finals. He has a voice that absolutely makes you wonder - "where does it come from" - and he has picked some of the best of Sinatra and Dean Martin songs to sing each performance. Look for this gentleman to win it all. As he said last night, "we haven't had a crooner on a stage in a lot of years".

Team iLuminate is a dance group who uses computer and black light images on a darkened stage to produce a whole lot of "how did they do that?" images. They are agile, and very good dancers. They really have a true shot at winning this whole thing.

Next Tuesday and Wednesday are the last two shows and we will know who wins the $1 million dollar prize.

[Kimmer]

I think it's going to come down to Landau and Team Iluminate. I'm going to guess the winner will be Landau simply because it'd be easier to put him in a show than the others. Both are excellent. It'd be hard to choose.