It would be extremely difficult for any subsequent show on ‘America’s Got Talent’ to follow-up the incredible Wild Card performance show from last week. Needless to say the first segment of the semi-finals with the Top 12 fell short on so many levels. They either tried to do too much or did too little or simply missed the mark completely. A few of my favorite acts from previous shows actually disappointed me. Other acts have simply run their course on the show. Here is a detailed breakdown on the good, bad and the ugly, but not necessarily in that order.
The Worst of the Night
We might as well dispense with the worst crop of talent from Tuesday night by simply getting it over and done with.
Dan Sperry – Quite frankly he should have not been in the semi-finals in the first place. I found his quarterfinal performance not at all amazing. The only reason he got in was throwing his dental floss at Howie Mandel. His so-called magic act was so bad it wasn’t even entertaining in a good way. Dan Sperry argued with Piers Morgan on the merits of his illusion. It was completely obvious it was not Nick’s arm he sawed off, but a wooden one at that.
Kristina Young – On the other hand, this had to be the worst performance I had ever seen on America’s Got Talent in the semi-finals. Sure, you see this sort of thing intentionally during the city auditions. Her cover version of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” was absolutely hideous. To me, that song is something you cannot cover. It completely belongs to Lady Gaga. She could not hit half the notes and her stage presence was stiff. For the second time this season another act was buzzed by all three judges in the middle of the act. At least with Chipps Cooney his performance was obviously on purpose. For Kristina I believe that it was literal. She had such a good voice during the YouTube show and now it was wasted.
Acts Who Had Reached Their Peak
Sadly there were many acts who I felt had reached their pinnacle. They either tried to do too much or not enough. When they did try to change their act in some way it was a risk that didn’t pay off.
Future Funk – Their act was cute for the first few times. However, the big stage seemed to gobble them up. Here was a prime example of an act that performed the same old, same old routine that has reached its peak in my opinion.
Taylor Matthews – I’ve always enjoyed his vocals and sweet personality. However, he took on a lot of risks, one of them was playing the piano. At times he was hunched up at the piano while playing and singing. Taylor looked very uncomfortable without his guitar. He really seemed lost onstage with just a microphone.
Connor Doran – The judges were right in saying he always had exceptional song choices for his previous kite flying. I absolutely disliked the song choice Tuesday night. Unfortunately the kite flying he performed was virtually the same as last week’s, but with faster music.
ArcAttack – Here is another act that does the same thing. It is amazing they are using high voltage of electricity. One thing I did not care for was the girl playing some deranged character, especially when she continued to be in character during the judges critique. I’ve no doubt it’s exciting to watch ArcAttack perform in person, but on TV it is getting old.
AscenDance – This was one of their safest performances to date that was neither entertaining nor exciting. The only thing different was the music they used, which was more up-tempo. I didn’t want to be disappointed, because I have always loved AscenDance from the start.
The Stars of the Night
These acts have always remained consistent and they certainly delivered great performances for the otherwise boring semi-finals.
Anna and Patryk – I’m thrilled to see them in the semi-finals after being out of the competition, then selected as a Wild Card act and making it through to this phase. I absolutely loved their paso doble dance. They are exceptional dancers who I’d love to see on “Dancing with the Stars” in the near future. Anna and Patryk have the right stuff for a kids act. Every performance has something new and exciting to it.
Christina & Ali – In all honesty I thought this act would not be able to deliver another emotional performance. They did that and more. It had been a while since we last saw them, but I was happy to see Christina and Ali back better than ever.
Antonio Restivo – Wow, this guy is hot, literally. I’ve never seen so much fire on a stage like that. His disappearing act was amazing, especially getting out before that hut caught on fire. Now this is magic, compared to the amateurish attempt by Dan Sperry.
Michael Grimm – No matter what is thrown at this guy he comes back with one amazing performance after another. I loved the sexy song, “You Can Leave Your Hat On” originally performed by the great Joe Cocker. Michael did an excellent rendition of it. He is definitely on to the finals. I’m looking forward to what he’ll do next.
Prince Poppycock – Based on what I have seen on the internet the Prince himself is truly gaining a huge fan base. I love the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. Prince Poppycock certainly made Freddie Mercury proud. The makeup, wigs and costumes that produce this character are truly fascinating. Whenever he comes onstage its like he came by way of time travel to perform from another century, like the 1700s or the early 1800s. It was great to see Poppoycock in exceptional form.
Five acts will move on to the finals and next week another five acts will be picked to comprise of the Top 10 finalists on America’s Got Talent. The guest stars for the results show are AGT alums from last season, Recycled Percussion, along with Jimmy Fallon and the international pop sensation, Kylie Minogue.
SOURCES:
America’s Got Talent, NBC
Carla Patton, “Return of the Child Acts on the ‘America’s Got Talent’ Semi-Finals”, BuddyTV
