America's Got Talent, Season 7

[Jester]

Well, alrighty then! Just got done watching the wild card show, and after the hugely disappointing youtube show last week, I wasn't sure what to expect. But as bad as the youtube show--and it was bad--tonight's show was awesome. So...in order:

SPENCER HORSMAN: I am not the biggest fan of escape acts. Some are pretty awesome, most are boring and lame to me. And I have not been overly impressed with this guy in his earlier runs in the show. But tonight? Impressive. Simply impressive.

ALL THAT!: I'm sure the ladies loved it. And while I am not a fan of clogging, even when ladies do it, I have to admit that I was pretty amused by the added projection element, which was entertaining. And honestly, last week this would have been in the top four. But this week? It ain't all that.

JARRET & RAJA: Impressive trick. Not all that impressed with the setup or the stage personalities of these two, but the end result was pretty astounding. I think it would have been even more impressive if the piano had been played continuously throughout the whole trick, but that's just one jaded magician's opinion, and it's nitpicking. Well done trick.

JAKE WESLEY ROGERS: Didn't like him before, not really fond of him now. And before anyone accuses me of just being an old fuddy duddy, I actually love that song. He drained all the life and energy out of it. While he was singing, the phrase "lounge act" went through my head. Don't get me wrong, the kid has talent, and probably a future in music, but I will be glad to see him go tomorrow.

CRISTIN SANDU: Probably one of the best failures I've ever seen. That being said, even if he had gotten it, I don't know that it would have been enough to get in the top four and move on.

TODD OLIVER (AND IRVING): Hilarious. Seriously hilarious. I agreed with the judges that their last performance was a bit stale and dry. This stuff was topical and political without being overly edgy, offputting, or partisan. They insulted both sides, got some amusing dog jokes in without making them seem stale or obvious, and overall, I thought it was their best performance yet.

BANDBAZ BROTHERS: Astound feat of strength and balance, and probably a hundred times more dangerous than it looks--and it looks fucking dangerous! Again, I don't think this one had enough umph to move on. Would I watch their show? Probably. Would I pay to see it? Probably not.

SEBASTIEN "EL CHARRO DEL ORO": Kid has charisma, and the group is talented and took a risk with this, but I think it played well, and finished strong, and it will definitely get a lot of "cute" votes, even though this act is clearly NOT just about being cute.

HORSE: Do I think Horse will move on? No. Do I think that a whole hell of a lot of people around the country were watching this and laughing their fool heads off? Oh, HELL yes. I was. It was juvenile, slapstick, "Jackass" style humor at its absolute best and most simplistic, with some serious shock value thrown in because of what the act is. I think Horse is a dark horse to sneak into the top four. Seriously. I'm not nuts when I say that, either.

LINDSEY NORTON: Fantastic dancer, graceful and beautiful, and a delight to watch. She will, sadly, get lost in the shuffle on this show. But the absolute winner for the whole season for most down-to-earth I'm-just-having-fun personality. The kind of girl you would want your son to date--or the kind of girl you would want to date if you were a teenager. I know *I* fell for this kind of girl all the time back in the day. Damn shame to see her go.

ANDREW DE LEON: Astounding. A lot of Middle America will think this guy and his act is too freaky. But a lot of Middle America has thought the same of many amazingly talented acts over the decades, and there are enough people who enjoy this kind of stuff to vote for him. I don't like opera, but this kid is just overflowing with talent.

BEN BLAQUE: I gave grudging respect to him his first couple times, but asked a question the judges asked: why was HE wearing the flack jacket if he was shooting at HER? Well, tonight he turned everything upside down, and did one of the craziest things I've ever seen. Nicely done!
(I did notice, as I'm sure many people did, that when Devon held up her fingers to indicate the number to call, she unwittingly did it backwards, so that it was 21 rather than 12 as the audience and cameras viewed it. As a performer myself, I often make this mistake with cards when I have to form numerical sequences with them, going from MY left to MY right, which is of course backwards for the audience. And I've never performed on national television while being shot at, so I am going to cut her a lot of slack on that one!)

So, who were my four favorites? Spencer Horsman, Todd Oliver and Irving, Horse, and Lindsey Norton.

Who do I think will get voted through? Spencer Horsman, Todd Oliver and Irving, Andrew De Leon, and Ben Blaque, though there may be one or two surprise dark horses.

[Jester]

Quoth Mytical

Jerrett and Raja - I was impressed *shrugs* Their act is better critiqued by Jester.

Actually, not true. I do closeup magic, and know very little about stage magic, as I have said in the past. What you are seeing is the same thing I am seeing, with really very little difference in knowledge. So you, and anyone else in here, are just as good critiquing them as I would be.

[Jester]

Altogether a pretty good show tonight. In order:

Andrew de Leon: Didn't disappoint, brought it. But, will American buy into a goth singing opera? Hard to say.

Todd Oliver & Irving: Hilarious, and while they did stick to some obviously tried and true generic jokes, the funniest bits were definitely the topical jokes.

Donovan and Rebecca: Stunning, graceful, amazing, and not something you see every day. Truly what this show is about.

Edon: From day one, I just haven't gotten him. Or more precisely, why everyone loves him so much. Good singer? I guess. He doesn't make cats run screaming. But...what? What's the big deal? I just don't get it. Still don't. Frankly, he bores me. (And no, I am not a Bieber fan, but I do understand why so many people are. I don't think this guy is in the same league as Bieber talentwise, and I have frankly seen other singers his age that I thought were far better.)

The Scott Brothers: I thought they were very good this week, but last time they performed, they were spectacular. They did have a couple moments of brilliance, to be sure, but to me this was a slight step down, and at this level, against this talent, that small step might could be huge.

Eric Dittelman: As I've said before, I am a magician with friends who do mentalism acts, though I myself do not. With that being said, I have three things to say.
1. Yes, I pretty much fully understand the shape part of the act.
2. No, I'm not going to tell you how he did that.
3. I often say I have theories or ideas of how a magician or an illusionist did something. With the Howard part of the act, I don't have the vaguest fucking clue how he did that. I am as stumped as everyone else, perhaps even more so because of my aforementioned association with mentalists. He seriously left me scratching my head, and I have little doubt that America is still going "But...but....but....and....how....but.....what... .wait.....WHAT?" Because I certainly still am.

Turf: He is and always will be awesome. Sadly, I just don't think he did enough to move on tonight, though.

Bria Kelly: I hate country music, but I could listen to this girl sing all the time. Amazing voice, amazing pipes. But she's a rookie surrounded by All-Stars. I'd love to see her move on, but would be shocked if she did. Just too much talent in the competition. But it wouldn't surprise me if this were not the last we've heard of her....she may yet become a star.

Joe Castillo: Stunning, moving, amazing, unusual, unbelievable, and great. And yet I still think tonight was his worst showing. He's that good that I think he's done far better, and yet he may still advance.

William Close: I've said about a few acts that I think they can win. From day one, I have believed that this guy and his fantastic Earth Harp (and other instruments) WILL win. He is, to me, just so far ahead of everyone else in polish and presentation. And he has something no one else has: the Earth Harp. It truly is amazing. If he doesn't advance, Congress should investigate.

Tom Cotter: His best performance by far, and he has now cemented himself as the best comedian I've seen in my two seasons of watching this show. Hell, he is better than a lot of "name" comedians I've seen, not only with his material, which is hilarious, but with his sharp delivery and perfect timing. Dude is hilarious. And while I think William Close deserves to and probably WILL win, I actually want Cotter TO win. I was laughing loudly at his act. Even his post-act interview was hilarious. And the fact that he had that much material prepared and ready to go shows not only confidence (it's only cockiness if you can't back it up), it shows a level of professionalism unmatched by the vast majority of acts on AGT.

Academy of Villains: Actually thought their last performance was better. The first half of this one bored me, though they did get my attention with a stellar second part.

So, who do I think will move forward? William Close, Tom Cotter, and....someone. Though who it is I can't even guess at. Perhaps Dittelman continues to ride the wave of headscratching and "Howdeedodat?!?"s. Stranger things have happened.

[Mytical]

Tonights acts were way too good for me to pick three. I couldn't even pick four. As much as I really really want Andrew to advance..I just don't know if he is going to make it. There were some fantastic acts tonight. So I am not even going to try to pick three, just gonna get prepared for Andrew not making it, just in case.

[Jester]

Tonight's Semi-Final show....

ALL THAT: Were they good? Yes. Was the trick as mind-blowing as they promised? No. Look, I've never truly gotten this act, and I still don't. And considering the other acts on this stage tonight, I think this was the final time I am going to have to comment on these guys.

SEBASTIEN "EL CHARRO DE ORO": Another outstanding performance by this ten-year-old-going-on-thirty. Dude can sing, dude is an entertainer, dude has a future. Not sure if that future includes next week on AGT, but he certainly has a future in show business in some way.

THE MAGIC OF PUCK: Do I have a few theories of how he did this? Although I don't do stage magic, I THINK I have a good idea of how he pulled this off. Nonetheless, I thought it was an impressive trick and an impressive performance. I just don't think it will be enough to make the finals.

CLINT CARVALHO & HIS EXTREME PARROTS: Impressive bird. Clint's annoying. And even as impressive as the bird was, this act is not a headline Vegas act, it's not a million dollar act, and it was, in my opinion, the least impressive act of the evening.

JACOB WILLIAMS: I love this guy, but this was definitely his weakest performance on AGT. Material was weak, timing was off, and he seemed rushed. He has potential, he may well have a future in comedy, but this will probably be the end of the line for him on the show.

SHANICE & MAURICE HAYES: Howie's right. Shanice is the star. They are still a great duo, but eventually Maurice is going to have to let his little songbird leave the nest and make a career on her own. Good performance, but probably not enough.

ALL WHEEL SPORTS: They've done better. And the beginning was directionless and weak, and really made no sense. Thank you, good night.

TIM HOCKENBERRY: Great song, great version of it, great performance. Best I've seen yet from him. I believe he won over a lot of new fans tonight.

THE UNTOUCHABLES: This would have been a stunning performance from adults. From kids, it's simply mind-blowing. Nice "magic trick" in the middle of it, too. Slick, slick act. Definitely Vegas-ready.

OLATE DOGS: I think far too many animal acts go further than they should because of the cuteness of the animals or just because the audience loves the animals, and while a lot of their tricks are good, they are not great. This is NOT the case with this animal act, however. These guys have really stepped it up, and even I had to admit that their performance was top notch.

LIGHTWIRE THEATER: Stunning. Amazing. Fire away with your own superlatives, they'll fit. I especially loved the Matrix-esque slow motion parts of the act. These guys are stars. Finals for sure.

DAVID GARIBALDI & HIS CMYK'S: Every time I think these wackos can't impress me more than their last time. And every time, they prove me wrong. Stepped up their game? Check. Went bigger than last time? Check. Kept the audience enthralled? Check. Blew our minds with the final picture? Check, check, and check. I believe my exact reaction was "Whoa....!"

I believe that Lightwire Theater and David Garibaldi should and will get through to the Finals. The third spot I think will be a toss up between Sebastien, Tim Hockenberry, Olate Dogs, and The Untouchables, and I'm leaning a bit more towards the last two on this one.

[Jester]

I am sick. Absolutely sick.

Yes, the three acts that got through are all very good, but how in the flying HELL did Livewire Theater NOT get through? In my mind and in my opinion, they were the absolute best act of the second semifinal, better even than the three acts that made it through, as good as those three acts are.

The one positive for me is that now I am only going to have 2 of the 6 acts that I'm cheering for, rather than 3. Because I thought Livewire Theater was brilliant, and would have loved to see them win. But with them gone, I get to root for Tom Cotter, the last standing comedian, truly a brilliant comic mind that makes you wonder how he never got a real break in the world of comedy, to win it all, and I think he can. I also get to root for William Close and his Earth Harp Collective, truly one of the most amazing things I've ever seen on a stage, and while I am rooting for Tom Cotter to win, and think he can win, I have said from the beginning that I believe that William Close WILL win. Honestly, if either of these two win, I will be happy.

But what about the other four?

Olate Dogs is an amazing animal act. I just don't think it's better than the other acts in the final.

Joe Castillo is phenomenal at what he does, but I think he's peaked. I think we've seen his best.

The Untouchables are amazing dancers, even ignoring the fact that they're kids. They are spectacular, to be sure, but I think their best days are in front of them, after more training and more experience, and while they certainly will get a lot of the "love those cute kids" votes, I don't think they are going to win.

And the CMYK's? I want to say that I don't think that America will vote for a performance artist to win it, but they have voted these guys this far, so I can't really say that, can I? Are they creative? Sure. Entertaining? Absolutely. But how far can "guess what we're painting" go?

I think the finals will be Close. And by that I mean, of course, William Close. Harp on, brother.

[Jetfire]

Yeah, they really should have had a Top 8 finals, because both shows had a Top 4 that were more than worthy to go forward.

Still of this week's crew, you knew they had to let the dogs go through right away, or else Sharon wouldn't even consider the second maybe act; the Dogs had her vote all the way through.

What's most impressive with all this, is not only do we have 3 'artistic' acts (Earth Harp, Sand Artist, CYMKs) going through; we have a Final 6 with NO SINGERS.

The final performance will be very telling; Part of me hopes they'll be allowed to do a longer act too for the performance, to tell a better story and/or do a bigger boom of some sort. As it is, I don't know who I want to win, but I'd be happy with pretty much any of them. This is a seriously talented crew this year.

[Mytical]

Well, I will be honest and say the reason I have no put my impressions here is that the acts I wanted to see through all got eliminated. So, sad to say, I really don't care who wins. I have no horses in the race left (so to speak). Don't get me wrong. I think all the final acts are great, and they do deserve to be in the finals..doesn't change the fact that I honestly did not care who won...notice the past tense here.

So I sat down and asked myself.."Self..who do we now want to win."

"I don't know self, they are all pretty good. Any of them are million dollar acts."

"True, but self..we need to pick one of the six. So..who is it going to be?"

After much discussion, distractions, and 'oooh shiny' moments..I came down to..Olate Dogs. Of the remaining, they are the ones I can cheer for. Simply because they are not only an animal act, but an amazing animal act. Those dogs are just too cute and talented. So putting all my eggs in one basket. Go Olate Dogs, or go home. Wait..that phrase don't work. Olate Dogs for 2012! No .. no that doesn't seem right either..well I will work on a slogan..thank you and good night!