America's Got Talent 2011

[Jester]

If you were grading on improvement over the show, PopLyfe would be the uncontested winner, even over iLuminate. I mean, iLuminate is awesome, but the improvements PopLyfe's shown from performance to performance is nothing short of meteoric.

That being said, the show is not graded on improvement. Which is why I am picking PopLyfe to finish third, behind iLuminate and Anna Graceman.

By the way, how awesome would it be to see PopLyfe and Anna Graceman perform together? Those two girls have some pipes between them! (And no, I'm not being pervy, I just appreciate a good singer. I'll be pervy when we're discussing Shania Twain. Rowr!)

[Jester]

My take on tonight’s performances….

Miami All-Stars: While I don’t agree with Piers that the act was “silly” or “cheerleading” per se, I do agree that this was not their best performance, and they certainly did not step it up from previous performances. That being said, I could look at the female part of this act for days. Dancing or standing still, it wouldn’t bother me. They are, for the most part, quite stunning.

Lys Agnes: I can’t believe I’m about to say this…but I completely agreed with Piers. I thought this was Lys’s best performance yet, and showed her range and versatitility. It WAS a true Vegas act, and I mean that in the most positive way possible. And every time she’s on, I think she can’t get better looking. And yet, she continues to prove me wrong. As a brunette, I think she is just absolutely breathtaking. I was almost sad to see that she reverted to blonde hair for the performance. Almost.

Landon Swank: While I agree with Sharon that his relaxed presentation is excellent, I honestly wasn’t hugely impressed with this. Yes, it’s a nice trick. Yes, it worked, and apparently for the first time—big risks, big rewards, I guess. But as always with this, being a magician myself, I view Swank differently than most of you do. And honestly, I was hoping for more wow. After all, when a magician wows other magicians, who are a notoriously jaded group, then they have done something truly impressive.

Anna Graceman: I have been pretty blatant about Anna being my favorite act. Tonight, she did absolutely nothing….nothing, that is, to change my opinion. She is not a great 11 year old singer….she is a great singer, period. I disagreed with Howie…I thought this performance was better than her last where. Somewhere, Cyndi Lauper is weeping with joy.

Silhouettes: I was not very impressed with their last performance. This one, however, was the best thing they’ve done yet, without question. I will say they didn’t bring tears to my eyes, but I’ll only say that because I’m lying through my teeth.

Smage Bros. Riding Show: First of all, Piers, SHUT UP. Disappointing my ass. This was awesome, funny, fun, dangerous, impressive, and entertainging. I only have one question: Why do the guys on the bikes where helmets, but the guy getting jumped over repeatedly doesn’t?

Poplyfe: To be honest, the band’s backing vocals weren’t very good. And even more honestly, it didn’t fucking matter. These kids have IT. That undefinable spark of creativity and talent that you can’t explain, but you know IT when you see IT. And IT is Poplyfe, without question coming soon to a radio near you. And perhaps even Vegas.

WSDT: Piers, as he often is, was wrong. The problem with WSDT wasn’t that they stuck to the horror theme. It’s what they do, it’s who they are. I would have been disappointed if they had not used some dark or gothic or creepy element, as it’s clearly what they FEEL. The problem was the dancing itself, as it was not stepped up from the weeks before, and not even up to the par of their previous performances. I have to say, though, the finishing move was kind of awesome. But overall, I, like the judges, expected more from these guys.

Landau Murphy: Seven words: Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. IS Vegas, baby!

Team iLuminate: Okay, I’m getting sick of these guys. It’s like watching the Yankees in their heyday…no one else even comes close. I mean, seriously, guys, we just watched some great acts, and you have to come on at the end and ruin everyone else’s day by being so freakin’ awesome. What’s up with that?

What a great show. As much as I love several acts, can there be any doubt that this is iLuminate’s show to win or lose? They could have not progressed much, and been awesome, but they really ramped it up for the Finals. Other than this obvious choice, I think the other three that make it to the Final Four will be Landau, Silhouettes, and Poplyfe. My wild cards are Anna Graceman and Smage Bros. I’m still rooting for Anna, and I think you’ll hear from her again, but I don’t think she’s going to get the votes to be in the top four.

I guess we’ll find out tomorrow!




But what do YOU guys think?

[Jetfire]

I think a lot like you did; but I skipped most of the judge commentary. As usual there is a lot of filler in this show. I started the PVR about an hour in, and mainly watched just the acts, and I was caught up with the live show by the end.

As for the acts:

Miami dance: Did OK, but didn't step it up. They were good but not final good.

Lys: She has a great presence, and did great on the song. IMO She is one of the Top 4. But the bottom of the Top 4.

Landon: It was a good trick, but IMO it didn't work completely as he had planned it. (I suspect the fish was supposed to be released into the big tank). I suspect I know how it might be done, but overall, it wasn't really all that impressive.

Anna: Not a bad song; but not the greatest rendition of it. She was blown out by the other singers IMO. Still, imagine a combined act of her and Silhouettes.

Silhouettes: Last week their act fell flatter than a pancake, and they barely eeked through, IMO. This week, they went back to their basics and their strengths, combining what we saw in the first two acts, and had a strong song choice and nailed this. Definite Top 4.

Smage Bros: Not quite as showy/good as their previous showings. Still fun to watch, but they didn't step it up as much.

PopLyfe: The sound crew sabotaged them. Seriously, their sound balance was completely off, especially through the transitions in their act. That said, the backup singers were off too, partly due to not being able to hear them. The song itself would probably work normally, but just didn't pop as much as they did last time.

West Springfield: Great that they keep the theme up. They've done Vamps, Werewolves and Zombies so far, and nail the themes. Wizards of the Coast should be hiring these guys for an Innistrad release party. That said, it wasn't their strongest showing, and compared to the competition, it's not Top 4. Maybe Top 6, but not enough for Top 4.

Landau: He's tearing through the rat pack and nailing it each time. He should be an easy Top 4. I suspect that once his AGT contract runs out, one of the Vegas hotels, probably one of the older ones that has a history with the pack, will pick him up as a Tribute act.

iLuminate: I was worried about all the talk about their coordinator coming out on stage, but my worries were unfounded. They nailed the show and it was probably IMO their best one yet. (Their Video Game show a few times back IMO wasn't as good). These are clearly the Number 1 act and will probably run away with this.

So that all said, my top 4 are:
1. iLuminate
2. Silhouettes
3. Landau
4. Lys

The Top 3 IMO are locked in. The 4th slot is a bit though to say, but of the remaining 7, I think Lys pulled it off just that much better.

Unless iLuminate's final show completely falls apart, they are a lock in for the million dollar prize.

[Jester]

It was a good trick, but IMO it didn't work completely as he had planned it. (I suspect the fish was supposed to be released into the big tank).

According to his comments afterwards, not only did it work just as he had planned it, it was the very first time it HAD worked completely as planned.

And while it was not very visible, the fish WAS released into the big tank, as shown tonight on a video playback.

Anna: Still, imagine a combined act of her and Silhouettes.

I think she would be awesome with Poplyfe, as I have said in the past.

Unless iLuminate's final show completely falls apart, they are a lock in for the million dollar prize.

I agree. But I suspect they are not going to coast, and are in fact going to step it up even more, which is just mindblowing to contemplate. Which means, of course, they always run the risk of taking too much risk to do so.

In all honesty, I think about the only people in America who don't think that iLuminate is leading this competition by a country mile are the members of iLuminate. They honestly seem shocked and surprised every time they move forward, despite the judges clearly having indicated on numerous occasions that they are the clear favorites. Then again, that's probably why they keep stepping it up so much each time. Also, it's easy to say looking in at them, but for them looking out, they may not realize how much magic they truly have.

[Jetfire]

So I got 3 of the Top 4 right. Of course all Top 10 have slots in the Vegas show already, though the show doesn't really advertise that.

Next week should be interesting. Frankly, I'm shocked that PopLyfe made it through given their sound issues, but I suspect it was as much a factor of most of the remaining 7 acts were so close as much as them getting the votes. (Hell, even Landau was probably a close call; Silhouettes and iLuminate were probably the only two real shoeins last night)

[Ghengis51]

My wife and I have been thoroughly enjoying this season. Was I the only one that wanted to stand up and clap after Illuminates performance. I looked them up online and found out some interesting stuff. illuminate is actually the name of the tech they're using, the team is actually the testers for it. I'm happy that it looks like a non-singer is gonna be the big winner this year.

[Rosakala]

I'd have much preferred to see Landon Swank get through as opposed to PopLyfe. They are good yes, but having watched this show since the beginning Landon has been the best magician to come through with the possible exception of Kevin James (except he blew it with one of his acts). But I'm still perfectly okay with them getting through.

I may be piled on for this, but I did not like Lys Agnes at all. Her voice is screechy to me, and I hated her rendition of Dream On. She completely ruined the song and her makeup was stupid. I however usually find most women singers screechy, so I'm not all that surprised. I prefer the lower registers on women like Toni Braxton.

[Ghengis51]

I like Poplyfe and figured they'd get in over Landon, but I really did like him, and would have liked to see him make it further. I really like Lys but I hated the last song. I even made the comment that Sharon did, why did it she do it in such a low register. I think she technically sang it very well, but I think her rendition was horrible.

[Jester]

My take on tonight’s performances….

Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.: Look, if this guy sang like me (i.e., crappy), he would still be someone you’d want to be around, because he is so down to earth, humble, and likeable. How do you NOT like this guy? Especially with all the rampant (and often undeserved) egos on reality and competition shows? But he comes out, does what he does, usually brilliantly, and is just…so…damned….likeable.

The fact that his voice drips with honey and is so clearly descended from the gods doesn’t hurt. And tonight, he not only did it his way, he did it the best way. Whether or not he wins, this man should have no regrets, as he truly left it all out there. And even if he doesn’t win, something tells me he’s going to still be quitting his car washing gig in order to take singing gigs, which will be pouring in. This man epitomizes the word “crooner,” in the best possible way. Frank would be proud.

Team iLuminate: Okay, seriously guys, stop. Just stop this. This just isn’t fair. My apologies to the other acts, who I love, but we have three acts trying to be a Vegas headliner, and one act that clearly already is. Original, spectacular, cutting edge, fun, funny, brilliant, fun to watch, brilliantly choreographed, perfectly executed…the only flaw to this act is that the English language may not have enough superlatives for them. I would be absolutely shocked if they didn’t win. A damn shame to the other acts, each of which would probably win in any other season.

Poplyfe: I love these kids, and I didn’t think I would. I don’t think they’ll win over Team iLuminate (I don’t think anyone will), but they have a definite future in show business. They electrified the stage tonight, and while parts of the end were really bad (there were some horribly sour notes near the end), most of the song Poplyfe took the stage and the audience and made them theirs. These kids….wait, no. These musicians, as Sharon said, are stars, and you will hear from them again. And frankly, if anyone here hears about Poplyfe releasing an album anytime in the future, please let me know…I’d love to buy it.

Also, the fact that they’ll be performing with Stevie Wonder tomorrow night? Epic.

Silhouettes: I usually watch this show on my DVR, as I did tonight. Which means if things go wrong, as they did tonight, I may miss something. I’m glad the crew fixed the problems when they did, as I was able to catch the act. But my recording ended before it got to the judges and their comments. That being said….

As always, inspirational and wonderful. Some great moves, and beautifully choreographed. I have not developed a personal connection to this act as I have the other three, but then, they perform in the shadows, quite literally, so that’s not that surprising. But even so, I rate this act as fourth of the four. Which is not a bad thing. They are amazing at what they do, and deserve to be in the top four. As do all four acts. But at this point, they didn’t show me that much new. Are they great? Hell yes. And they certainly have a future ahead of them. I just don’t think they are better than the other three.

Prediction: Team iLuminate. If for some bizarre reason they don’t win, Landau will. These two acts had the two best peformances of the night, blowing the doors off. I would love to see Poplyfe win, too, but I don’t think they or Silhouettes have a chance to do that. So my prediction is, in order, Team iLuminate, Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr., Poplyfe, and Silhouettes.

We’ll see tomorrow.

[Jetfire]

Once again the Singers seemed to be plagued by mic problems. Landau seemed drowned out by his band as was PopLyfe.

Landau otherwise seemed to do well, and I suspect will do well post-AGT. As Terry mentioned for his advice, just making the Top 4, or even the Top 10, all but guarantees them some success going forward. (maybe not Fator level success but they should do well). The Million dollar (spread over 40 years less taxes) prize is just icing on the cake really.

Anyways, Landau did well and would normally be a shoo-in, but he's got 2 tough acts around him.

Poplyfe sadly, have been on the down swing since their fantastic Beatles cover. As I've seen mentioned elsewhere, they don't have the power behind them to really do Rock You justice. (A lot of Pro acts don't have the power to do that either). They would probably have been better to have picked a different classic rock song. Still, they do have a lot of good potential, so I hope they'll learn a lot from AGT and do well going forward, and not be burned too much by this exposure.

iLuminate put on a good show, but it wasn't their best (IMO I think their best may have been last week). Their 'story' wasn't really all that clear and didn't seem to flow too much. And in my opinion, some of their lights were too bright, effectively pulling back the curtain on their act too much, so instead of being lights flashing and moving by themselves, you'd be able to see the figures behind the lights. Still, they're the strong contender for the Number 1 slot.

Silhouettes hopefully won't be hurt too much by the technical problems and their act running past the PVR buffer (my PVR just ran long enough to catch the full act). It was a good act, probably one of their better ones. A huge plus for them IMO was that they resisted the urge to go patriotic, but instead focused on a more world wide message/story. (That was a big concern on the TWOP thread when they made it in).

In my opinion the ordering will be:

1. iLuminate
2. Silhouettes
3. Landau
4. Pop Lyfe.

[Kheldarson]

I think Landau may have a chance if only for the fact that the entire state of WV is pulling for him right now. It's like the only thing the local news is talking about right now.

That being said, Landau gives me goosebumps, I <3 the Silhouettes, and iLuminate was amazing! Pop Lyfe...I really wasn't feeling them at all this week. I realize it was an off-week for them, and they're normally pretty good, but the performance last night was just awful for me.

[Kheldarson]

So didn't get to see the actual show, but just looked up the results.

Was not surprised that Pop Lyfe was 4th.

Surprised that Team iLuminate was 3rd. What?!

But our winner this year is Landau! WV vote for the win?

[Jester]

Okay, congratulations to Landau, certainly, but WHAT? iLuminate THIRD?

I can honestly say America got it WRONG. Utterly and totally ridiculous. And these comments are NOT about Landau winning, so no one take it that way--it is all about Team iLuminate NOT winning. Which is completely nuts.

That just pissed me off. Meh.

Bring on the next reality show to piss me off, thank you very much.

Time for another beer!