America's Got Talent (AGT) (2010) - July 20, 2010 (Live #2)

12 Quarterfinalists tonight. Tomorrow, America will have chosen three and the judges picked between the fourth and fifth place acts.

Segment #1

Piers: This is sudden death. Four went through. Eight went home.
Sharon: It's going to be as tough as last week, and we have a very different bunch of acts this week.
Howie: It was like David Hasselhoff deciding which daughter to share a burger with. (Remember, last week, he made his choice at the VERY last second, and they were all teasing him about that.

Cheer SF (Cheerleader act) (from SF, CA)Ages 19-52
Sharon: They're fabulous.
Piers: My problem is they're mostly blokes. There should be more girls.
Act starts.
Piers buzzed. Sharon buzzed.
Piers: I don't really get the cheerleading things as a form of entertainment. You're supposed to make me cheer, and I just wanted to go to sleep.
Sharon: I love your enthusiasm, the look of you. However. some of you are in your 50s, and it seems there it should be more sophisticated.
Howie: (Understood what the other judges said, and understands the cheerleading as a form of entertainment), but it COULD be better.
(Remember the winners will be headlining AGT shows all over America, including a show in Vegas. I don't think that many could take 90 minutes of cheerleading.)

Segment #2

Alice Tan Ridley (subway singer - Mother of Gabby - the girl who played "Precious")
Gladys Knight song, "Midnight Train to Georgia"
Standing Ovation, including judges.
Sharon: I want to be on that train with you. (Alice is 57yo). You are the embodiment of sole. You did it right. You took care of your family, now you're taking care of you.
Howie: You know that pride you felt for your daughter at the acadamy awards? If you're daughter is watching, I think she feels the same for you, tonight.
Piers: Watching you tonight, and comparing, I see a red carpet in your future, when people are saying to her, Hey, you're Alice Tan Ridley's daughter.
(Very soulful rendition.)

Segment #3

Mona Sampath Dance Company (East meets West Bollywood-style dance group)
Howie: I understand what you're doing. We love that you melded Bollywood with the modern. I just don't think it was as good as last time. If you're lucky enough to stay in, go for the wow.
Piers: Don't listen to him. What he knows about Bollywood could be written on the back of a matchbook. He could not be more wrong. It was miles better.
Sharon: It was very very exciting to watch. I love all the age-groups and the colors. I love what you're doing. I know you're coming back, and I would like to see more traditional dance, that's just my taste. (Piers: Less traditional, more Black Eyed Peas)
(I thought it was a little slow until the BEP part, but that didn't last very long. They do look and dance very well...)

Segment #4

Iron Horse (Rockabilly Band)
Sharon: These guys turn music into a spectacle. I can't wait to see what they do tonight.
"Just Another American Saturday Night"
Piers buzzed
Piers: I think the stage tonight was too big for you, and you went back to being a good bar band.
Sharon: Too many moments during your 90 second set, there were gaps... you were setting up your trick, etc. Concentrate more on the singing and less on the tricks.
Howie: Because you split to do tricks and not singing... I don't know if it's your mic technique or what, it's hard to understand you. That said, I love the enthusiasm.
(The guys mentioned that trying to do a 3 minute song in 90 seconds, including the tricks in the song, is difficult.)

Segment #5

The Strong Man (obvious, isn't it? LOL)
He's a nurse. (Do not try any of this at home.)
Lifts a motorcycle over his head. Lifts the back of a car and moves it.
Piers buzzed.
Flips the car himself.
Sharon: Well, well, well. I didn't know what you were going to do with that car. You can do some very interesting things with those moscles. I think with a huge production, you can do a lot of stuff.
Howie: It's amazing. I haven't wrapped my head around whether it's a show or not. I want to see our production people move that car, now.
Piers: I'm not sure how amazing that is. There are people in South Beach that do that every night. My biggest problem is you. The showman. The frontman. If you're going to take this on, you have to be exciting. And you're dull. Just be entertaining... More interesting.
(I can see this in a big production, but by himself, it is a bit boring.)

Segment #6

Recorded how many production crew it took to move the car. There were 15-20 moving the stuff.

Ronith (funnily bad impressionist/almost an actor)
Comic Impressions.
John Wayne. Cowboy had, moving really slowly. Piers buzzed.
Jim Carrey. Ahnold. Sharon buzzed.
Charlton Heston in Ben Hur.
Sylvester Stallone as Rambo in First Blood.
(OMG. GOTTA be an act they voted through to
Howie: Piers doesn't get it. Bad is good, right?
Piers: I've seen you do about 30 impressions. And you just go "Huhhh huhhh". You're the worst impressionist I've ever seen.
Sharon: All I want to know is what were you doing (Jim Carrey). I thought it was a monkey.
(He reminds me of Andy Kauffman as Latka doing impressions, but worse.)

Hannibal Means (Singer)
Howie: He scares me. Hannibal is a human thrill ride, thought I don't want to ride him.
(Crochets his own hats! Makes his own costumes, I believe. I think he made all the Lion King hats for the dancers tonight.)
Lion King "Circle of Life" with an operatic voice.
Piers: This show is getting crazier by the minute. You were standing on the podium being crazy, and people were dcaning crazily... And yet, you are an amazing singer.
Sharon: (pointed out his voice)
Howie: What planet are you from. (I think you'll have to figure that out for yourself.) And that's the story for the kids... Don't do drugs, just watch AGT.
(He has a VERY strangely engaging personality. Chris says he reminds her of a Genie in a Bottle. His voice kinda reminds me of the great Gildersleeves. Voice and personality - Pretty Vegas-y. We'll see.)

Segment #7

Wreckless
No dance studio/professional training. Opportunity is great for us. All from violent neighborhood. Did it all on their own, many times outside.
Sharon: I think Wreckless considering we're talking about a dance group that never had a dance studio, you did it all dancing. I just love seeing you like this on a stage with all the costumes. I think you still have the edge.
Howie: I didn't see the edge. And that's why we voted you through. I think you lost some of that edge.
Piers: At this stage in the competition, I look for acts that can fill the stage. And at the end of the act, I completely agree... with Sharon.
(Strange dance, but enjoyable. And they CAN "fill a stage".)

Segment #8

Lil Chris (12yo singer) (from Florida)
"I Just Can't Stop"
Howie: You're really talented for a 12yo. And this is new to you... You're a little raw, I don't know if this was your best performance... You've got to spend all your time practicing, if you are voted through.
Piers: I agree. What we have is a very young talented man.
Sharon: For 12 years of age, you held your own. The audience was with you. It's hard to dance and sing at the same time. I think you did fantastically.
(Reminds me of a very young Usher. He was off a slight bit, but he's got something...)

Segment #9

AscenDance (Wall-climbing dancers)
Added two new dancers to the act.
Piers: If you'd come to me and you told me what the act was, I'd have thought you were crazy. But there's something about this. I see it's very evokitive. I have never seen this before.
Sharon: It is so moving to watch. The coordination, the timing is perfection.
Howie: You don't know how grateful we are to witness this. Unique, passionate, perfection, and the fact that you two had two children and were able to put them on the wall (both of the others are shorter than they)...
(This is a lot like Fighting Gravity. In fact, those two acts, together would be a fantastic draw in Vegas. But, here, they are competing. I think they stand a good chance.)

Segment #10

Antonio Restivo (Danger act - Fire/Magician)
Sharon: Woh Antonio. That was hot. In your 90 seconds, I liked all your actions, there was not any dead air. And of course, the music was sensational.
Howie: That act was 100% Las Vegas. And I think your dad was right to back you. Do you feel him here tonight?
Piers: But are you a big enough showman? What you did tonight says you are.
(He's got a Gene Simmons look to him... There's something very charismatic about him and his fire.)

Segment #11

Michael Grimm (singer)
Howie: I sense he's had a lot of pain in his life. It comes through. I love to listen to him.
Welfare wanted to take him and his sister. His grandmother saved them. He wants to put his grandmother into a new house.
"Tired of Being Alone"
Howie: First of all, you clean up nice. You seem a little more like a star. Personally, in this whole competition, you are my favorite singer. Very soulful.
Piers: I think we're going on a bit of a trip with you, aren't we? becuase you're very different from the first two times we saw you. One of the best singers we've had in this competition EVERY.
Sharon: To be a great soulful singer, you have to have suffered in your life, and I can hear it. Like Piers said, you can't sing with your eyes closed all the time, you have to connect with us.
(Chris says he reminds her of a young Springsteen. I HEAR a young Michael McDonald.)

Chris: Alice Tan Ridley, AscenDance, Antonio Restivo, Michael Grimm
Me: Alice Tan Ridley, AscenDance, Antonio Restivo, Michael Grimm

Tomorrow, the Results show with Cirque de Soleil, and Train

Cya, then ;-)