America's Got Talent 2008 - Episode #2

Time for a new show... It comes on... And the phone rings. A friend from Virginia... We talked for three (3!) hours... Obviously right through the show. It's a good thing I recorded it for my wife... We watched it Friday... Here's what I saw...

The Singing Fairy - OMG... Piers "X"ed her right away. The audience is booing... and Sharon let her finish (after she faulterd when Piers buzzed her. No.

Missed a couple of dumps (I think, Thank God!) Then a Polinka something-or-other (with his/her mother - (s)he was strangely made up)... No.

Eli Mattson, 26yo, "Walkin' in Memphis"... Played keyboard to accompany himself... Good job... Hard to understand some of the words, but he made you feel the emotions of the song. Sharon said she couldn't believe that someone like him wasn't already signed. He's in. VEGAS, Baby!

27yo bartender, Miss Pussykatt (Kathy) is next... Cute... Purple hair... A "grinding" act... She uses an "industrial grinder" on steel plates on her chest and ... front... throws sparks while she dances. Interesting, but I don't know if she can sustain it for more than a couple of shows. SHe made it.

Survivors of Hurricaine Katrina from New Orleans, 9th Ward - Lost EVERYTHING in it. Uncle in wheelchair locked himslef in a room, when rescuers came, to save the 2, 3 and 5yo kids that were there. Lil Country & Paige???... Dancers... Break dance... acrobatic dancing. They're the ones in the commercial in the red sweats, where the one guy wheels/slides across the stage on his head. Piers said they've become one of the favorite acts of AGT, this year.

I've noticed, this year as they enter and leave, they've got a LOT of background music.
And, now we're in New York. (Thought they did New York last week!) Ok...

Extreme Percussionist... Drumtaaia... Plans on creating the Greatest Drum Show on Earth! Limo Driver... Noise and smoke... And frantic pounding on almost everything No. Piers: "I think you are a complete and utter looney, and I wish you all success." TG, NO!

Can you IMAGINE the acts they DON'T show on TV? GEEZE! Considering some of those they DO show... OMG! No WONDER they need to take breaks!

Ok... Family boy band (brothers), Next to None ("or N2N for short")... They have the look... They did Bye Bye Bye... They're good! 19, 15, 17, and 23yos. There's no real lead singer, but they have a great look and great style (Sharon). Piers liked them. David liked their attitude... "You're Raw... Good Job!"... And they're IN.

Now a Russian Bar Trio... 13 foot bar with the guys holding the bar on their shoulder, and they toss the girl. Think circus act. She does flips, splits, etc. The finale... A double somersault 180 degree twist. She had to be 20-30 feet in the air, and landed on the bar that couldn't be wider than a balance beam (gymnastics). Good, but again, can they sustain it? They make it to Vegas.

An unemployed guy who's taking the time to become a full-time Ozzy impersonator. He kinda has the look (Piers said he looks BETTER than Ozzy, and Sharon whaps him with her notes), but he can't sing... (at least Ozzy's somewhat on key! LOL) Piers said, yes, but David and Sharon said no... So no Vegas for THIS Ozzy!

Now we have a family - All of them have musical instruments, most strings. The Taubl Family. They do an orchestral arrangement of The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music. Piers "X"s them... Then they sing. Good harmonies, and they can play, too. As Jerry said, "family entertainment". Piers said he may have buzzed them a bit early, and HATES being a "bit wrong" and having to explain it. They're in. Vagas, here they come

An all volunteer, amatuer dance compnay from Washington, DC, is next. The DC Cowboys. One said, "Think Brokeback meets Broadway". They cowbuy dance to "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy". About 20 guys, and they're pretty much in unison throughout... Good job! They're in.

Entertainer and Martial Artist... Kevin "Big K" Taylor... Will break 1000lbs of bricks htat are on fire... Six 1" concrete blocks... about 12 stacks of them... And the finale was about 8 of them stacked, 2 stacks, one for each hand... ALL on fire. He had no problem with the 6 counts, except for his hands catching on fire! He put them out fast, then did the finale. (Took a couple of hits for one stack.) David said yes... Sharon didn't want to see him hurt himself, and said No... Piers asked what else he would do... He said his goal is to have bricks DROPPED on him while he's laying down, and breaking them with his fingers before they hit him... Piers said yes... He's in.

A woman diagnosed a couple of years ago with cervical cancer. Her husband loves her singing. She just celebrated being cancer-free at the end of the year. Chellina... She sings a spiritual... The audience is standing... David: "Amazing voice." Piers: "Good audition... Not great...". Sharon said that, yes, they've put singers through better, but she sings with heart. To Piers, Chellina said, "I won't let you down." Piers... "It's not about letting me down. It's whether I think you can win." Chellina: "I CAN win." Piers likes her spirit and she's in.

Welcome back to the Chicago auditions... I'm not sure when they switched over! GEEZE!

Johnny O; Magician; He bounces a ball, then can't get it to balance on his head... Now a montage of magicians - Dan the Magic Man; tears the head off a dove, then puts it back on (dove flutters)... Missed one... Dennis Keith; Self-flotation; Stretches between two chairs, and when assistant pulls the one from his head, dropped to the ground... A lady doing rings (one stuck to the chair... Bizzaro; Sets himself on fire and shoots flames out his FRONT... NOPE... NONE of them. Most of them screwed up big time.

Now a husband and wife duo, the Pendragons. "Illusionists" and have been doing it for 30 years. A couple of years ago, an arrow went through his heart preparing for an act (never performed it ...) They didn't know whether he'd live or not. They asked to see his scar and he showed it. Their act for tonight is the box switcharoo... He goes in a bag in the box; she locks it up, then stands on top, tosses curtains up, he throws them down, and he gets her out of the box and bag. She comes out of the box in different clothes. All voted yes... They're in.

Apparently, a lot of (bad) impersonators... Rod Stewart (No)... Cindy Lauper (NO!)... George Bush imiator (bad material)... Elton John (messed up)... Dionne Warwick (a GUY! Has the look, but lip-syncs, and voice is low. No...)

An Elvis impersonator... A VERY young Elvis! (23yo Joseph Hall from Lincoln, NE). Leather jumpsuit... He's got the voice... Not bad on the dancing... He does "Hound Dog" ... The audience LOVES him (especially the ladies). They have to quiet the audience. Piers said he normally hates Elvis impersonators - most are Elvis in his last years, fat and balding... But he likes this guy. Sharon said he doesn't need to do anything but "stand there". She said she has shoes older than him, but she'd like to try him on. It's yes all the way... He's in.

He's the last one. If I had to pick, it'd be Chellina, Next to None (N2N), the ones on the Russian bar, and the DC Cowboys. But BOY... There wasn't really a clear-cut in this one, far as I'm concerned... I will have to wait until we see them again to judge.

I hope this helps you all!