America's Got Talent Thread (pres. by Shryke and Geezer)

[Geezer]

Matt Franco!!

Jonah Smith out. America is getting it right tonight. Jaycob Curlee is doomed, but I think there was a pretty well defined top 5 last night.

[Geezer]

Sure enough, Quintavious over Jaycob.

Hopefully Smoothini gets one of the last two spots. Don't care who gets it between Christian and Blue Journey, the other 5 are far better, in my opinion.

[Geezer]

Christian didn't deserve it over Smoothini. America was let down by the judges. Oh well. He was always the 4th most likely magician to win this thing and is better suited to doing a street magic tv show than a Vegas act.

[Shrykespeare]

And Blue Journey gets the last spot.



So, the twelve finalists:

David and Leeman, magicians
Mike Super, magician
Mat Franco, magician

Quintavious Johnson, singer
Mara Justine, singer
Emily West, singer
Miguel Dakota, singer
Sons of Serendip, vocal group
Emil and Dariel, cellists

AcroArmy, acrobatic group
Blue Journey, shadow dancers
Christian Stoinev, balancing/dog act


My choice for Top 5, if they all bring it:

AcroArmy
Emily West
Mat Franco
Quintavious Johnson
Miguel Dakota


Half of the acts are music-related. Wonder if any of them will cancel each other out.

On a side-note, I'd love to hear Mara and Q do a duet. That would kill!

[Geezer]

Mara Justine - Did it sound all reverb-y and kinda fake to you? It almost sounded autotune. I guess it didn't sound like that in person because the judges loved her. There was nothing wrong with her performance, just sounded a little weird, not her fault, maybe a mechanical issue. (Edit: Howie made mention of it, and yes, her sound was in fact off on tv)

David & Leeman - They are my favorite act in the competition. I could watch them for hours. Not only are they fantastic, spot on magicians, but they are just as great comedians. They are the funniest act of this entire season. I want to give them money to see their show today. My votes go to them.

Sons of Serendip - I don't think they can win the whole thing, but this is another act I don't think needs to. They are fantastic every time out. I really hope they sign on somewhere, because there is such a market for this.

Christian Stoinev - Much better than last time. That said, I still think he's one of the weaker acts of the finals. Unlike the others, I couldn't watch this for an hour.

Emil and Dariel - I think they get better every single time. They are a longshot for sure, but damn, I adore these two. They make the cello awesome. They showed a different side tonight, they slowed it down, which is great because it shows they can put together a full concert if they needed to. Another act I hope signs on somewhere and makes a living doing this.

Acro Army - Every single time I think "What more could they possibly show us?" They come out and bring new, even better, even more dangerous, even more exciting, even more awesome stuff! They are the best act of this type that this show has EVER seen. This is an act that needs a show like this and I hope they get the votes. Absolutely incredible, start to finish.

Quintavious Johnson - Chills. Non-stop chills from start to finish. This kid is a STAR. What more can you say? He has more talent than most current professional singers. This type of talent needs to be shown to the world, and this is his stage. He is taking advantage of it in full force.

Mike Super - Everyone is just killing it tonight. What a phenomenal trick. Once again I have no idea even where to begin to explain how he does THAT. This is just brilliant magic. So glad Howie brought him back.

Blue Journey - On a night like tonight, it really came up short. I don't love them, and I've loved just about every other act. This is an easy cut for me.

Emily West - No one can go bigger than Emily West, that is for sure. There's so much talent there. Its absolutely phenomenal. But if I have to pick a singer, it is Quintavious. He just entertains me more. Her stage presence is a tiny bit boring.

Matt Franco - Oh my Lord is this guy good. All the magicians are. They are unfortunately going to cancel each other out. If there was only one, any one of them has what it takes to win. But the magic fans are going to have to choose, and that could spell doom for all three. It's a shame, because this is easily the best season we've ever had for magic. All of them kill it every time out.

Miguel Dakota - I think the song was too ambitious for him. And on a night where we have had such incredible performances, especially singers, his voice doesn't stack up. I think Howard and Heidi made a lot of sense here.

Wow, what a night. I think that we can sum up this season by saying the depth was a little weaker than most years, I don't think there were too many acts that got voted off so far that we regretted getting rid of, but now that we arrived at the finals, damn the cream has risen to the top. Possibly the best group of 12 we've had.

Here's who would be in MY top 6:

David and Leeman
Matt Franco
Quintavious Johnson
Acro Army
Mike Super
Emily West

It's too tough to call what will actually happen, with so many acts rising up. I'm not even going to try to predict it. So long as Christian and Blue Journey don't make it, I'll be satisfied. Didn't love Miguel, but I do think he can be a very successful frontman, and know that girls will vote for him. Everyone else, I'd be fine with making the top 6.

[Shrykespeare]

Home stretch!

It's a brutal night to decide going in. Six musical acts, which means we can expect three or possibly four in the finals. That leaves two or three for the non-musical acts, and with any luck, there will be at least one magician.... which kind of sucks, because they're all awesome. Gaaah!




Mara Justine - Didn't hear the reverb that you did.... I knew going in this was going to be it for her. Having to be saved twice despite near-perfect performances means that something about her is just not connecting with audiences, and she lacks the charisma of Quintavious. She's an awesome talent, and I look forward to seeing where she ends up in five to ten years.

David & Leeman - What?! What?!?! Holy Christ, these guys are awesome. Win or not, they need their own show. They are built for Vegas. I love them!

Sons of Serendip - As good as they are, and they are a great, class act, but they lack the oomph that they need to get over the final hump. They deserve a record deal more than a Vegas show.

Christian Stoinev - Has a balancer ever made the Top 12? If he's the first, good on him. But this was an extreme long shot to move on, and it probably won't happen. Good for him for getting back to his strength, though.

Emil and Dariel - I have to give them the same critique as Sons of Serendip. They deserve an audience SOMEWHERE. Nice touch, adding some vocals for a change, but it probably won't be enough.

AcroArmy - The one act that's the most different from all the others. Can they power through the mass of magic and music? That is the question. What an amazing group of kids.

Quintavious Johnson - Vegas show? He needs his own sitcom, he's so charming! I still have to root for Emily over him, though, because I think she needs it more. I am most definitely NOT worried about this kid's future, he is phenomenal.

Mike Super - He's amazing, and he's really made me a fan, but I can't put all three magicians into the finals, which regrettably leaves Mike on the outside looking in. That being said, I am dumbfounded by how he pulled that trick off. What a great trick.

Blue Journey - I like them more than you, but I'm a sucker for the visual acts. Even so, though, this act just doesn't sparkle like Silhouettes or iLuminate did. I have to believe there is an audience for this somewhere, and I do hope they find it. It's just such a great mixture of creative arts.

Emily West - I've checked out a few of her performances on YouTube (listen to her sing "Carry That Weight", it's amazing). I adore her, and when you combine "need" and "deserve" when picking a winner, no one is higher up than Emily. If for no other reason than we need to have a female win this thing for the first time since Season 1, she has to win. She oozes class and elegance, and I can see her headlining her own show for years.

Mat Franco - Son of a bitch. So much great magic. Somewhere, I hope Michael Grasso, Collins Key and Dittelman are smiling.

Miguel Dakota - Getting the pimp spot will likely help him, and he's got the eye candy vote for sure. I give him only the smallest chance to win the thing, but I won't say it's zero.



My Top 6:

David & Leeman
Emily West
Quintavious Johnson
AcroArmy
Mat Franco
Emil & Dariel, but it'll probably be Miguel

[Geezer]

You're right about Emily needing it more. Actually had that same conversation last night. She's at the right stage of her life and career to win the show. Quintavious is just a kid, which brings up the obvious questions of how do you uproot him from school and move him to Vegas and give him a full time job? And he really doesn't need that, his talent should shine through somewhere, win or lose. So of all the musical acts, you are very right, Emily does need it more. Her, any of the musicians, or Acro Army are the ones that I think could really use the Vegas show more than any others.

[Geezer]

Its already very interesting, as Emil and Dariel, Sons of Serendip and Miguel Dakota are up for the Snapple Save.

This means two will go on, and none of them were in my top 6! This doesn't bode well for multiple magicians moving on. Which would bode well if only one does, as its really the only chance they have to win.

[Geezer]

Emily in, Mara out. Easy call there.

[Geezer]

Acro Army in, Blue Journey out. I'm obviously happy with this one.

[Geezer]

Quintavious Johnson in, Christian out, obvious.

And so that leaves the 3 magicians, with only one spot.

[Geezer]

And its Matt Franco, which is not surprising.

At the very least, there will no longer be a splitting of the votes among the magic acts. It greatly increases his chances of winning the whole thing.

[Shrykespeare]

I'll fill in the last two blanks.


Sons of Serendip get the Snapple Save, and Emil and Dariel and Miguel Dakota split the judges 2-2, so the last spot went to the act with the most votes, which was Miguel.


So, to recap:

Emily West
Quintavious Johnson
AcroArmy
Mat Franco
Sons of Serendip
Miguel Dakota


Gotta stick with my prediction that I would be amazed if anyone but Emily or Q wins it. I would be thrilled if AcroArmy or Mat wins, but I just can't see it happening.

[Geezer]

Only way one of those two doesn't win is if Miguel and SOS split some of their votes. AcroArmy and Matt are unique among the 6, versus 4 musicians. Stranger things have happened.

[Shrykespeare]

Finals!

Each act performed twice; one new song and one song that represents the "turning point" for them.


1. Quintavious Johnson - reprised "I'd Rather Go Blind" from the SF's. I honestly don't how different that performance was from this one except the staging, but there's no doubt that he killed it.

2. Mat Franco - Did a spin on his first trick. Great trick, and the guy is funny as hell, but this seems more like pub magic or street magic. Can he really convert his trade to a Vegas stage? I still have to wonder that at this point.

3. Emily West - Emily sang "Chandelier" again, which has been my favorite of hers so far. And damn, she slayed it again. She so deserves to win. For the first time this year, I am actually voting! Go Emily! And boo Mel B!

4. Miguel Dakota - Redid "Seven Nation Army", which was one of his better efforts. I like him, and his star potential is undeniable, but I just can't help that he deserves to win less than all the other acts.

5. Sons of Serendip - I love them, and as we agreed, they deserve a record deal. I just can't see them winning, as they are just too low-key. Personality wise, they are a little bland. Didn't remember their audition, but redoing "Somewhere Only We Know" was a very nice performance. Has any singing group ever made the finals before? Poplyfe, a few years ago, is all I can think of.

6. AcroArmy - They redid their semifinals performance, and again, they nailed it. God, they could actually win!



Last round, where they perform their potential million-dollar-winning set.

7. Mat Franco - Finally, he did a trick on the stage instead of the judges' desk! The trick took a long time to develop, but the payoff was terrific. He's going to have a great career.

8. Sons of Serendip - I can't believe they arranged an Evanescence song into something so soothing. But as usual, no "wow" moment, just very pleasant.

9. Quintavious Johnson - For the first time, he did something not an R&B song, and it was a Beatles song. He finally dressed like a finalist, but the performance... I don't know, I just didn't like it as much as his other stuff. Too many runs, and even a little shrill at times. But I could be wrong.

10. Miguel Dakota - I was fairly impressed. I credit him for his balls doing a solo, acoustic version of "Billie Jean". But it won't be enough.

11. AcroArmy - If they win this thing, it would be the biggest long-shot winning in history. Nobody could have predicted this at the start of the year. Nobody. But now they have a one in three shot. God bless 'em. Plus: a four-level human pyramid?!? WHAT?!?!

12. Emily West - She gets the pimp spot! YES!! Absolutely brilliant. Had me in tears. She's a total winner. And she will take it all tomorrow. Hopefully.


Holy shit, this might have been the best Finals ever. Honestly, I can't call it. I have to figure it's either Emily, Q, or AcroArmy. I don't think it'll be Mat because he's too small scale, SoS is too low-key and Miguel is just not good enough.

Any one of those three deserves to win, but my money is still on Emily.