By RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com, originally filed Wednesday, September 16, 2015
The Craig Lewis Band is the first Atlanta act to make the finals in ten seasons of "America's Got Talent.
The R&B duo barely made it through to this point but did quite well. And given that they are one of only two singing acts, they have a good shot at the top 5. Winning? That's going to be tough.
Overall, I found the performances, in general, middling. I've watched many seasons of "AGT" before this one and this batch is not the most inspiring set of finalists. Some had me scratching my head and wondering, "How is this finalist material?"
Here is how I rank the 10 finalists from the act I think has the best shot at winning to least:
- Oz Pearlman (mentalist) He does a very elaborate trick involving the judges, colored pieces of paper, names and chairs. It's quite impressive though anything involving words hidden away on a page is a trick I've seen many times before on the show. Grade: A-minus
2. Paul Zerdin (puppet ventriloquism) - "America's Got Talent's" most famous winner is Terry Fator. Zerdin could follow in his footsteps though his humor may veer a bit more toward that of Jeff Dunham. He does a so-so bit with an old guy and a hearing aid that ends up in his butt and a baby. He then swaps voices with his character Sam, which is amusing. Then he brings all three puppets out and goes back and forth with dexterity. Grade: A-minus
3. The Craig Lewis Band ("Beggin" by Madcon) - This was a fine performance with plenty of energy and intensity, plus a requisite big note near the end and lovely harmonies. Grade: A-minus
4 The Professional Regurgitator - This sounds like a perfect Howard Stern circus act. He eats thumb tacks and a magnet, then throws them up. He then swallows lighter gas and blows it out into a bubble that explodes with help from a reluctant Nick Cannon. Somehow, I like this guy. He's vastly grotesquely entertaining for something that is truly a sideshow act. Grade: B-plus
5. Piff the Magic Dragon (magician) - Mr. Piffles, a chihuahua gets "shot" out of a cannonball and Howie's $20 bill ends up in Mr. Piffle's nuts. Or something like that. It's droll but hardly out of the park magic humor. Grade: B/B-minus
6. Benton Blount ("Story of My Life") - He has a great voice, sort of like Zac Brown meets Daughtry. This is a decent cover but not a goose-bump performance. Grade: B/B-minus
7. Gary Vider (stand-up comic) - Jokes about Ryan Gosling, Caitlyn Jenner and long-distance relationships. ("I have to stay 100 yards away from her."). He's very dry. It's amusing but not overly funny or original. I'm not sure he'd make it very far on "Last Comic Standing." Grade: B-minus
8. Uzeyer Novruzov. This seems like a one-trick balancing act. I'm surprised he made it this far. It's fun as part of a broad circus act or a street performance but I can't see him winning $1 million. Grade: C-plus
9. Drew Lynch (comedian) - So. This dude stutters, jokes about it and laughs a lot at his own jokes. This is less funny and more annoying. "I'm not sexually active. I'm saving myself... some money." "By the time I gave my girlfriend my number, we had our anniversary." This guy actually made it past the first round? I'm confused! Grade: C
10. Derek Hughes (magician) - He jokes about magic by creating a stupid trick with ropes and adds a DJ and dancing girls. He is not doing much actual magic. He does a better rope trick at the end but really, I've seen more interesting bits on the streets of Atlantic Station. This was not a finale performance. I get a feeling he was trying to be ironic but it fell pretty flat. Grade: D
***
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Although all the Atlanta folks are long gone from "Big Brother," I'm sticking with it to the end.
This is my first season to ever watch the show so I lack some level of perspective. If anything, Vanessa Rousso has been the kingmaker, with Austin Matelson not far behind.
And perhaps that's why Vanessa decided to blindside Austin and improve her shot at finishing in the top three. Although she had picked Johnny Mac MacGuire and Steve Moses for eviction after winning Head of Household, Johnny Mac threw a wrench in her plans by taking home the Power of Veto.
Johnny Mac took himself off the block and Vanessa placed Austin on in his place.
Austin thought he was safe since he had an alliance with her since day two. But alliances in this show appear to be suggestions.
Johnny Mac could have evicted his own buddy Steve since Liz Nolan was obviously voting for him. But he chose to evict Austin, forcing Vanessa to be the tie breaker.
If she had chosen Steve, she could have finished with Austin and Liz. Now the odds are far better she'll be in the finals with Steve and Johnny Mac. Liz, of course, could win Head of Household and all bets are off.
The next eviction will happen tomorrow followed by the victory vote next week for $500,000.
Austin was naturally peeved he was blindsided. He thinks Vanessa had no shot at getting votes from the jury, a theory I dispute. "She didn't have to scumbag me," he said. "She chose to Judas Judas." (Judas, by the way, is Austin's evil alter ego.) He said he did at least fall in love with Liz. We'll see how long that showmance lasts after the show is over.
Steve won the Head of Household. He actually lucked out. He wrote the wrong number down but it ended up working out for him.
He is guaranteed in the finals. He has played a smart game. He stayed off the radar for weeks on purpose to avoid getting blood on his hands or even attracting attention. He then started winning challenges just when he needed to. Clearly, his "Big Brother" knowledge, which is deep, helped him get to this point. He could very well win the entire kit and kaboodle.
***
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Kim Zolciak embarrassed herself on national TV last night on "Dancing With the Stars," pulling in the lowest score anyone has had in years. In fact, she tied for the second lowest score ever for an opening dance in 21 seasons of the show.
She had to be happy in the end that Atlantans couldn't watch her live in favor of the Atlanta Falcons and her husband Kroy Biermann. (The local ABC affiliate WSB-TV postponed "DWTS" until the wee hours.)
This might have been part of the reason she was in such a sour mood last night trying to fly back to Atlanta from Los Angeles. TMZ reported she made a scene at the airport because she got there late and couldn't check in her luggage. She ended up taking a later flight but sent out an annoyed Tweet.
I would post the Tweet but apparently she has blocked me from seeing any of her Tweets. As you can see, she's as much of a fan of me as I am of her!
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
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