Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Two Atlanta area acts performed in the quarterfinals last night of "America's Got Talent."
But they are going to fact some tough competition to make it through to the semifinals. Only 5 of the 12 acts make it through and this was a very good night for "AGT" in terms of talent. Ultimately, several acts outshone both Dragon House Agents and Adrian Romoff.
The Atlanta dance trio Dragon House Agents opened the show with a flashy animated pop-and-lock act with smoke and lights and backup dancers. After watching some of their Dragon House brethren on "So You Think You Can Dance," what these guys are doing is nothing that special. And I didn't find the choreography or the syncopation all that impressive either.
Both Mel B and Howie Mandel praised their artistry. "I can actually see myself at your show," Mel B said. "You're hip, you're edgy, you're current, you're everything."
Howard Stern said they are great at what they do but is getting repetitive: "If you do come through this round, I am just concerned you will always do the same moves and act over and over again." Heidi Klum agreed with Stern as "monotonous. You have to keep us on our toes. You have to keep surprising us."
I give them a less than 1% shot of making it to the next round. Grade: B-minus/B
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
I spoke with the little Peachtree City genius Adrian Romoff last week. He's nine years old, in eighth grade, with a desire to go to Harvard University by age 12 - or Julliard.
"I didn't expect people to like me that much," he said, after his first televised audition. He said he is largely self taught as a pianist and prefers classical music> he is also into Gershwin and Sinatra. Very old school.
The video package shows him doing science experiments and in class with older kids.
Unfortunately, his piano playing is a bit sloppy, like his over aggression causes him to miss notes. It's not nearly as endearing as his audition. For some reason, he gets a standing ovation from Heidi Klum. Howie loves his emotion calling him "Boy-thoven." Howard notes that as a nine year old, he's "quite remarkable" and a "fabulous entertainer." Mel B: "You don't realize how entertaining you are? Do you?" "I do," he replied. Grade: B-minus. Chance to get through: 20%
Among the other 10 acts, whose performances are all available here:
Anna Clendening: She by no means has the best voice as she sings "Human" by Christina Perri. In fact, she is not nearly as good Perri. But she has a quality about her that might draw votes. Unfortuantely, she performed early during a quality two-hour show and that generally tamps down votes. Grade: B Chances of getting the votes to make it to the top 5: 20%
Cornell Bhangra: Their Indian folk dancing is bright and fun and fast paced. The group had the advantage of coming in through a "Today" show competition and had never been seen by the "AGT" audience. That alone might help them get through. Grade: B-plus Chance of making it through: 25%
Keiran and Finian Makepeace: A real dirge-like version of "Lights" by Ellie Goulding that is a bit of a drag until they speed it up at the end but then the song kind of ends too soon. Grade: B-minus Chance to make it through: 10%
Mike Super: He's a magician/illusionist with an "imaginary" friend "Desmond" who messes with Mel B with heat and electricity. "I don't get paid enough for this!" she said, quite upset. Howard hates Desmond but otherwise, it was quite a good act. Grade: B-plus/A-minus. Chance to make it through: 50%
Acro Army: They put together a decent flip-heavy set though I wasn't as amazed as the judges. Grade: B/B-plus. Chance to make it through: 50%
Wendy Liebman: I'm familiar with her. She's been a stand-up comic for more than 25 years and has headlined the Punchline, most recently in May. She started slow but her age but was pretty funny. Grade: B-plus. Chance to make it through: 75%
Sons of Serendip: The lead singer is mesmerizing singing "Wicked Game." Just a solid performance. "Knocked it out of the park," Howard said. Grade: A/A-minus. Chance to make it through: 85%
Blue Journey: Dancers who use lighting effects and backdrops to create a touching story. This type of effects have been used before on AGT but it's extremely well done. The show was really set up for TV, more so than the audience. But that's smart. The audience doesn't vote. The viewers do. Grade: A. Chance to make it through: 100%
Christian Stoinev He smartly combined hand balancing with his dog Scooby doing tricks. Great act! Grade: A. Chance of getting through: 100%
Paul Ieti He is a soldier/singer. There's a combo that should generate votes. Plus, he has the pimp spot! He was very touching and heartfelt. Howard wonders if he played it too safe. Grade: B-plus. Chance of getting through: 70%
Seriously, Blue Journey and Christian Stoinev are gimmes for tonight's results show to make it to the final 20. My guess is the other three will be Wendy Liebman, Sons of Serendip and Paul Ieti. Acro Army, Cornel Banghra and Mike Super have outside shots. I don't think the other four acts have a realistic chance.
UPDATE: I got four out of five right. Liebman was someone I thought would get through and Acro Army did instead. The final two that the judges had to choose from were Mike Super and Acro Army and I gave them both a 50/50 shot.
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