Category: america’s got talent

Michael Grasso, Fighting Gravity, Jeremy VanSchoonhoven, Jackie Evancho, Studio One Young Beast Society rounded out the top 10 in America’s Got Talent Season 5 Episode 28. They join Anna & Patryk, Michael Grimm, Prince Poppycock, Taylor Mathews, and Christina & Ali to perform tonight for the chance to be one of the four acts proceeding to the finals next week.

Studio One Young Beast Society is the last group of dancers, and they made it by on the judges’ vote last week. Tonight they’re breaking out the tricks in hopes of standing out. Piers tells them the gamble paid off. Sharon appreciates how hard they’re working. Howie calls it phenomenal.

Christina & Ali have an inspiring story, backed up by reasonably decent voices. Sharon really enjoyed that, and their voices continue to get better. As much as Howie enjoyed that, he’s not sure how they can compete with death defying acts.

Jeremy VanSchoonhoven’s injury last week probably pushed him through. Howie doesn’t know how he does it or where he finds the time. Piers guarantees him nobody is a crowd pleaser like he is.

Taylor Mathews is another singer who lucked out that he wasn’t on last week’s very tough show. He puts together an… interesting rendition of What a Wonderful World. Piers thought that was his best performance by a mile.

Anna & Patryk came back as wild cards and stepped it up. Anna starts things off by falling down the stairs. Well, it can only get better from there. The judges spend their time reassuring her that it’s okay. In spite of the rough start, the routine went off without a hitch.

Fighting Gravity is a group of frat guys that has surprisingly become among the frontrunners. This act could be in Vegas tomorrow. Tonight they recreate the moon landing. Howie says wow. This act says Las Vegas the most to Piers. Sharon can see the billboards already.

Michael Grimm was one of four singing acts to make it through on the first semifinal night. He drops the guitar tonight, but regardless the song choice of Let’s Stay Together suits him perfectly.

In the battle of the magicians, Michael Grasso beat Murray. He locks a chick in a box and carefully jabs swords through it. A curtain comes out and is removed, then she’s in his place, and he’s inside the box. Or is he? Nope, it’s not that predictable. Instead, he’s one of the other people on stage. Sharon really hopes he goes through. Howie crowns him the king of magic.

Prince Poppycock plans to keep pushing the envelope. Singing patriotic themed songs is genius. Howie loves what’s going on in this guy’s head, although he doesn’t have words to describe him.

The final contestant of the night is Jackie Evancho, who doesn’t even need to perform tonight to get the votes. Piers has never seen a vocal performance like that on this show. He looks forward to being known as the guy who helped discover her. Sharon sums it up as heavenly, and she’ll never forget it.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of America’s Got Talent Season 5 Episode 30, which airs Wednesday at 9/8c on NBC.

The 10 remaining semifinalists performed in America’s Got Talent Season 5 Episode 27, and there was some strong competition. Tonight 5 will advance to the finals and round out the top 10.

Debra Romer, Michael Grasso, Murray, and Nathaniel Kenyon step forward. I think Debra’s sung her last note. Nate had a strong following for a while, but he really hasn’t been showing why lately. Murray said that there’s no room for two magicians, but I disagree. Both of them deserve to move on. Michael Grasso is the one who advances, however. The others have been cut.

Fighting Gravity and Jeremy VanSchoonhoven are up next. Obviously, Fighting Gravity will be in the finals. I’d expect people to pass on Jeremy under normal circumstances, but he gets props for doing what he did while injured. Only one will advance, though, or so Nick tells us. Liar. Both are finalists.

Haspop, Jackie Evancho, and Maestro Alexander Bui are next. Jackie Evancho is the frontrunner to win it all and will obviously be in the next round. Before last night, I’d have predicted Haspop would be in the next round, but his act fell on deaf ears. For all his talent, Alexander’s just not going to appeal to mainstream America.

Michael Lipari & Ashleigh Dejon, Studio Young Beast Society, and Alice Tan Ridley are the last group on stage. Michael & Ashleigh are the clear choice to be cut, but the judges have a heck of a choice left between the other two. Piers votes for Studio One Young Beast Society (try saying that three times fast). Sharon agrees. Bad luck for Alice. She’s a lot better than some of the singers who made it through last week.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of America’s Got Talent Season 5 Episode 29, which airs Tuesday at 9/8c on NBC.

Anna & Patryk, Michael Grimm, Prince Poppycock, Taylor Mathews, and Christina & Ali advanced to the finals in America’s Got Talent Season 5 Episode 26. Tonight the remaining semifinalists perform.

Alice Tan Ridley is one of the frontrunners in the singing portion of the show, although there’s an awful lot of competition. She sings Whitney Houston’s I Have Nothing, and she pulls it off better than most. Piers felt that was an incredibly strong performance. Sharon got goosebumps.

Haspop is back with more cool dancing, although Piers is not impressed and buzzes. Sharon wasn’t so keen on that either. Howie, however, was wowed.

Maestro Alexander Bui is good at what he does (in part because he has no life), although he’ll need to choose some music that somebody actually knows/wants to hear. This is all quite boring. Impressive but boring. Howie buzzes, a rarity. Piers calls him one of the most brilliant performers. Sharon is now excited by him.

Michael Lipari & Ashleigh Dejon have a plan to try to touch our hearts this time, rather than pretending there’s been a fatality. That worked better for me. Piers appreciates the chemistry and the passion, although he normally doesn’t like acts like this. Howie says they could die doing this. That’s what this show is all about.

Michael Grasso was cut after his slight of hand act but came back stronger as a wild card. This time he suspends a cage above the stage, making the woman inside it disappear, then she reappears in his place while he goes up to the judges from behind them. Sharon can only say that it was sensational. Howie hopes people vote for him. Piers is watching him become a world class magic act.

Debra Romer will have to up her game to compete in this tough singing segment. Her singing is just quite nice. Howie is not sure if nice is enough. Sharon felt it was too limited and a really weak competition song.

Studio One Young Beast Society is the last dance crew standing, and they prove why. Sharon loves the youth and urgency, and she knows they’ll be back. Howie thinks they should change their very long name that doesn’t roll off the tongue.

Jeremy VanSchoonhoven used to know Terry Fator when they were doing small fairs. Terry told him to go for it. While he was practicing for tonight’s show, he fell and injured his arm, head, and hip, but he’s still back to perform in spite of that. He stumbles during the show as well, but the most difficult part of the act goes smoothly. Sharon’s got respect for him bouncing back, and she asks for America to vote for him.

Nathaniel Kenyon was sick last time but had the following built up to get him through it. Piers buzzes. Too many missed notes. Howie isn’t too excited, but he can hear the girls screaming behind him.

Murray hopes to go even bigger. Bigger than a tiger and a car? This trick is about his family’s history, which was all about working on the railroad. He’s brought his own train with him. And now it’s gone. Piers thought Michael Grasso did better. Sharon’s never seen anything that spectacular. Howie enjoyed the trick but not so much the presentation.

Jackie Evancho is the voice everybody’s talking about. As amazing as the first time. Howie has no words, other than angel from another planet.

The final act of the night is Fighting Gravity. They decided to take a leap of faith and not go to school for the semester so they can focus on the act. Granted, they are frat guys. Howie calls them the only act that could follow Jackie. Piers wants America to vote for them.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of America’s Got Talent Season 5 Episode 28, which airs Wednesday at 9/8c on NBC.

The first 12 acts performed in America’s Got Talent Season 5 Episode 25. Tonight five acts will move on to the finals.

ArcAttack, Dan Sperry, Future Funk, and Kristina Young are first. We know Dan and Kristina are gone. Future Funk should be as well, but cute’s gotten them this far. In a twist, the axe falls swiftly and on all of them. Nobody is moving on.

AscenDance and Anna & Patryk are up next. I was with the judges on this. AscenDance is not quite what it was initially. Anna & Patryk, however, did manage to shine. They move to the next round.

Michael Grimm, Prince Poppycock, and Taylor Mathews all advance. I could see all of them advancing, although Taylor was iffy last night. That is indeed what happens. All three are moving on.

Antonio Restivo, Christina & Ali, and Connor Doran will be competing for the final spot. I don’t know that it really matters which of these gets chosen because none of them can win, but Antonio’s the only one I could see playing in Vegas. The act leaving the competition based on America’s votes is Antonio Restivo. Piers votes for Christina & Ali because they have good voices and incredible personalities. Howie votes for Connor because he’s different. Sharon is the tiebreaker, and she votes for Christina & Ali.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of America’s Got Talent Season 5 Episode 27, which airs Tuesday at 9/8c on NBC.

Michael Grasso, Anna & Patryk, Connor Doran, and Michael Lipari & Ashleigh Dejon advanced in America’s Got Talent Season 5 Episode 24 following the wild card performances. Tonight the semifinals begin with performances by Future Funk, Antonio Restivo, Christina & Ali, AscenDance, Dan Sperry, Kristina Young, ArcAttack, Taylor Mathews, Prince Poppycock, Michael Grimm, Anna & Patryk, and Connor Doran.

Anna & Patryk were the last of the wild card acts to advance. They are dancing the paso doble and promise an angrier side to themselves, even if it means they have to think of Howie while dancing. Piers says they’re behaving like stars, and they are the most talented dancers in the competition. Howie apologizes if he’s been saying mean things, but tonight he wasn’t creeped out.

Sisters Christina & Ali are singing When You Believe by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey from The Prince of Egypt. Bold choice, typically one that falls flat. Sharon declines to say anything negative, just telling them they’re getting better. Piers calls it very nice. Not great.

Antonio Restivo is hopefully bringing more than just fire. Tonight he gets chained and locked up. Then some chicks dance around for a while as they light stuff on fire. Afterward, he’s out of his trap and on the stairs. Piers believes this is the big magic showman of the season. This old trick had great style.

Future Funk are kid dancers being propelled more by their cuteness than anything else. Piers buzzes. This is not called America’s Got Cute Dancers.

Taylor Mathews will be playing piano rather than guitar, a shift out of his comfort zone. He sings Show Me What I’m Looking For by Carolina Liar. I don’t know how much appeal this song is going to have with the public. Howie wasn’t wowed, although Sharon was. Piers admires that he took a gamble, but doesn’t like how he’s being restricted by nerves.

Connor Doran is doing some more kite flying. I still don’t get how this is a top 24 act. Piers buzzes. The music just didn’t go as well as the previous performances.

Dan Sperry will hopefully freak Howie out again. Nick is the volunteer to help him with his act. Tonight’s trick is to show how he gives away his autograph. I’m assuming it involves blood in some respect. Piers buzzes just before Dan cuts off Nick’s arm and signs it. When he puts the arm back, there’s a signature on it. Piers was unimpressed by the worst fake arm ever and the overall lame trick. Sharon loved the robot lady, but not so much Dan.

Kristina Young better up her game if she wants to stick around past this episode. She sings Lady Gaga’s Poker Face, which shows off her voice a little better, at least until she gets to the chorus. Then she gets buzzed by all three judges. One thing people won’t be saying about this version is that it’s not original. They won’t be saying it’s any good either.

Everybody gets up to begin moving to another studio. That means it’s time for ArcAttack. How viable is this act if everybody has to go outside every time they perform? And what’s with this guy who always wears a hood? This time the geeks have managed to find a female to be on stage with them, although she’s undead. Howie feels the electricity, but it’s kind of boring on TV. Piers could see them being very successful.

Having gotten sick, Michael Grimm was unable to go to rehearsal. They have to give him some fluid through IV because he’s so dehydrated. In spite of that, he’s ready to perform, singing You Can Leave Your Hat On by Joe Cocker. Piers is happy to finally see an act with the desire and talent to win the competition. Sharon liked that he stepped up his performance and was engaged with the audience. Howie wants America on those phones.

AscenDance still has a cool act, but the wow factor is gone now that we know what to expect. Piers buzzes. Good thing nobody falls to split open any heads. Sharon didn’t like the music. Howie thinks it was a mistake to pick up the tempo. Piers was bored.

Prince Poppycock is hard to take seriously, no matter how good his voice is. Howie says this is his night. Sharon calls him the male Lady Gaga.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of America’s Got Talent Season 5 Episode 25, which airs Wednesday at 9/8c on NBC.

The wild card acts performed in America’s Got Talent Season 5 Episode 23. Tonight the final four acts will advance to the next round.

Kruti Dance Academy, Swing Shift Side Show, Michael Grasso, and Rudi Macaggi are the first group. Gotta go with the magician here, and that’s how America votes. Michael is moving to the next round. As one of four magicians in the semifinals, he’s got his work cut out for him.

The Hot Shot Tap Dancers, RNG, and Anna & Patryk are up next. Hard to call a winner in this dancing showdown, but Anna & Patryk have the most natural talent. That’s enough to carry them through.

CJ Dippa and Connor Doran are the next pair. I’m not sure how many more times I can watch kite flying in a show about finding undiscovered talent, but it’s apparently going to be at least one more time because Connor advances.

The final three acts are Michael Lipari & Ashleigh Dejon, Harmonica Pierre, and Doogie Horner. As talented as Harmonica Pierre is, he’s still just playing the harmonica. Nonetheless, it’s Doogie Horner who gets cut first. If he’d made it, I suspect he would have had the judges’ votes. That leaves one of Sharon’s acts up on stage against one of Piers’ acts, which should make Howie the tiebreaker. Piers votes for Harmonica Pierre. Sharon votes for Michael Lipari & Ashleigh Dejon. As expected, Howie is the tiebreaker. He votes for Michael & Ashleigh. If they want to get any further, they’re going to need to come up with something else because the fake accident isn’t going to cut it again, not that I think people were happy being Punk’d in the first place.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of America’s Got Talent Season 5 Episode 25, which airs Tuesday at 9/8c on NBC.

Following the performances of the Youtube acts, Maestro Alexander Bui, Dan Sperry, Jackie Evancho, and Kristina young advanced in America’s Got Talent Season 5 Episode 22. Tonight the wild card acts perform. Each judge chose four acts to return.

Piers: Anna & Patryk, Doogie Horner, Kruti Dance Academy, Harmonica Pierre
Sharon: RNG, Rudi Macaggi, Michael Lipari & Ashleigh Dejon, Michael Grasso
Howie: Swing Shift Side Show, Connor Doran, The Hot Shot Tap Dancers, CJ Dippa

Bollywood group Kruti Dance Academy did not make the cut originally. Piers calls them the unluckiest act not to have made it through. Howie agrees they’re talented, but he’s not ready to say wow.

Rudi Macaggi is back with more danger. He backflips into a trapeze while blindfolded, catching himself by his feet. Piers is unimpressed and buzzes. This was a downgrade. Sharon wanted more. Howie thought the last stunt was better.

CJ Dippa wrote tonight’s rap for a girl from Studio One Young Beast Society. Piers buzzes. He found it to be too gimmicky. CJ doesn’t think he gave it his all.

RNG is the girl dance group eliminated after Howie took half an hour to make up his mind. Piers buzzes again. Sharon’s happy she brought them back and loved the attitude. Howie thinks they’re phenomenal, but not at the same level as the top acts.

Harmonica Pierre is very talented, but I can’t see this instrument flying with America. Howie buzzes him before he begins, presumably to get revenge for Piers buzzing everybody else’s picks. That said, he doesn’t know that this is something America would choose to be in the finals. Sharon doesn’t think he could fill arenas.

Michael Grasso was cut after taking things a bit easier than he probably should have. Tonight he’s breaking out the spikes and fire to stick through a girl in a box. When he’s done, he’s got two girls. Even Piers doesn’t buzz. Howie calls that the first performance of the night worthy of this level of the competition.

The Hot Shot Tap Dancers is another group I’m not sure about. Can tap go mainstream? Piers buzzes. Howie felt this was a little muddy and boring. Piers was bored as well.

Doogie Horner is the comedian Piers hated more than almost anybody else. So obviously Piers brought him back. Howie wanted to bring him back, too. His routine is all about the other contestants, which is material that the judges can relate to. Sharon calls him a weird little man, in a good way.

Connor Doran has a beautiful kite flying act. Touching story… but the judges’ original reaction of it just not being enough is right.

Anna & Patryk lost out to ArcAttack the first time around. Piers thought that was their best dance of the competition. Sharon feels like she’s watching a couple of 25 year olds. Howie’s a little creeped out by 12 year olds being seductive.

Up next are Michael Lipari & Ashleigh Dejon. I was having trouble remembering them, but now I do. They got stuck last time, which luckily didn’t result in an injury. Their trick for this evening is for her to plummet and scream as if there’s been a severe mishap. While it lends to the excitement, I’m not sure America’s gonna like being played for fools.

As freaks go, Swing Shot Side Show certainly fit the bill. They were previously unable to continue “for personal reasons.” Then stay out I say. You can’t come and go as it’s convenient. After a bit of dart blowing, Sharon buzzes them. The sword swallowing is followed by a buzz from Piers. He calls them the creepiest creeps in the history of the planet, and he is revolted.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of America’s Got Talent Season 5 Episode 24, which airs Wednesday at 9/8c on NBC.

The Youtube acts performed in America’s Got Talent Season 5 Episode 21, and one of them very quickly became a contender. Tonight four will advance.

Pup, Pizza Patt, Maestro Alexander Bui, and Austin Anderson are up first. Alexander Bui is the only one of these who could possibly advance, and he does. Piers tells him to stick to classical, but at least do something somebody’s heard of before.

Dylan Plummer, Dan Sperry, and Booker Forte are up next. As creepy as Dan Sperry may be, he certainly got people talking. That’s gonna be enough to get him through to the next round.

Ryan Rodriguez and Jackie Evancho are the next to step forward. Hands down Jackie stole last night’s show, and she’s the obvious choice to move to the next round.

The final spot is up for grabs between PLUtonic, Cam Hodges, and Kristina Young. The act leaving the competition is PLUtonic. Having placed fourth and fifth in the audience vote, the other two now have their fate in the hands of the judges. Not real thrilled with either of them considering the talent in the singing category. Howie votes for Cam because he’s got the most potential. Sharon votes for Kristina because she’s very pliable as an artist. Piers breaks the tie and votes for Kristina.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of America’s Got Talent Season 5 Episode 23, which airs Wednesday at 9/8c on NBC.