Panopticon

I liked the balancer with the mannequin because I always like those strength/balancing acts. It's certainly not something that can win, though. I can't watch one of those acts without wishing the KrisStef brothers had competed in a regular year rather than one with an obvious unique/superior winner. They were the ones who managed to change it up every week by adding comedy and all. I also liked the Shake It Off band. Don't take the fact that I don't remember the act name as a sign that I wasn't thoroughly entertained. He/they have a good shot to go far.

Ladder guy was good. I also liked the first group of dancers who opened the show and was mildly amused by Howard's routine about who hated whom. And the magician who had done time for being a con man was worth watching. Count me in as being confused as to how running school buses into each other is a talent.

My thought was that Mel had mentioned SW in a book/interview and he was pretty sure of what she would say. I must have been in a mellow mood because I liked a lot of the acts, including the young singer... despite hating kid acts. And singing acts. And kid singing acts.

L is for leather, most especially Emma's signature red leather jacket that dragged color back into Storybrooke and drove home that she was a fairy tale princess for a new time.

I think this is the first time I've watched this show and summarized more than one act as "ew, gross." I hope there will be fewer things coming into and out of bodily orifices for the rest of the season.

They did indicate that Stef had the home shut "on a technicality" so we at least know that wherever they are it isn't there.

I didn't originally care for Hank or Sarah/Hank. Mainly I was just tired of Sarah falling into one professional triumph after another and having one man after another fall for her, only for her to sabotage/leave/quit the men and the jobs alike. But the last few episodes were, I thought, very well done as far as Sarah/Hank went and brought me around to the point of view that he is just what she needs. I really liked her open concern that she had made terrible decisions in the past and didn't trust her desire to marry Hank until she saw him taking the initiative to show up at Amber's apartment and build her baby gear, which was not Amber's natural father's way. The way Hank became more and more awkward over his time on the show worked for me; he was dealing with revelations and situations that took him out of his comfort zone and also showing more of himself to Sarah's family and by extension the audience. In the end, seeing him a bit more awkward than he was at first glance also helped drive home that Sarah was going for substance over style. I was quite happy for Sarah at the end-- and also for Amber and Drew getting a reliable stepfather who is fond of them. Of course Amber and Drew are basically grown, but practically the whole premise of the show is that adults continue to benefit from their parents/families of origin. :)

Nora is a cutie. There's no way she shares DNA with Adam, Max, or Kristina.

This episode is the first episode of Parenthood I've watched in probably years with no fastforwarding and minimal feelings of disgust. Because it can't be said enough: no Max and no Kristina is a vast improvement. Even though it made no sense for Amber to insist on telling Ryan on THAT particular day, I did think it worked very well structurally to have the road trip as a subplot while the older two generations were busy at the hospital. I liked Amber apologizing for letting Drew find out from someone other than her. I liked Drew insisting on driving Amber. I liked Amber teasing Drew to play I Spy. I liked Drew being polite to Ryan but side-eyeing the drugs. I liked Amber being tempted to fall back into trying to "fix" Ryan. I LOVED Drew being assertive and dropping truth all over Amber about how she can't do that anymore and pulling out the "remember Dad" card. I'm okay with the Ruby storyline. The show has done adoptive kids (badly) and long lost kids (simplisticly) but not step kids. Ruby is a lot less annoying to me than Gilmore Girls' April because she has always existed (just not always on screen) and because she isn't being pushed as a perfect younger version of one of the show's main characters. That is, I WAS okay with it until I had to roll my eyes out of my head at Hank's ex-wife forbidding contact between Sarah and Ruby. At first I thought it was a nice surprise when she believed Sarah's story about the lipstick right away, like a mother who knew her kid and was mature enough to set aside her own feelings about her ex having a current. But then... nope. Revert to the most sterotypical lowest common denominator melodrama. I thought the filmwork with Crosby getting on his bike in a rage and weaving back and forth over the yellow line was excellent. I continue to be amused that Crosby seems to be far more reliable and competent professionally than Adam at this point in their lives. Adam going in for the hug and inadvertantly hurting Crosby was very well done too. Poor Julia and Joel. I did feel for them. I would, however, feel for them more if Joel had ever gotten a point of view last season. It's insane that neither the viewers nor Julia know for sure why he gave up on their marriage last year or why he wants to try again now. Here's hoping we don't have to have double Max next week to make up for this week's reprieve.

Thank you, voters. So glad it was Mat. I truly thought it would be Emily and was mentally composing an angry melodramatic diatribe about how her duet with Cyndi Lauper was staged like Cyndi was the contestant and Emily was the visiting pro. Loved how one of AcroArmy 's leaders encouraged the kids to celebrate third place, as well they should. What was with the booing when Quint went out? The whole live audience really thought he had it in the bag and the other acts were much worse? Top of the world, Mat. Have a great performance in Vegas and enjoy your million.

First of all, thanks everyone here for sharing your smart and funny commentary, and for letting me join in. On to the performances: Quintavious Johnson: Hey, someone found him an age-appropriate song to sing! For the most part I didn't like the arrangement of Let It Be, but I appreciated the choice. I did think the camera work and staging were fantastic for one moment at the end where there was just his very smal shadowed figure standing in front of all the adults blending together and fading out. That almost moved my cold dead heart. However, I still hate kid acts. And singing acts. And kid singing acts. (In all seriousness, here's hoping his voice survives puberty. He's talented for real.) Mat Franco: His modification of his earlier trick was perfect. He's a wonderful performer. I'm impressed that he got through that poem without his tongue getting tied up more often without even factoring in the constant slight of hand he was doing at the same time. His on-stage "human card" trick was inspired, too. I don't know off the top of my head how he did it and I appreciate that he managed to find a way for even the people in the balcony of Radio City to see and enjoy. This may not really be the best year ever for talent (shut up, Howie!!) but I bet it's the best year for magicians. And Mat is doing the others proud as last magician standing. Miguel Dakota: Look who's been reading this forum and decided to ditch the bad-boy thing and go back to his original image! I doubt that it was enough, but I do like him better this way. Still hate singing acts though. Sons of Serendip: I liked both of their performances. I also think Howie is going way too far with his insistence that if they lose it's because they're too raw and don't have that rock star look. I don't think any of those guys break mirrors when they look into them or anything. AcroArmy: Fantastic again and very much my pick to win. I wish I could see more of them... you know, instead of the camera cutting to Howie while they're throwing those girls from the judges' stand to the stage proper. By the time the last girl got on top of the pyramid I was saying words that I suspect break the posting rules here. Wow. Emily West: Just urgh. I feel about her the way most here seem to feel about Miguel. She bores me. I hate singing acts, especially when those acts are already professional to the point of having a recording contract. There are 7356938654379865438256 other shows for solo singers. Final note: I may want Howie to take a hike, but I want Nick Cannon to stay around, with or without his million dollar shoes. He's so good with the various acts, most noticeably today when he saved the Sons of Serendip guy who obviously blanked out during the first interview. Good man, Nick.

I thought that the show did Mara a solid by putting her in the first group and eliminating her right away. They often save the kids for last so they can spend a whole extra hour working themselves up. I was surprised to see Mara paired with Emily for her elimination. I thought they'd put her next to Quintavious since they were both kid singers. I expected that so completely that when they put Mara next to Emily I wondered if Quintavious somehow hadn't gotten through. Agreed. Their instruments are a bit out of the mainstream, too. How often do you see a music group so reliant on a harp as a signature sound in every piece? I don't see Sons of Serendip fitting right in on American Idol like I do Miguel, Emily, etc. A magic on magic final showdown would have been so much fun! I guess I should be grateful that one magician got through as well as AcroArmy. Last night made it more clear to me than ever that Miguel's rebranding is a mistake. He has a big, bright smile and a bear hug for everyone whether they beat him or he beats them. They should have kept selling him as the nice young man working construction to help support his younger siblings instead of as an angry outsider. Maybe that's why he's shown no connection to his music lately-- because he's NOT a brooding malcontent.

Mara Justine: I, um, initially thought the malfunctioning equipment was an artistic choice by her to synthesize her voice. And I thought it made her more enjoyable! The fact of the matter is that equipment and technology screws over acts on a regular basis, and she is not so special that she should get put through without competing because she had a tough break. She's had enough free passes already. She is by far the weakest act of the top 12. I do appreciate that for 2 rounds in a row someone found her an age-appropriate song (at least, in its sanitized version it is age appropriate.) But: she's clearly a good kid, which is far more important than being a good singer. David and Leeman: They were excellent. They certainly made the most of the free pass they got when the judges ignored their epic screwup some weeks back. Sons of Serendip: Another nice job by them. Christian Stoinev: Poor Scooby was terrified of Howard even though he was fine with Nick and Heidi. And that, sadly, was the most interesting aspect of the act. It's been one of my favorites all year; I had it pegged as the act most likely to knock out a singer in the finals. So I hate that it is just not one of the top acts at this point, but Christian just doesn't quite have the ability to freshen his performance every week. Emil & Dariel: Well done. I love how graceful these two are about accepting constructive criticism instead of getting defensive. And they never rely on the "but we're kids!!!" angle to get through. AcroArmy: And then they threw her across the stage!! Best of the night. Here are some votes for them. Quintavious Johnson: I'll give the kid this: he has presence as well as talent. The skit of him in Nick's dressing room was adorable. Mike Super: So much better without Desmond, but the weakest of the three magic acts by far. I wonder if the magic acts will cancel each other out in the voting? Blue Journey: They didn't work for me this week. I thought they were frequently out of sync with the shadow hand that was supposed to be puppeting them. The build was too slow and the only part that truly worked for me was the ladders at the end. Emily West: She bores me. So she gets done up in old school Hollywood style. Ho-hum. There are a zillion singing shows and I wish she'd take her "never giving up" to one of them. Mat Franco: He's excellent. He hasn't made one misstep for the entire competition. He got my votes that AcroArmy didn't get. Miguel Dakota: The most entertaining thing about him tonight was imagining what this forum would have to say about him getting the pimp spot and remaining hatless. The attempt to rebrand him as a brooding bad boy is falling flatter than flat, and he got swallowed by his surroundings. That said, if I had to I would vote for him over Emily West because I actually do like his voice.

Jonah Smith: Meh. Singing. Baila Conmigo: I wish everyone would stop calling those kids a "secret weapon." It's not much of a secret if the whole act has scooted through round after round entirely on the kids' cuteness factor. And this time Howard finally told the adults to get out of the way so he could look at the kids. This group just doesn't do it for me... I always get a smug, manipulative vibe. Jaycob Curlee: Meh. Singing. Mat Franco: I enjoyed the performance-- he has style. But magicians have a lot of competition in their category this year. AcroArmy: Great performance. Hope they go through. Kelli Glover: Meh. Singing. Wendy Liebman: She was okay. The funniest part was Heidi trying to argue that, really, sometimes she likes comedians. Please. You missed the point of that "going German" joke last week. Let it go. Blue Journey: My favorite of their performances. Emil & Dariel: My favorite of their performances, too! Smoothini: Again... how are there this many good magicians at this point in the show? He's charming and entertaining but not the best at this point. But he can stay around just to torture Howie. Scooby and Friends: Going into the show I thought this act was among the most likely to win the whole show. Now I don't know how they can make it out of the round unless people vote for past greatness and/or puppy cuteness (possible). I was disappointed; it was an attempt at style over substance that fell flat. Quintavious Johnson: Meh. Singing.

Oh, I meant to comment on that too! His performance for the results show was at least as good as any performance he gave during the competition. I loved the way he kept pointing at Miguel before striking a pose and then finally launching himself at him. And during all his self-deprecating bouncing around... he reached for Paul Ieti twice. Once to drag him into the act attacking Miguel, and once when Paul was about to walk off the stage in the wrong direction. It was a subtle, aware, inclusive, compassionate little gesture. (Pretty much the anti-Mandel.)

So, this is just a singing competition? No variety allowed?

After mediocre earlier rounds, I thought this was a decent semi-final with almost all of the acts doing a nice job and an even level of competition. I'm just overwhelmed and bored by the number of singers, talented though they may be. It can't be said enough that television is full of singing competitions. If I wanted to watch singers compete, I would watch those. AGT ought to be different. But since the singers WERE there, I had no patience for the judges' attitudes. There was no reason to sneer "a twelve year old did better than you" or "he might beat you because he's better looking even though he sucks." I'm all for contructive criticism (and wish there was more), but I never enjoy smug taunting. Flight Crew Jump Rope: It was so unlucky for them that the camera happened to be focused right on the mistake. With the constant cuts to judges/audience, blinding special effects, and focus zooming in and out, the home viewers could easily have missed that entirely... but we didn't. I pretty much always enjoy trick jump rope, though, and this is no exception. Mara Justine: Sigh. More singing. (After my rant about kiddie song choices last week, though, I will compliment her handlers for choosing something age appropriate this time around.) Bad Boys of Ballet: They were competent, but nothing about them stands out to me as opposed to any other dance group. Paul Ieti: Sigh. More singing. Mike Super: He made the most of his second chance and gave a good performance. I knew I'd enjoy him more if he ditched Desmond, but I didn't realize how much more. Andrey Moraru: Excellent. The way he combines contortion and dance with balancing/strength gives him an edge. Miguel Dakota: Sigh. More singing. Sons of Serendip: You know what I love about this group? Their promo packages. No sob stories, and they're so likeable. "She said 'who wants to learn the harp for free?' and I just heard 'free.'" David and Leeman: They should not have made it this far after "pick any word as long as it's the word we tell you to pick" fiasco. That's far worse than one stumble by a jump roper. But since they are here, they picked it up and did a great job. Their character/chatter works well. Dan Naturman: He was fine. I felt bad for him when Heidi basically declared his (mild, to my ear) performance the most offensive thing ever. But she was okay with the middle schooler telling sex jokes about his mom? Aerial Animation: Also good, but not her best. Emily West: Sigh. More singing.

I do hope that some season in the future they tighten up the judgment week shows to clarify what goes through automatically; what is cut; and what we didn't see in auditions but is there for judgment week. Instead of spending five minutes on Howie running around the triplets' house, also take the time to say "and we changed our minds about the tweenage kid telling dirty jokes, and we put the kiddie choir straight through." I'm very pleased with Heidi choosing the jump ropers. The others wouldn't have been my choices-- I would have liked to see Loop again, as well as the Bollywood dancers-- but there's nothing that has me banging my head against the wall.

That was a spectacularly week quarterfinals, by far the weakest of any of the quarterfinals this year. Bad Boys of Ballet: Eh. I have to agree with Howie. There was nothing "bad boy" or edgy about it. One Voice Children's Choir: I'm still mad about the way they got through. Howard and Howie always expect the female judges to defer to them when it comes to comedy, so how about Howard gives Mel B the same respect when it comes to singing? I hated that she caved to him. If the prize for winning is headlining a show in Vegas, I can't think of a worse act than a hundred-voice children's choir. If they could tell the family singing group that they belong at the Grand Ole Opry, not Vegas... why did they ever let this group through? And I cringed when I heard the first notes of that overplayed song (which I actually do like). It's great that these kids are learning teamwork and musical appreciation and have a leader who loves them and gives them a safe place to go. That doesn't mean they ever should have been here. Jonah Smith: Who? Forgettable. Dom the Bom's Triple Threat: Bad. Yes, it's impressive that the little boy can throw cards that far and yes the triplet aspect is a good gimmick, but cuteness and one trick doesn't take you far. Extreme: It was fine. But sometimes the groups that do similar things are spectacular. Emil and Dariel: Somehow I thought they had already been eliminated. I wouldn't mind if they went through, but again... just fine amidst a lot of terrible. Nina Burri: Good. Quintavious Johnson: The one kid I thought was getting through on competition-worthy talent rather than cuteness and he goes with "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going." It annoyed me when Mara Justine sang it and it annoyed me this time. That is a very grown up song about very grown up experiences. Having a kid sing it isn't precocious. It's creepy. One of the reasons I liked Jaycob Curley of the younger singers this year was because his first choice of song matched the experience he's actually had. Yeah, I can buy a teen who spent his early childhood bouncing around the foster care system singing about waiting on the world to change and coming from an authentic place. A young child cannot sing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from an authentic place. Mothmen Dance: AGT has so numbed me with their sob stories for every contestant that when someone legitimately appears to be upset about separation from his child, I'm all "that's all you've got for the sob story portion of the competition?!?!?! Who hasn't experienced that?!?!" Smoothini: The camera work wasn't friendly to the audience at home and the audience in the room obviously couldn't see a thing. He should have projected himself onto a screen for them. But, he gets some votes on the strength of past performance. Jonatan Riquelme: As was said above... it was all set up for a few seconds of performance. He gets some votes, too, though. Kelli Glover: So tired of hearing her whine about being eliminated that I'm looking forward to her being eliminated again. Now, can someone bring back the jump ropers?