S15.E02: Auditions 2

[helenamonster]

Quote

The auditions continue as variety acts of all types and contestants of all ages audition for the chance to win $1 million.

Original airdate: 6/2/20

[Anhourofmylife]

That whole phone call thing seemed very set up to me. I didn’t buy it.

[ams1001]

Little Drummer Boy was adorable. No comment on the rest of the act because there was too much going on and the cameras were all over the place; I couldn't keep track of it all.

"Where do you go from here? "

• He sings another song in a better outfit like every other singer on this show.

"I'm gonna do some crazy dance moves."

• Please don't be a contortionist. Please don't be a contortionist. Please don't be a contortionist. Dammit.
• Now we're reconciling families by the healing power of AGT and dance? Oy.

• 5 minutes ago, Snarklover said:

  That whole phone call thing seemed very set up to me. I didn’t buy it.

• No....that was totally spontaneous and unscripted. 😑

Twice now Terry has introduced himself to a contestant backstage and I swear he said "I'm Cherry."

I liked Osama the comedian. 

Kelvin(?) was good, but I changed channels in the middle to watch something else; will have to watch the rest tomorrow. Maybe.

[Archer27]

Roberta, 10 year old singer from Canada, - AMAZING!

I like the Bello sisters, Kelvin, Usama, and The Divas and Drummers of Compton - yes, I always like too many acts!

[Commando Cody]

The recording of this episode was all messed up because of the storm coverage. 

It didn't matter.  This show was so effing boring.  I've never fast forwarded through so much before.

From the acts I saw, Sophia didn't have much to pick from.  However, I don't think giving the 10 year old the GB was the best thing for the girl.  She was so nervous.  It seemed like she could have used the auditions to get her nerves in order.  Throwing her straight into the finals might be a mistake.  

Osama did make me laugh.  Nobody auditioning on this show has ever done that.  Especially in these times where I'm not in the laughing mood. 

Otherwise, total waste of time tonight. 

 

[BuckeyeLou]

I totally agree with everyone that Call to his Mama was totally a set-up, and I cant stand to watch Contortionists.  That little Drummer boy was cute as a button, but the rest of the Act was OK, but not great.  Osama was rather funny, and the Magic guy with the disappearing CD's was cool.  I liked the High School boy who played Football & sang...he had a nice voice, but the young boy with the glasses did not impress me with his voice.  The young girl sounded amazing, but that song "Shallow" was too mature for her & she was crying & seemed nervous...it made me nervous to watch her.  I did not think she deserved the Golden Buzzer.  And that final Rocker guy from Toledo did not do much for me....I thought he was 'goofy" but he did seem to be having fun. 

[Swenson]

Watching and commenting.   

Anuuuuther dance/stunt team ....this one with a drum line featuring the adorable child to win your hearts.  Good,  but V unbeatable they're not.

Is "You're what this show is all about"....the most overused phrase in the 15 seasons?

I agree with Howie that the boy singer was nervous.....you could tell.  

You think the girl singer on "Total Eclipse" might've been inspired by Darcy Lynn?   Go home and practice, and bring a puppet next time.

I knew he was gonna be a contortionist.  And it was creepy.  Not quite as much as Strauss Serpent....I can't imagine what he'll do next.

My name is Eugene.  Because Osama didn't make me laugh.  But he's getting through.....I'll keep an open mind next round.  

Young Kelvin has a powerful voice.....I think he's a finalist.....whether y'all approve or not.

The Bello Sisters?  Phenomenal balancing act.  You don't expect to see ladies doing that like the beefcake guys last season.  They're "what this show is all about".  When do you think we see the father join in.....I know it's coming.

Get ready....here comes this year's little girl singer.....and from Toronto ....home of G Force.   So did she bring you to tears?  Make you stand on your head in disbelief?   Me neither.  But she can sing sure.  And cry.  A golden buzzer?  Don't really agree. 

You're not fooling ME!  But how does he carry all those disks in his vest?   Great slight of hand.....but he's gonna do card magic at some point.

And I we know by now there will be a dog act every year because everybody knows Simon loves dogs.  A dog that jumps through rings.....looked very ordinary.   Until that small ring..... THAT was precision.

If these Colombian kid dancers won the million....how much would that be in pesos?   I don't think we'll worry about it.

Bonavega: Oh please buzz this guy somebody.....that's what I'm thinking.......but he's got balls.....I think......He admits he's obnoxious.....that's a start.  

And that's the show.

Spoiler

 

K

[Vermicious Knid]

It's another balancing act, but three sisters instead of three bothers this time. Are there really that many balancing acts out there? GB winner was not the very last performance for once. We'll be stuck with her through the finals, since this show already had a 10 year old and 12 year old singer win, but at least she has chops. Finally someone who understands there has to be more to an act, and gave us not just cute jumping dogs but a wizard theme. I want her dragon (wyvern?) tights.

High school football player was OK but needs to get rid of the terrible sweater and haircut. CD/DVD magician was fun, does anyone know what those 8" discs were?

[CrystalBlue]

I missed the Straight Outta Compton Drummers 'n Divas act because through the raucous noise my 93-year-old Dad called to say he couldn't get the station AGT is on.  I told him to try Channel 7 (the TV guide designates it as 39 here), then called him back during the first commercial to make sure he got it.  No word yet as to Dad's opinion of tonight's offerings; I won't be surprised to find out he turned it off long before the two hours of "talent" were over.

Usama the Comedian made me laugh and he seemed natural and polished.  The 10-year old Canadian singer may have sung well, but all the crying, water drinking, and nervousness was not polished.  I thought the song was too mature for her.

The first male jock-turned-singer has to work on presentation.  I agreed with Howie's comments.  We need more judging and less pandering from the judges.  The little boy singer Kelvin was more comfortable on stage and was pretty good.

I loved the dog act, even though it wasn't the most amazing dog show evah, but I liked the magic theme.

Colombian Kid Dancing Duo wasn't as good or original and exciting as last week's salsa couple, BAD from India.  Sowry*, Sofia.

The last act was interesting... Alice Cooper meets David Bowie: Metal Style?  I don't know how far he'll get but I want to see him again.

All in all, not as good as the S15 opener.  They obviously shot it the same day as the judges and Terry/Cherry's clothes were the same.  The group of lame ass reject acts only led to another reject act after all the buildup with the blonde chick not singing.

*In honor of last week's pig show.

[Babalooie]

12 hours ago, Snarklover said:

That whole phone call thing seemed very set up to me. I didn’t buy it.

That and the girl from Toronto who seemed to be in tears, but was able to answer questions and sing in a perfectly normal voice.  HMMM.

I'm always suspicious of producer hijinks. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

20 minutes ago, Babalooie said:

I'm always suspicious of producer hijinks. 

On this show? It should be called "America's Got Producers and Editors." 

[Lunula]

Like Simon, I'm a sucker for dog acts (really, any animal act). I guess because I have two greyhounds and they are not a breed very interested in doing what you ask them to do, lol. They're smart, they get it, they just don't care - so when I see dogs being so attentive and, ya know, doing what they're asked to do - I'm always impressed. 

The 10-year-old's voice was surprising, but I can't stand putting children singers through. We've seen time & time again that it's incredibly difficult to market a child singer to the general public and expect commercial success - and even when that happens, as soon as they sexually mature, their voices inevitably change and it ruins careers, self confidence, etc. 

I thought the magician was good, though there was something off-putting about his act to me. Maybe the constant mugging at the camera to tell us when we should be amazed? I dunno. 

We were cringing when Usama first came on, but he got into his groove pretty quickly and given how difficult it is for comedians to get on a roll in that short a time, I thought he did pretty well.

Bello sisters were good, even though it made me cringe since I've had so many knee surgeries!

I didn't like any of the other singers tonight. I thought the football player kid was okay, not great. I thought the other young boy would be great on Broadway if his chops hold up past puberty. The guy at the end actually wasn't too bad, but acts like that never seem to hold up for me past the first audition when the shock value is gone. Drummers/Divas were cute & entertaining, but just okay. I hated the contortionist, can't stand that kind of thing. 

[CrystalBlue]

1 hour ago, Babalooie said:

That and the girl from Toronto who seemed to be in tears, but was able to answer questions and sing in a perfectly normal voice.  HMMM.

I'm always suspicious of producer hijinks. 

So you think nervous, crybaby Canadian girl was hijinks?  HMMM.  Another way for the "new" kinder, gentler Simon to emerge.  (Which has gotten old!)

That stuff just wants me to yell, "Get your shit together!"  Or as the old saying goes:  Get your act together before you take it on the road.

[ams1001]

4 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

So you think nervous, crybaby Canadian girl was hijinks?  HMMM.  Another way for the "new" kinder, gentler Simon to emerge.  (Which has gotten old!)

That stuff just wants me to yell, "Get your shit together!"  Or as the old saying goes:  Get your act together before you take it on the road.

Watched the second half during lunch. Glad I'm not the only one who felt that way about her. She has a good voice but you should lose points if you're not ready to perform when you get on stage. Even if you're 10. The Colombian dancer girl was 10 and she was ready to go. How many more acts could we see if they dispensed with the drama?

The "I get bullied" thing is old, too. At least she saved it for after. I don't condone bullying and I feel for anyone who is, but too many people use it as their sob story on this show. And given the obvious hijinks, I have to take a lot of them with a grain of salt.

[Babalooie]

7 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

So you think nervous, crybaby Canadian girl was hijinks?  HMMM.  Another way for the "new" kinder, gentler Simon to emerge.  (Which has gotten old!)

Yep.  Remember a couple of seasons ago when the tall, thin English girl came out and was so shy on stage and in her sob story video?  What did she do then?  Turned into a strutting, growling Janis Joplin, lol.

[bluepiano]

11 hours ago, Lunula said:

The 10-year-old's voice was surprising, but I can't stand putting children singers through. 

Last week I posted that I enjoyed the first audition show because of what we didn't see, including kid singers. This week they made up for that in spades. Yawn. In general it was back to the same old-same old for AGT - kid singers, kid dancers, a woman and her dog, sleight of hand magic, contortionist dancer, sob stories about bullying, sob stories about parents who don't want their kids in show biz etc. 

 I dislike the kid singers because there is no way to avoid grading them on a curve. It's always, "he/she has an amazing voice for that age." Same with kid dancers, actually. The pair from Columbia seemed like sweet kids, but the whole act was really their facial expressions. The dancing was nothing special. (Unlike the Indian pair who I thought were great).

The rock screamer who concluded the show is kind of this season's Hans. Though I actually think he has more talent. (Wish he'd done more on the guitar).

This is going to sound nitpicky, and a bit personal, but it annoyed me when the comedian said he's only played bad gigs in bad bars. Doing those gigs is how you learn your craft. Did he expect to start his career headlining at Caesar's Palace? He came across to me as arrogant and entitled. I'm a professional musician, and I don't feel any gig is bad if you entertain even one person. (And having not been able to perform in months due to COVID I especially value every place I've ever played). 

Edited June 4, 2020 by bluepiano

[foxfreakinmulder]

21 hours ago, Swenson said:

The Bello Sisters?  Phenomenal balancing act.  You don't expect to see ladies doing that like the beefcake guys last season.  They're "what this show is all about".  When do you think we see the father join in.....I know it's coming.

You know daddy's coming and probably momma too with her stilts, lol. I did like there act though.

I hate the editing and cuts to the audience when I'm trying to watch an act on stage sooooo much!

Did I miss something cause I swear after the magician (which I thought was pretty good) Simon said "you have your 3rd yes" and then he walked off stage. Did they not show Howie's vote or did I zone out?  

The doggies didn't do much but that was a cute trick switching the large dog with the little one.

Didn't they used to let us know at the beginning of the show which judge had the golden buzzer? Granted I started watching the year Darci won but I swear Tyra told us.

 

[SG11]

I didn’t think this week was anywhere near as good as last week, although Sofia seemed more comfortable. The show is much better with her and Heidi.

The drummers and divas were mediocre. Terry starts the silly talk saying they are one of the best acts ever. Both sets of young dancers were OK. I liked Usama but he seems like he won’t keep it up. The contortionist was excellent but the set up call was ridiculous.

Loved the sisters, great job. The boy with the glasses was very good but his stage presence was everything. The opposite, the girl from TO was a train wreck but by far the best performer of the night. It seems odd when someone genuinely good actually wins the GB. I hated, hated her throwing in that bullying sob story BS. Tainted.

Crazy guy at the end was entertaining I guess. The dog show with the lady in the silly outfit wasn’t very good.

I was baffled by the CD magician guy when Howie clearly HATED him, didn’t even applaud... so they vote and they didn’t even acknowledge Howie comments or vote. He went through with 3 yes votes... what happened that they had to cut Howie altogether?

 

 

[InternetToughGuy]

I typed out a bit and realized there's nothing to say; the auditions are rarely worth commenting on due to having no rapport built with any contestant, so there's no reason to care. Granted, the familiarity of seeing the same people every week usually leads to realizing just how much I hate them, but it's still the backbone of there being anything to say.

[foxfreakinmulder]

11 hours ago, SG11 said:

I was baffled by the CD magician guy when Howie clearly HATED him, didn’t even applaud... so they vote and they didn’t even acknowledge Howie comments or vote. He went through with 3 yes votes... what happened that they had to cut Howie altogether?

I thought I had zoned out and missed it because like I said in my first post he walked off stage after Simon gave him his 3rd vote and it didn't show Howie. What was up with that? Judges  can't dislike an act now.

The phone call was stupid and fake as hell because the guy told Terry his dad locked him out of the house after he told his parents he wanted to "dance" so Simon doesn't know the relationship this guy has with his parents to be calling them, you don't call a strangers parents.  I was under the impression they disowned him with the story he told Terry. 

The rocker guy was over the top and his next act will be the same so his showmanship/personality will get him the votes to continue. I wasn't impressed.

[SG11]

17 hours ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

You know daddy's coming and probably momma too with her stilts, lol. I did like there act though.

I hate the editing and cuts to the audience when I'm trying to watch an act on stage sooooo much!

Did I miss something cause I swear after the magician (which I thought was pretty good) Simon said "you have your 3rd yes" and then he walked off stage. Did they not show Howie's vote or did I zone out?  

The doggies didn't do much but that was a cute trick switching the large dog with the little one.

Didn't they used to let us know at the beginning of the show which judge had the golden buzzer? Granted I started watching the year Darci won but I swear Tyra told us.

 

I missed your note here about Howie. It was clear Howie hated the guy, I couldn’t wait to hear what he was going to say. They cut it altogether. As you state later, Judges cannot criticize anything anymore, and it’s odd that terminally lovey Howie is now the designated guy who makes one “no” vote every couple weeks. 
 

You are right they are no longer Telling who has the GB, but it you watch the clips at the beginning they show someone reaching for the buzzer at some point, so you know. Last week when you saw Terry it wasn’t hard to guess who he would pick.

[CrystalBlue]

20 hours ago, bluepiano said:

Last week I posted that I enjoyed the first audition show because of what we didn't see, including kid singers. This week they made up for that in spades. Yawn. In general it was back to the same old-same old for AGT - kid singers, kid dancers, a woman and her dog, sleight of hand magic, contortionist dancer, sob stories about bullying, sob stories about parents who don't want their kids in show biz etc. 

 I dislike the kid singers because there is no way to avoid grading them on a curve. It's always, "he/she has an amazing voice for that age." Same with kid dancers, actually. The pair from Columbia seemed like sweet kids, but the whole act was really their facial expressions. The dancing was nothing special. (Unlike the Indian pair who I thought were great).

The rock screamer who concluded the show is kind of this season's Hans. Though I actually think he has more talent. (Wish he'd done more on the guitar).

This is going to sound nitpicky, and a bit personal, but it annoyed me when the comedian said he's only played bad gigs in bad bars. Doing those gigs is how you learn your craft. Did he expect to start his career headlining at Caesar's Palace? He came across to me as arrogant and entitled. I'm a professional musician, and I don't feel any gig is bad if you entertain even one person. (And having not been able to perform in months due to COVID I especially value every place I've ever played). 

Agree with everything, especially putting the Hans label of whatever his name is Bonavega (looked it up, must remember!) .

As for Usama, I give him a pass on the bad bars because when starting out, the audiences can be brutal.  Hecklers won't let the thin-skinned get too far.  Plus, I kind out doubt if the bar scene is culturally and/or religiously compatible with a guy named Usama who commented on his experiences after 9/11.  I liked him and want to see him again.  He's miles ahead of Trailer Nasty Vicki!

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I genuinely loved the Compton backstory.  Perfect timing for what we are going through, imo.  YMMV.  I was shocked that the percussion did not seem to be enhanced by AGT minions.  Unfortunately, they aren't that great in choreo nor execution.  

The circus sisters were quite good.  Not sure if they can bring a whole lot new innovation, though.  For this night, anyway, they sure did.

The dog concept was brilliant and I really appreciated that.  Again, the execution was lacking.  Certainly a yes from me, though.

The CD magician was incredible to me.  The thing I most admired was how he would go from holding several of them with thumbs and forefingers, and the instantly transfer to another set, but this time with at least the forefinger through the middle hole.  Serious, serious, dexterity.

The coloratura from the young crybaby GB was sorely lacking, but man, her tonality was fantastic.  With the right handling she really could become something.

The comedian's performance demonstrated the worth of honing one's craft before taking a big stage or claiming a big shot at success.  His comfortable tone, and especially his perfect timing, demonstrated geuine professionalism.  I liked his material, too.  I would have loved to have heard something from a different topic, but what we did get was top notch and funny.

I love, love, love the potential of the "Super No."  Sofia is a smart cookie.  Definite upgrade.

 

[InternetToughGuy]

17 hours ago, InternetToughGuy said:

I typed out a bit and realized there's nothing to say; the auditions are rarely worth commenting on due to having no rapport built with any contestant, so there's no reason to care. Granted, the familiarity of seeing the same people every week usually leads to realizing just how much I hate them, but it's still the backbone of there being anything to say.

Why all the sad faces? 😭

Edited June 4, 2020 by InternetToughGuy

[helenamonster]

I didn't think GB girl was that good, and the way she pronounced "shallow" like "shellow" grated on my nerves. And, as always, I can do without the histrionics.

Also thought the football player kid (are we really still surprised that people can be multifaceted) had a good voice but he needs to get his nerves under control. He had this weird smile during a lot of the song, which was fairly serious. It was so off-putting.

Yes to doggo magicians! Yes to CD magician!

[marketdoctor]

I really enjoyed the dog trainer/magician, in part because of the Arrested Development story that tries to do that, and it does not go well.  Magic with a dog is a challenge.

The bigger CD/DVDs might be cut-down laser discs (which were originally 12"/30 cm, so, bigger than what he was using.)

Unless I missed it, GB girl avoided one of their other cliches:  "You're not just talented for (your age/gender expression/producer-emphasized challenge), you're talented for ANY (whatever the previous thing was.)"  Because that's the point of the show.

I suspect Howie hated the CD magician because it looked like two tricks (making CDs appear and disappear), and if you figure out how it's done, it's not that impressive.  That might be especially true if Howie saw things at more of an angle than the audience could.  My best guess--more of a "how I'd do it" than how it's done:

Spoiler

The CDs are black on one side, and and are all over his shirt and vest.  His sleight of hand covers flipping them over, but Howie saw a left-to-right flip, and that gave the trick away.  The shirt/vest could also be hiding pockets, where the CDs are pulled out of.  If I'm right, it's a clever application of "black stage" appearing/disappearing, and it's more original (to me) than the groups that do the same thing by turning lights on and off.

 

ETA:  I liked how the young dancers from Columbia could actually speak some Spanish; I know it was a producer moment, but it was nice to see someone be who/what they said they were.  And I hope it works out long-term for them and for GB singer girl.

 

 

 

Edited June 5, 2020 by marketdoctor

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, InternetToughGuy said:

Why all the sad faces? 😭

You and Neet were half the fun of reading this board the past few seasons... 

[lynxfx]

Nice to have a good parlor magician on for a change and I haven't seen any mainstream magician do CD tricks in 20 years. I didn't realize that Howie didn't like him. I fear the he won't last long as they will want him to raise the bar or unfairly say he is repetitive if he does more parlor tricks. Probably my least favorite aspect of AGT, everyone except singers are required to "take it to the next level" or face criticism. They can't just put on a good show. Hell Lance Burton made his 20 plus year career off of a 3 minute candle routine which he never changed to this day. 

[DEL901]

Finally watching this episode.   Loved the kid singer.   I also liked that she was dressed like a kid. No make up.  Jeans.  Long sleeved top.   She cried, but it is easy to forget she is only 10 which is what, grade 4?

I also liked that she kept some of the gold confetti.   

[tinkerbell]

The contortionist said he was a dancer. No, he's a double jointed guy who dislocated and relocated his shoulder to music.  

 

[InternetToughGuy]

3 hours ago, tinkerbell said:

The contortionist said he was a dancer. No, he's a double jointed guy who dislocated and relocated his shoulder to music.  

 

Hard to believe that was his first instinct when he was told to "Do the twist"