S09.E20: Semifinals: Week 2 Performances

[maraleia]

 

The remaining 12 acts of the top 24 perform, including the final judge's wildcard pick.

 

[peggy06]

I won't lie, I was really disappointed by a lot of the acts tonight. I liked: Jonah Smith, Acro Army, the two magicians. Was disappointed by Blue Journey, Christian and Scooby, and Quintavious.

 

Howard may be too lenient on some acts, but he was spot-on regarding Christian and Scooby. No doubt that the trick was hard, but it wasn't flashy, and it was followed by a lot of nothing involving the dogs. He really can't afford to be just a "dog act" because that part isn't that strong.

 

Blue Journey's performance just didn't grab me. The visuals and the dance didn't seem to coordinate all that well.

 

Quintavious is talented and has a big voice. I like him. I still thought he oversang that song. There were some real off-notes, including the end. I know gospel is full of runs, but there needs to be more control than he has at this point. Also, it's just not a song for a 12-year-old. But given the effusive praise and audience reaction, I think he'll go through. I wish he would sing something more age appropriate and less overdone, next time.

 

Of the rest, I can't even judge Baila Conmigo because there are too many of them and it's too fast-paced. It doesn't seem like they're doing a whole lot of dancing (I mean different steps). The lifts and throws are dramatic, of course. When they dance, I simply cannot focus on their act. The blinding yellow shirts tonight didn't help. Somebody help me out here: Is that good salsa dancing? Doesn't matter, really - the crowd adores them. I see them final two.

 

Kelli Glover was actually better than I remembered, but still not good enough to win. The cellists were blah. The number didn't seem very challenging. Jaycob Curlee was OK, nothing special. His story is what's keeping him in this. He does seem like a very nice kid, and I am moved by his story, but that's beside the point. Wendy Liebman was fine, but not outstanding. Her routine last time out was better.

[UsernameGoesHere]

Is Jonah Smith a solo act or a band? I've been so confused about this all season.

 

Maybe I just know nothing about dance, but I feel like Baila Conmingo (don't know how to spell that) is the same exact thing every time.

 

I honestly forgot that Jaycob Curlee was still on the show. I don't get how he is. He is sooooo boring. Can't I just vote for his mom instead? I like her. I hope he's gone tomorrow. Mama Curlee can stay.

 

AcroArmy makes me so nervous with all of their throws and what not. This is a performance I'm going to need to watch again because there was so much going on, but on first watch I thought it was really good. Plus I've always loved the song they used. I hope they go through.

 

Shocked they didn't give Kelli the pimp spot again. This was just meh. I can see her being in that Snapple Save nonsense tomorrow night.

 

Probably an unpopular opinion but I find Blue Journey pretty boring.

 

I like Emil & Dariel. No thanks to Howard's idea of a singer joining them. Just no. They have some great covers on youtube that I want to see them do on the show (like Smooth Criminal).

 

I laughed at Smoothini in his video package asking WTF he was doing with a fish last time. We were all wondering the same thing, dude. I thought he did a lot better this week.

 

I love Christian. And Scooby. And now there's a random new dog. Well, okay. Their video packages crack me up every week. Love Christian playing up that he's basically second banana to Scooby now. This wasn't their best performance at all. I think he's running out of tricks. Scooby in the airplane made me laugh because I'm 5. I'm still voting like crazy for them because this is my favorite act.

 

Get that pimp spot, Quintavious! LMAO at him saying this about his grandma: "I know she'll be jumping up and down in front of the TV and actin' a fool." I can't. And did he steal that jacket from Nick's closet?

 

Random predictions... Quintavious, Mat, AcroArmy, Blue Journey, Christian/Scooby/Scooby II going through. I have no clue about the 6th spot. Could be anyone.

Edited September 3, 2014 by UsernameGoesHere

[helenamonster]

Overall, a much stronger semifinal than last week.

 

Jonah Smith: I mean, he's good, but I forgot about him by the middle of the show.

 

Baila Conmigo: First of all, those bright costumes were distracting as hell. Second, Howie and Howard really pointed out the problem with this act when they mentioned that the children were better than the adults. If you're gonna have an act with that many people, they all need to be good. If half your act can't pull their weight, that act does not belong on the show. Plus, the children have the "cute factor" curve, so are they, objectively, really even that much better than the adults?

 

Jaycob Curlee: Better than his last performance (he looks more comfortable with a guitar in his hands), but still pretty meh. Singers need to really stand out on this show for me to like them, and he doesn't.

 

Mat Franco: Whoops, Mel cursed during a magic act again. But this dude is LEGIT. I think he might be my favorite right now. He's engaging, his tricks are clean...he's just awesome.

 

AcroArmy: Awesome performance. Sometimes when the judges say that they were on the edge of their seats, I just roll my eyes, but I agree with them this time. I really hope they go through.

 

Kelli Glover: OH NO SHE DIDN'T. One does not simply sing a Beyonce song. A Beyonce song (especially one like "Love on Top") requires a certain confidence that the judges have pointed out she just doesn't have.

 

Wendy Liebman: Eh, she had a couple good jokes in there. I liked her quarterfinal set better.

 

Blue Journey: I always enjoy them. Another solid performance.

 

Emil & Dariel: So awesome. And I love how much they love their grandfather.

 

Smoothini: I think he's great (and definitely stepped it up from last time), but idk if he'll make it through. I don't think he did enough, and he can only coast on his audition performance for so long.

 

Christian Stoinev: Yeah, he's run out of moves. He's cute, and Scooby's cute, and Scooby II is cute, but this act was a whole lot of nothing mixed with tricks we've already seen.

 

Quintavious Johnson: He's obviously talented, but this performance just didn't do it for me.

[beagletime]

Kelli Glover- Not a good choice to do a Beyonce song. Kelli is a good enough singer, I just can't take her story. If she wants to be a singer she should be working cruise ships, dinner theaters and lounges.  It appears she wants to be superstar more than a working singer.

 

Qunitavious- talented but it just didn't work for me tonight. I love his confidence. 

 

Acro Army- They are talented and exciting. There is just too many of them. They make me think of acrobatic groups from past years.  I think the group size should be limited.  If it's an army it's just too many people and it gets distracting. 

 

Same with the Baila Conmingo.  There are just too many and it is hectic looking.  Howard was right. The little kids are the act.

 

Emil and Dariel- They are very talented with great stage presence for their ages. I would really like to see them mix it up next week and do a straight classical number.  The cello is a beautiful instrument. There are lot's of flashy, complicated cello pieces. When they said they wanted to bring cello to arenas, I was reminded of seeing the Electric Light Orchestra at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.  Everything old is new again.

 

Love Smoothini,  His personality came through and he is really, really good at sleight of hand. The problem is that type of magic just doesn't work on a big stage. It really needs to be closeup.

 

Blue Journey- Good dancers.  Dance acts interacting with animation is getting a little overdone.  

I would love to see some dancers come on and just dance. Something joyful, celebrating movement and music. It seems we've had a dearth of dance acts the last few years that have to tell a story.  Or a very special message for the world.  They are good, but would like to see something different. 

 

Christian and Scooby- Christian couldn't be any cuter, with that smile. Scooby is cute too.  Tonight there was too much filler and the set was much too cluttered. You couldn't really see anything that was going on. 

 

The acrobatic and strength acts have a tougher job than the singers and magicians or comics. The comics can tell a couple new jokes each week. The singers can pick a new song. The magicians usually do one trick so they can change that up.  With acrobatics and strength acts there are usually only so many moves. Even Andrey did a lot of the same moves in each of his hand balancing performances. What changed was the music and the presentation.  Christian was correct that adding a new trick takes a lot of time and work.  Christian is more of a straight strength act so it's a little harder to change the presentation.  Andrey's did a more artistic performance so would seem to be a little less of a challenge to change the presentation.

 

I hope Christian makes it through. Hopefully next week he will get back to basics. He is a talented hand balancer.

Edited September 3, 2014 by beagletime

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Great moment when Mel B was not having any of it when Howard and Howie tried to slow her roll when she was praising Baila Conmigo.  That was real.  I think she was correct about the act, too.  That was as good as any dance troupe has ever executed such a frenetic piece.  I would not have had them get through to the semis, either.  They really brought it tonight, though.

 

Acro Army had excellent timing.  I was just very underwhelmed with the degree of difficulty.  I also don't much care for Cirque du Soleil-style acts.  I would vote for them a billion times, though, over any singer.

 

Kelli's voice was reed thin for far too much of that performance.  I get that this is what passes for great singing these days.  It isn't.  I find it pathetic that the jidges who fell all over themselves for her with past performance train wrecks decided now to run her over with their own tour bus.

 

I wanted to barf when they attempted to make Liebman appear like any typical daughter.  Her whole shtick is mean/sarcastic edginess.   This is the wrong venue entirely for her.  Not her fault, but once again TPTB radically reduced the air-time for a comedian.  

 

E + D - LO could not have picked a better song for their genre.  I wish the sound that came out was more crisp.  

 

It was exceedingly unfair to allow Scooby the pre-taped sequence, and then the cut to a pre-taped sequence as Scooby made his entrance.  The jidges were talking out their rears with their criticism of more Scooby and less strongman balancing, which gets very old and very boring, real quick.  Not one of them gave props for the wildly enhanced production values.  I would never vote for this act to go through, though (well, unless there were too many singing acts).

 

Quintavious was not as good as before.  He definitely was struggling.  

 

Overall, this Semi was far better than last week's putridity.  I'd vote for Blue Journey, Matt Franco, Baila Conmigo, and I guess, Acro Army. 

[gaPeach]

Love Smoothini,  His personality came through and he is really, really good at sleight of hand. The problem is that type of magic just doesn't work on a big stage. It really needs to be closeup.

 

To me it felt too much like bar tricks and not a magic act.  Nice enough guy but not enough for an actual "act".

 

I agree that the dancers and aerobic groups have it much harder then singers.  They get criticisms that they are doing the same thing each performance.  Well so are singers.  They never tell singers they sound the same why don't you changed it up and come out yodeling or doing rap or something different than what we saw last time. 

 

And I think it hard for people to vote for a group of people vs just one person.  There is more of a connection when it is one or two but a whole group just gets lost in the translation.

 

I love Christian and Scooby but that act was a mess.  If he gets through he needs to go back to more balancing then dog tricks.  He needs to train Scooby to balance on his front or hind legs while balancing on Christians feet.  Now that would be cool.

[ShadowDenizen]

Jaycob Curlee was OK, nothing special. His story is what's keeping him in this. He does seem like a very nice kid, and I am moved by his story, but that's beside the point.

 

I'm quite partial to him.  In addition to his "story", he clearly has talent, and seems like a super-humble guy that I wouldn't mind talking to/hanging out with. But the judges were right; he needs to expand his presence, which might not be something that comes naturally to him.  Some performers are just better suited to small, intimate performances, others are more suited to the big stage selling out arenas. Neither is better or worse than the other.

 

So,  I'm not sure that's gonna make the cut to the finals. sadly, but I think he has a birght future ahead of him.

 

 

Quintavious was not as good as before.  He definitely was struggling.

 

Agreed, but I think he might have the fan support.

 

I also agree with the judges that the Bailo Conmingos group is just too big, though they could have quite a bit less blunt about praising the kids and dissing the adults.

 

I further agree with Beagletime that Smoothini's brand of magic doesn't work so well on the big stage playing to an arena. He definitely seems more of a close-up magiician. I was surprised that he made it this far, to be honest.

Edited September 3, 2014 by ShadowDenizen

[Mumbles]

Liebman had better material than her last time, but that's damning her with faint praise. You can go to any local Ha Ha Hut on a weekday evening and see an act of similar quality and material.

Similarly, you can go to a coffee shop in a college town and hear a kid sing an acoustic version of "Your Song."

That's why I wish this show would stick with acts that you're not just going to stumble on. Not a big fan of Baila Conmingo or whatever they're called (those kids look TERRIFIED, I shudder to think what pressure they're getting) but at least it's not something you see every day.

[EtheltoTillie]

I'm just amazed that Wendy Leibman is just now getting on a show like this or needs a show like this.  She has been around forever.  She used to appear on Carson and the like. 

[walnutqueen]

The salsa dancers' costume colors made my eyes hurt, so all I could focus on was that little boy's open fly...

[elainemarie33]

There were only four singers tonight, so why did it seem like there were more!?   Yes, Howard, the two cello players really need a singer to liven up their act - not!   I usually agree with his criticism, but not this time.

 

I had no particular favorites on another blah night, imo of course, so I voted for the ones that made me smile or laugh (in a good way), and that would be Christian and Scooby, Mat (I like him so much more than any other magician in the semi-finals),  Jonah, (the only singer I really enjoyed last night), and Emile and Dariel.  My only horse in this race - and bite my tongue because she is a singer -  would be Emily West. 

 

And Howie, this is definitely NOT the best year of talent the show has ever had, not the worst, but certainly not the best.    I do like the jidges, with one exception, YOU!

 

PS - with my beloved TWoP gone, I am so happy to have a new favorite place to  read and occasionally post - Previously TV.  I was resistant at first, but the posters have won me over.  

[rollacoaster]

Christian and Scooby- Christian couldn't be any cuter, with that smile. Scooby is cute too.  Tonight there was too much filler and the set was much too cluttered. You couldn't really see anything that was going on.

 

 

There really wasn't much going on.

[Shermie]

My choices to go through would be both magicians, the cello boys, Acro Army, Baila Conmigo Scooby & Co. and Blue Journey. Yes, I know that's seven but any of that group would be fine. Clearly, I prefer variety acts.

Wendy Liebman's presence on this show is ridiculous, which has been discussed for weeks. Heidi saying she loves her style of adding a contradictory wisecrack after each joke is true - because Leibman has been doing that act for 20 years on H bO, the Comedy Network, and all the late night talk show, FFS. I am surprised by how short she is.

The four singers (and seriously, four singers out of twelve acts?) were dull. The best was Quintavious. Is Kelli Glover going to stop even humming for the next five years after she is voted off, or is she going to turn up on The Voice next? For the love of. God, woman, you can sing and can make a living and have modest fame doing musical theatre, cruise ships, etc. but yeah, I agree she wants fame more than she wants success.

Scooby and Chrisitan were weak, and I don't like it when acts get defensive, but I'd be okay with it if they got another chance.

The acts that I think will go through are Quintavious, Mat the magician, cello boys, and Acro Army. The judges will probably have to choose from some combination of Smoothini, Scooby, Baila C. and Blue J.

[UsernameGoesHere]

I think the problem with my man Christian is that dog or no dog, dude is simply out of tricks. Even if he ditches the Scoobster next week, it will probably just be his first audition all over again. There's only so much any hand balancer can do. Same goes for Andrey. I think Christian is the kind of performer who goes from venue to venue doing the same one or two performances over and over again and that's it. He's great, but it's hard for him to give us something fresh and new every week. Ditto for any acrobatic or dance act (though somehow last year the Kristef Brothers managed to make it new and exciting every week). I still hope he makes it through because he's my fave. If he doesn't, he can move to Michigan and we can get married and raise the Scoobies together.

[Panopticon]

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.

Edited September 3, 2014 by Panopticon

[Dust Bunny]

I started the DVR recording, listened to about 4 measures of Jonah Smith, got incredibly bored, and deleted the whole recording.

 

I guess I'm done. I've lost all interest. I'm unsure if it's just this season or the show in its entirety. 

[helenamonster]

Is Kelli Glover going to stop even humming for the next five years after she is voted off, or is she going to turn up on The Voice next?

 

Oh my God, that was ridiculous. If she honestly hadn't even been humming, much less singing, for the past five years, wouldn't her voice be pretty much gone? Isn't it like any other muscle in that you have to exercise it if you want to use it to its full potential?

[daughtersofanarchy]

Jonah: For me, this was his best performance so far.

 

Baila Conmigo: The actual footwork in this routine was even less complicated than their previous performances, and they have never done any intricate footwork in this whole competition.  They shuffle their feet back and forth, back and forth at a fast pace, and this is the only move they do for the greater percentage of time they are up there.

 

Jaycob:  He's a sweet kid and he likes to do quiet, heartfelt arrangements.  I said before that I think he must have a big following among tweens and early teens, and I think they will vote him through again.

 

Mat Franco: Liked his previous tricks but not this one.  This was a lot of fuss and bother and running around over what is really an old trick.  Messy and not outstanding.

 

AcroArmy: This was good, entertaining, and the throws at the end were thrilling, actually.  One of the few performances this season that made dh and I say "wow".

 

Kelli Glover:  Visually she was lost among the stage props. Vocally she was just plain lost.  Horrible song choice and horrible attempt at dance moves.

 

Wendy Liebman: Howard did not do this woman any favors at all by bringing her back.  All she did was reinforce the audience's decision to vote her off.  Her sob story sucks.  She had a career that was doing well, she chose to get married and she chose to have children and she chose to put her career on the back burner to raise her children.  Now she's crying the blues and wants to be able to pick up her career exactly where she left off.  Well, times have changed, lady, the zeitgeist has changed, but your act hasn't changed a bit. It's like she can't believe the world didn't stop for her to take a time-out.  Her ego is massive.

 

Blue Journey:  Yikes, the setting was funereal,  most of the time it was a big blob of black, with the guy almost invisible.  Yeah, I get that that's what they were probably going for, as I think he was supposed to be dead, but it was a total downer, and the music was a downer as well.  America's got the talent to depress the hell out of us in the name of variety.  Can I say that this was beyond the pale?

 

Emil & Dariel: Really sorry that their grandfather couldn't join them because I think that could have been very good.  I didn't like last night's performance as much their other performances, and am not sure why.

 

Smoothini: I like this guy and think he did a good job last night.  I do understand the complaints that his act isn't suited to a big stage.

 

Christian & Scooby: Scooby made a hilarious Top Gun in his little jet.  The ending was a major problem.  Of course, we hope for a big ending, but there wasn't any ending at all, it just stopped.  It took me a while to get what Christian was going for at the end.  He had Scooby's little carrying case that Scooby usually runs to and jumps into at the end of the act, letting the lid come down and shut him in the case.  But when Christian gestured for Scooby to jump in, Scooby refused (on purpose, as part of the act), then Christian acted puzzled and gestured again for Scooby to jump in the case and Scooby stood up on his front legs and sort of ran to the side, again refusing to get in the case.  That was when Christian held up the lid of the case and the second little dog popped up.  And that was the grand finale.  In other words, the joke was that Scooby was smarter than Christian and knew the case was already occupied, great joke, ha ha, except nobody seemed to get it.  They were delighted by the second dog, but didn't get the narrative, so it was all a confusing mess.  However, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the act goes through anyway.

 

Quintavious: I like this kid.  The song choice and arrangement were both bad.  I think he'll probably go through regardless. 

[beagletime]

Wendy Liebman needs to stop talking about doing laundry.  The harried housewife schtick doesn't work. Pay someone to do the laundry or have your husband or kids do it.

[mustbekarma]

I'll take Christian and Scooby on a slightly off night before any of the acts this season.

[Shermie]

Wendy Liebman: Howard did not do this woman any favors at all by bringing her back.  All she did was reinforce the audience's decision to vote her off.  Her sob story sucks.  She had a career that was doing well, she chose to get married and she chose to have children and she chose to put her career on the back burner to raise her children.  Now she's crying the blues and wants to be able to pick up her career exactly where she left off.  Well, times have changed, lady, the zeitgeist has changed, but your act hasn't changed a bit. It's like she can't believe the world didn't stop for her to take a time-out.  Her ego is massive.

 

The thing is - and I've posted this before - her entire narrative is bullshit. She paints a picture of a woman who was a rising comic star, but then got married and spent the last 15 years raising kids. Now they're older and she wants to get back at her career. 

 

But here's the real story. She didn't "have" children; she married a guy in 2012 who had two sons. In that same year, she had a self-titled Showtime special. She won an award in 1997 for Female Comedian of the Year and during those years, she appeared on The Larry Sanders Show on HBO, The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, as well as numerous appearances on Just for Laughs. So she was very well established when she allegedly gave up her career for motherhood. Plus, the guy she married is the son of Robert Sherman, writer of several Disney hits, including the songs from Mary Poppins. So not only is she already an established and successful comedian, she has major connections to the entertainment industry. And she didn't give up anything to have a family. Ugh, exaggerated hardship stories are bad enough, but this one is complete fiction. Thank goodness she didn't go through.

[UsernameGoesHere]

Finally had a chance to rewatch some of the performances, and man, AcroArmy really brought it. Best act of the night for me by far. I have no idea how they can top this. I'm happy that one guy got to come back and perform with them since he was one of the most important parts of the act - he was the guy throwing the girl around after she did the back handsprings onto him. That was my favorite part.

 

I thought the first minute of Christian's act was decent, but it really went off the rails after that hand walking trick and the last 45 seconds was just silly Scooby filler.

 

I don't think Wendy is bad and I did laugh at some of her jokes, but I think for the most part she probably only appeals to a certain demographic - 50+ married women. I think the main voting demo on this show is the teen girls who vote the likes of Miguel Dakota through every week, and I can't imagine those same people voting for laundry and bone density loss jokes. I do agree that the judges, particularly Howard, are trying way too hard to make her happen.

Edited September 4, 2014 by UsernameGoesHere

[peggy06]

It really, seriously, bugs me that they invite someone like Wendy Leibman on the show and then push her so hard, even bringing her back after America had its say. From what Shermie posted above, there's been no break in her career to raise a family - the family only happened in 2012? Don't insult the audience by making up supposed human-interest stories. There is this thing called the intenet, and video. Really riles me. It also calls into question the whole role of the judges. They have way too much say on this show for my taste. if they were experts in the fields they're judging, maybe I could see it. But they're just sort of supervoters. Our opinions are every bit as valid, from what I can see. Give them a single, collaborative save like on American Idol. None of this picking the final person to go through in each round, plus Golden Buzzers, plus wild cards, plus judges' choice. Or else get better judges.

[daughtersofanarchy]

Shermie: Thank you for the correction about Wendy, and the complete lowdown (and I mean low) about her.  Now I despise her even more than before. hee hee

 

peggy06: Totally agree with everything you said about Wendy and the judges.

[Shermie]

The thing is, I found all that about Wendy Leibman in 10 seconds using Google. 

 

I don't think Wendy is bad and I did laugh at some of her jokes, but I think for the most part she probably only appeals to a certain demographic - 50+ married women.

 

As a 50+ married woman, she doesn't appeal to me. I mean, she's funny and all that (but not really on AGT, she's been much funnier on Just For Laughs, etc.). A lot of AGT fans are seniors, my 80+ parents can't get enough of the show and they love singers. Not that they'd vote, though (as Canadians they can't, but they wouldn't anyway). I also find a lot of families watch AGT.

 

Unless Christian and Scooby really bring it next week, I amend my prediction that they'd be in the final two vs. Emily West. Acro Army has a good chance, assuming they really bring it.

 

I think the acts that got through in Semi-Finals 1 have an advantage over those that got through this week, since they've had an extra week to put something together. This week's acts - esp. complicated ones like Acro Army - just perfected their semi-final bit, and now they have a week to create and learn an entirely new act. I suppose all the acts should be preparing for the next step, regardless, but the extra time is an advantage, I think.

[4leafclover]

 

The salsa dancers' costume colors made my eyes hurt, so all I could focus on was that little boy's open fly...

 

Thank you walnutqueen, I thought I was the only person who was distracted by that!  I wanted to yell, "Everybody stop......and tell that kid to zip up!"

[Miss Scarlet]

Mat Franco: Whoops, Mel cursed during a magic act again. But this dude is LEGIT. I think he might be my favorite right now. He's engaging, his tricks are clean...he's just awesome.

 

AcroArmy: Awesome performance. Sometimes when the judges say that they were on the edge of their seats, I just roll my eyes, but I agree with them this time. I really hope they go through.

These were my two favorites this week. Mat Franco FTW. I feel like all the buzz has been about Emily and Miguel and no one's been paying that much attention to him, but he is by far my favorite act this season. Why isn't he considered a front-runner? He's been amazing every time. His tricks are great and it's clear he puts a ton of thought and effort into them. I think he's smart about the tricks he chooses to do and the way he presents them. I like his presentation and don't get bored during it like I do with other magic acts (I'm looking at you, David and Leeman). He's also very believable with his presentation. At first I really thought that he dropped Mel's phone in the cup by accident and that it wasn't part of the act. It would be great to have someone other than a singer win this season and a magic act win for once. I will be sad if he doesn't win.

 

Loved Acro Army. I've been starting to get bored with these types of acts because after a while it all looks the same, but they are amazing. I gasped at some of the moves they were doing. Like Mat Franco I feel they've been underrated in this competition.

 

Okay, what was the point of Scooby II?? Seriously, it just seemed that he ran out of ideas and was like "I'll throw another dog in there and no one will notice". It's hard though because I understand his point that there's only so many skills you can learn in hand balancing and it's hard to bring something new/better every time. Like other posters have pointed out throughout the competition, it's not fair that singers can come out and just sing a different song, but other performers have to craft their own routines every week, including learning new/bigger/better/more dangerous skills. Mel B. and Heidi are always drooling over Christian. 

 

Kelli Glover, yuck. I agree that she seems to want fame more than actually being passionate about or enjoying singing. She looked like she wanted to kill Howard after he said pageant or cruise ship.

 

I'm not into Quintavious. He's fine, but maybe I'm just burnt out on singers or on child acts or both.

 

I really liked Blue Journey's performance this week. I thought it was creative. They had a few timing issues, like the animation having the guy jump back into the painting before he had finished walking off-stage. Even though I did like them this week, I'm not that excited about them overall. I think it's because this combination of dance or acrobatics with animated stories is the "it" thing right now. It doesn't feel as interesting to me anymore. When Kenichi did it last year it seemed newer and more innovative. I haven't seen that many seasons of this show though, so maybe there were acts like that before him, as well. 

 

I like Emil and Daniel and I like their grandfather, but I've heard enough about him. He taught them, they're doing this for him, etc. I get it. 

 

I thought Wendy Liebman was funnier this week than she had been previously. 

 

I know I've said this before, but I get abusive vibes from the Baila Conmigo lady. She freaks me out. I got bored of them after the first few times I saw them. They had some new flips in their routine that were kind of cool, but meh overall.

 

I actually used to like Howie/thought he was funny sometimes, but he said nothing useful at all last night. There was no point in having him judging. It was all "America has to vote" and "it will be tough". That's better than him saying stupid and offensive stuff like last week though. Lol at him needing Howard's approval. I noticed again that he seems look over at Howard a lot during the acts to see what Howard thinks. Especially during the comedy acts to see if Howard is laughing.

Edited September 7, 2014 by wudpixie

[Shermie]

Yes! i notice that too, that Howie is constantly looking over to see Howard's reaction to the acts. He's like that pathetic kid in every class who can't make a move without checking to see what the popular kid thinks.

[Wings]

I started the DVR recording, listened to about 4 measures of Jonah Smith, got incredibly bored, and deleted the whole recording.

 

I guess I'm done. I've lost all interest. I'm unsure if it's just this season or the show in its entirety. 

 

 

I think I am done with this show, too.  I record it, check out the beginning of every act, FF to judges comments and so it goes.  I stop to watch comics, magicians, and dogs.  I wish they would eliminate singers and be more selective with the dance troupes. More comics please!  

 

Shermie, thanks for the info on Wendy.  I don't think she is funny and I am surprised that she has experienced so much success.  

[Shermie]

See, I think Wendy Leibman is usually funny. Although I tire of the middle-aged mom act – “My husband’s a dumbass, oy vey my periods!, housework is tedious amirite?” – her comedic style of adding a counter-rejoinder at the end of a joke is often funny. Not laugh-out-loud hilarious, but makes me smile. So I have no issues with her being a successful comedian, just not as a “newly discovered” act on this show.

[Wings]

See, I think Wendy Leibman is usually funny. Although I tire of the middle-aged mom act – “My husband’s a dumbass, oy vey my periods!, housework is tedious amirite?” – her comedic style of adding a counter-rejoinder at the end of a joke is often funny. Not laugh-out-loud hilarious, but makes me smile. So I have no issues with her being a successful comedian, just not as a “newly discovered” act on this show.

 

 

Last year a well known comic came on with no pretense of being new; he was in the finals, Tom something.  I was familiar with him (name escapes me at the moment).  I agree with why pretend to be new.