S09.E22: Top 12: Performances

[maraleia]

 

The top 12 acts perform.

 

[Diana Berry]

Was Mara singing to a backing track and totally Not in sync with it or was it just a bad echo? Or are my ears going? Did the judges Not really hear this or were they told in their ear pieces to ignore it?

Edited September 10, 2014 by Diana Berry

[MPF54]

Was Mara singing to a backing track and totally Not in sync with it or was it just a bad echo? Or are my ears going? Did the judges Not really hear this or were they told in their ear pieces to ignore it?

That echo shit was so annoying!!!

[Diana Berry]

So it was an echo. Too bad..that was beyond her control. She should be able to perform it again. Howie's twitter followers are already asking for a do-over.

[UsernameGoesHere]

Meh. She's going home anyway IMO. She's only here because of first the judges' save and then the Snapple Save, plus she performed first tonight. All of that combined = bye Mara.

[peggy06]

One does not simply sing "Gimme Shelter" on a reality competition. That was not good, but at least the judges (mostly) finally said so. All but Howie, of course. I think he has the worst taste of any judge on any competition show I've watched. It's like he has to deal in superlatives so he can be the one who discovered some superstar - "You're the best this show has ever seen," "You are going to win," blah blah blah. He does it every year, but this might be the worst year yet. I just cannot with him.

[UsernameGoesHere]

I finally liked David and Leeman tonight! I've been bored by every trick they've done so far but I actually liked this. It didn't seem to drag on as much as their other performances. I don't see them making it through though.

 

Emil and Dariel took Howard's singer advice in an interesting way. I actually liked the little choir coming in just for that last part of the performance. I was singing along in my head the whole time anyway. Still wanting them to do Smooth Criminal like I saw them do on youtube.

 

I love Scooby getting to sit with the judges. It would've been hilarious if Scooby buzzed Christian. I did crack up at the background with the jail theme and "Wanted for trying to steal the show." LOL. And here's Christian crying again. Somebody give this man a hug. Oh, and we have Mel drooling over him again.

 

Did anyone else notice that when Mel said she liked that AcroArmy had their shirts off, they immediately cut to the young teen girls in the group? Um, weird. She obviously meant the adult men, camera people.

 

I knew Q-man was trying to be Nick! Last week I said he raided Nick's closet for that outfit and this week we actually saw him in Nick's dressing room. I can't.

 

Mike Super kind of dragged but that trick was good. And no Desmond again. And I'm pretty sure this is the same trick that won him $250k on Phenomenon.

 

I continue to be bored by Blue Journey. I'd rather just see them dance without the animation to be honest.

 

Now Mel is drooling over Mat. Somebody buy this woman a vibrator.

 

Miguel getting the pimp spot - RME. Still not drinking the Miguel Kool-Aid, producers. This guy does absolutely nothing for me and I hate that an actual good act will be sent home to make room for him. He was not good.

 

So so tired of all the, "This is the best night of talent ever! Best season of AGT evah! YOU HAVE TO VOTE!!!" They say this in every single episode every single season. STOP IT.

 

I think Emily, Mat, and Miguel are all through for sure. Quintavious will probably go through too. SOS has a good shot. I figured Mara and David & Leeman were goners before the show even came on tonight. Christian's probably gone. The rest all have a chance.

 

I'd like Christian, E&D, SOS, AcroArmy, Mat, and Emily to be the 6 going through. I can dream, can't I?

[tribeca]

Quintavious going into Nick's closet was funnier than anything Howie has done this season.

[Koutzybuddy]

My top 6

Mat Franco

Mike super

David and leeman

Sons of serendip

Christian

Acroarmy

All the singers need to fuck off and go on the thousands of singing shows they have available to them.

[helenamonster]

Mara Justine: Am I wrong for hoping that that annoying echo destroyed any chance of her making the Top 6? Because if so, I don't want to be right. Here's hoping she's screeched her last screech, at least on this show.

 

David and Leeman: Part of me always wants to hold back on liking these guys since their disastrous quarterfinal (if the judges had pointed out the obvious mistake, they'd have been gone weeks ago), but you know what? They were good. Their patter is great and the trick was seamless (at least on first watch).

 

Sons of Serendip: They're always solid, tonight was no exception.

 

Christian Stoinev: I think he's done. Yes, he's very talented and minimizing the dog participation was a good idea (don't get me wrong, Scooby is great! but he's not a dog act), but I don't think he has anything more to show us. I realize it's difficult for hand balancers to come up with new tricks, but thems the breaks.

 

Emil & Dariel: Not their most exciting, but not bad. I loved how they interpreted Howard's constructive criticism from last time and I think it was a good way to go. If there were a lead singer, then they would become the background of the act, which would totally defeat the purpose.

 

AcroArmy: Fantastic again.

 

Quintavious Johnson: Probably his best performance, imo.

 

Mike Super: Another magician with a disastrous quarterfinal who has stepped it up since then. Getting rid of Desmond was the best thing he ever did.

 

Blue Journey: I always enjoy them, tonight was no exception.

 

Emily West: Fantastic again. I wish her hair stylist could do my hair every day.

 

Mat Franco: I love him and want him to win. He's talented, cute, sweet, and just all around awesome.

 

Miguel Dakota: Ugh. AGT, no matter how fetch you think this guy is, he's just not going to happen. Howard is right; he has no connection to the song he sings. He goes through the motions and is 100% dead behind the eyes. It's disconcerting and totally eliminates any interest I might have had in him.

[callmebetty]

I think the echo actually helped lessen Maria's screaming. But why was she crying? Because of the echo?

Enough about her let's talk Mat Franco.

Very talented and, I agree with Mel, he is hot! He got the majority of my votes.

Is it wrong I have very naughty thoughts about him?

But I think a lot of the acts stepped it up.

But Howie, stop trying to make Miguel happen.

Edited September 10, 2014 by callmebetty

[UsernameGoesHere]

Mara without echo

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDYz9_M9DEk

[UncleChuck]

How unusual that three of the the top twelve were magic acts...and they were all very good.

 

I loved...loved...loved Emily West's "Nights in White Satin"...a very good rendition of a classic Moody Blues number.  Did I say I loved it?

 

Christian was good as usual, but I could not help but notice that at least half of AcroArmy was doing very similar hand balancing...but with even greater degrees of difficulty.  They are AcroAmazing!

[bluepiano]

If Miguel Dakota is a "rock star," as Mel said, than that term is now officially dead. (And could she have come up with any more cliches? Rock star, pop star, in your own lane. This is the what they get paid mega millions for?) 

 

I hate how hard this show is pushing Miguel, even to the point where they've tried to completely remake his image, from sensitive neo-folkie to sexy, swaggering, bad boy. Except the only problem is that he's way more David Cassidy than Mick Jagger. Well, the little girls that Howie talked about may get him win, and what a joke that would be. Not that I think there's any contestant this year with a "wow" factor, but if a typical bland "American Idol" WGWG can win this show, then it's lost whatever individuality it had left. 

 

And oh yeah, hated that drummer, who I guess they put on stage and gave close-ups to because they thought he was also cute. Dude, that raising the drums sticks over your head thing is so freakin' lame, like you're still 12 years old playing in front of the mirror in your basement. And here's a hint. If you're performing "Gimme Shelter," one of the darkest songs ever written, try not to smile through the whole thing. It ain't always about you.

Edited September 10, 2014 by bluepiano

[MRMO]

Never been impressed with cellists Emil and Dariel. Theirs is not an original idea. The Finnish metal band Apocalyptica has been doing rock cello since 1993. The band consists of three cellists and a drummer. Emil and Dariel are okay but the novelty wears thin.

 

The two best of the twelve are Sons Of Serendip and Emily West. I agree with Howard Stern that the Sons name is awful. It's really a career killer and needs to change ASAP. Emily West's look reminds me of the Big Band singers of the Swing Era but she's defintely a modern era singer. I always felt that "Over The Rainbow" was owned by Judy Garland and Eva Cassidy but Emily really pulled it off. As far as "Nights In White Satin" is concerned, she nailed it. Even if neither act wins they'll both have careers.

 

David and Leman are good magicians but they're not funny. Mike Super is a lot easier to take now that the Desmond nonsense has been dropped. Mat Franco is excellent but his act isn't suitable for a big stage.

 

I have no use for acrobats and other refugees from the old Ed Sullivan show. A hand balancer??? Give me a break.

 

If the sound screw up has an effect on the voting for Mara Justine they may have to make her number seven in the final group in the interest of fairness.

 

Quintavious Johnson is a force to be reckoned with. Along with a great voice he seems to have a nice sense of humor about him which takes him out of the annoying kid category.

 

Migul Dakota might as well go home. Ruining a Rolling Stones song isn't the way to make friends and win contests. It was one of the worst performances of this or any other season. 

 

I used to like Howie Mandel but he's such an annoying shill for the show that I have to hit the mute button. The only people that could possibly like his approach would be participants in a drinking game with the word "Wow."

 

 

[Panopticon]

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.

Edited September 10, 2014 by Panopticon

[Shermie]

So did the judges and audience not hear that Mara's sound was off? Or the producers? How is that possible? I kept expecting them to stop her mid-act so they could fix it. Weird.

The three magic acts were all good, I also wonder if they will cancel each other out, vote-wise.

Not sure why Emily West's "never give up" attitude is okay with me, while Kelli Glover was just irksome. Yet, that's how I see it.

Acro Army was great, I was thinking, "please catch that little girl!"

Blue Journey is an interesting act, nice to watch, but yeah. They were out of sync with the shadow hand quite a bit. And since that hand was supposed to be controlling them, that's important.

Christian should have had the dog jump on his feet at the very end, I think that would have bookended his act nicely = dog at the beginning, lots of hand balancing, dog at the end. I think that could have gotten him through.

I really enjoy the cello brothers, not only are their performances entertaining, they are polite and open to suggestion.

I think Mara, Christian and Blue Journey are definitely out. I think Acro Army, Mat Franco,and Emily West are definitely in.

Oh, and while I also appreciate the visual finery of some of the shirtless males, Mel is going too far. It's fine to comment that they are attractive, or they look great, but she is treading into creepy cougar territory. Imagine if Howard said similar things to female performers.

[theatremouse]

I thought Mara Justine sounded pretty bad, and I am not referring to any echo.

[elainemarie33]

I thought Miguel was truly awful.  Out of tune and out of character.  Just...no.   

 

I have a confession to make - I never have been a fan of magicians.  So I can't really judge except to say I really love Mat's personality.  So I hope Mat makes it through.

 

Oh, Christian!  Why did you have to listen to Howard!   Scooby WAS and IS the best part of your act.  Hand balancing is boring, although impressive of course, but if I had to see anything repeated,  I would have preferred more Scooby.  But he just didn't have time to train Scooby to do more tricks anyway, so he was between a rock and a hard place.  His attitude is fantastic, but I could not bring myself to vote for him last night.   Come back in a few years with a whole passel of chihuahuas.  

 

Wow, Acro Army truly saved the best for last!    An act that deserves to win the Vegas spot.  

 

I still enjoyed the cellists, but since I had to split my votes,  I chose to split them between Acro and Emily.  I love the Moody Blues and she did a fantastic job with that song.  Again.  

 

So I am hoping that my two picks make it through, along with Quint, Sons of Serendip (always get chills when they perform), the cellists, and Mat.  

 

And, since it cannot be said enough - SHUT UP HOWIE!  

[Shermie]

How many times can an American vote?

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Blue Journey is an interesting act, nice to watch, but yeah. They were out of sync with the shadow hand quite a bit.

It was worse than that. I tuned in just as their act was about to start and was puzzled by the disembodied hand until the last few seconds; that's when it suddenly became in sync. I probably would have figured out sooner what they were trying to do if I had seen their prior performance(s), but it made no sense otherwise. I'm guessing they changed up their routine but gave the wrong video to the PA.

[beagletime]

 

I love Scooby getting to sit with the judges. It would've been hilarious if Scooby buzzed Christian. I did crack up at the background with the jail theme and "Wanted for trying to steal the show." LOL. And here's Christian crying again. Somebody give this man a hug. Oh, and we have Mel drooling over him again.

Alright I'll make the sacrifice. I volunteer to hug Christian.  

[parrotlover]

Being firmly of the belief that there's enough freaking singing competition shows on television, and AGT should eliminate singing from the competition, I have to say I thought Emily did an amazing job with Knights in White Satin. I haven't been a fan because of my dislike of singers on this show, but that was a great performance and she's probably going to win the whole thing.

 

Mara Justine - just no. I don't get the praise the judges heap on her every week - the child factor I know. She also still seems emotionally unstable to handle being on this show. Echo, shmecko, she's just not that great of a singer. Ditto Miguel. Quintavious is very talented and I can see him making into the final 6.

 

I feel bad for Christian listening to Howard's advice. That act NEEDS Scooby. I feel like he is out of the running after last night's performance and I hate that.

 

I like the cello guys and hope they make it through, along with Acro Army, Sons of Serendip, and Blue Journey even though last night wasn't their best performance.

 

Hopefully only one magician goes through and it's Mat Franco. He's the most likeable and does great tricks. Just wish he didn't remind me so much of Jon Cryer because I hate Two and Half Men! I really can't stand Mike Super or the duo so hoping they leave tonight.

 

And no it cannot be said often enough - PLEASE REPLACE HOWIE MANDEL. God he is unsufferable. According to him, every act last night was going to win and was the greatest act on the planet. And I know tonight we'll be "entertained" with another one of his lame bits pretending to be an NBC employee with a disguise so bad that even Stevie Wonder would know it was him. His "disguises" remind me of the I Love Lucy episode when Lucy and Ethel put on disguises to test Ricky and Fred by flirting with them. And the disguise consisted of a different hairdo and dress.

Edited September 10, 2014 by parrotlover

[rollacoaster]

Not sure why Emily West's "never give up" attitude is okay with me, while Kelli Glover was just irksome. Yet, that's how I see it.

 

 

Emily comes across as confident and professional, someone who had worked to hone her craft and her style.  She can really sing!  My partner thomas, commented that she was on key the entire time.  She is really seizing this opportunity and running with it.  Kelli, for some reason, just comes across as a whiner.  

 

I think that Emil and Dariel should join forces with Lindsey Stirling.  That would be a very cool act.   

 

Quintavious is a better singer than Mara Justine, but, I find his song choices atrocious. I guess they suit his voice, but the subject matter just doesn't sync up with a boy his age.  I guess these are the kinds of songs his grandmother probably listens to and sings, so, that's what he's picked up.  

 

I actually enjoyed all the magic acts!  I just wish Smoothini could have been amoung them.  I hope that he get some work out of this.  

[UsernameGoesHere]

Alright I'll make the sacrifice. I volunteer to hug Christian.  

 

Thank you for your sacrifice. I know it's a lot to ask of someone.

 

Rewatching Mat Franco's performance and I'm extremely confused as to why he had the ace of spades in his mouth at one point. Am I missing something? Was it supposed to be Howard's card and he made a mistake?

 

I've listened to E&D's performance from last night more than I've listened to any other musical performance this season. I just love that song and I loved hearing it on the cello and then with the choir at the end. I really hope they make it through. AcroArmy too. They're fantastic.

[marketdoctor]

 

So did the judges and audience not hear that Mara's sound was off? Or the producers? How is that possible?

 

If the echo was caused by something in the control room, it could sound echo-y on TV but not on the stage.  That's how the judges could not hear it.  The director/producers would have had to have a television picking up the broadcast as it actually went out, which would have involved spending $100 for a TV, PLUS the cost of an antenna and an intern to watch it and push a button if something went wrong.  Over the course of the show, that could cost as much as an entire single reference to Snapple, so someone could see where they wouldn't have the budget for that and Howie's Wacky Hijinks both.  (I couldn't, but apparently someone at NBC could.)  This would have been unforseeable, except for the American Idol glitch a few years back that was reported in national media, or the other mistakes that happen every week, many of which are caught by alert, underpaid technicians.  You'd need a tiny amount of self-awareness to foresee this, which is where the process broke down.

 

Giving someone echo is sometimes a trick to make their voice sound fuller--it's a pre-autone way to make a singer sound slightly better.  Maybe they figured that if a little would help, a lot would help even more. 

 

It scares me that I can put the pieces of idiot thinking together here.  Also that I forgot there are two rounds after the semi-finals, because the producers have the same grasp of "semi-final" as they do of "most talented." 

 

Mara Justine seems like a nice enough kid that she should have had the chance to stand or fall on her talent.  What concerns me is she'll be the Seventh Very Special Finalist on a technicality, rather than being kept or sent home on the basis of a fair evaluation.  I'd call "shennangians" on the whole season, but I don't want anyone to hit Scooby with a broom by mistake.  (To quote a promo for a different show, run, Scooby, RUN!)

[UsernameGoesHere]

Last year during the top 12 results show, I seem to remember them just putting through the top 6 vote getters, no judges' choice or Snapple Save nonsense. I hope they do that again.

[Kobo Duram]

Do people think that Mat Franco meant to have the Ace of Spades in his mouth when Heidi was looking for it?  I think this was a HUGE misstep that went unnoticed by most people.

 

I think the Howard signed card was supposed to be in his mouth, that's the only way the trick would make sense.

After he  has the wrong card in his mouth, the reveal to Heidi makes no sense, and then he asks Howard to find the card in the deck... because he had no idea where it was.

 

Did anyone else catch this?

[Mumbles]

I predict that if that awful echo wasn't something Team Mara Justine explicitly agreed to, they will put her through to avoid the unholy hell that that stage mother will wreak if they don't.

The kid came off oddly in that production bit. Especially when she said something about responding to kids coming up to wish her luck: "I don't even know you, but thanks." Awkward.

[ShadowDenizen]

While I think Mara should be cut (she obviously can't handle that intense amount of pressure which is understandable), it shoulodn't be based on a clearly obvious behind-the-scenes malfunction.  The voting audience really didn't get a balanced presenation of her.

 

Miguel getting the pimp spot - RME. Still not drinking the Miguel Kool-Aid, producers. This guy does absolutely nothing for me and I hate that an actual good act will be sent home to make room for him. He was not good.

 

Doesn't matter; I think he's gonna be through tonight for sure, and then will be a runner-up to Emily West in the finale.

 

Now Mel is drooling over Mat. Somebody buy this woman a vibrator.

Seriously.

[daughtersofanarchy]

I know I'm shirking my duty as a poster, but I can't muster the strength to do individual comments on these acts today, so I'll do three groups:

 

Liked: AcroArmy, Sons of Serendip, Emil & Dariel, Emily West, Quintavious, Mat Franco

 

Gray Area: Mike Super, Christian (unfortunately)

 

No: Mara, Miguel, David & Leeman, Blue Journey

 

Is it true that there are no Snapple Saves or judges' picks this time?  It better be true.

[Wings]

 

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.

 

 

Damn, I missed this.  I love a good screw up.  Can someone tell me what happened, please?  

 

N/M  I just saw it on youtube.  

Edited September 10, 2014 by wings707

[Diana Berry]

I thought Matt's trick went on a little too long. It makes sense that the card in his mouth Should have been Howard's ..good catch. I also saw a blooper with Mike Super. After dumping the money basket in the closet with Nick..when he put it to the side ..the basket was still full of money..assuming that a secret compartment held bills of the same serial number which he dumped wth Nick. Dont ask me how he did the rest of the trick. I like both their personalities. I don't really care for the duo and their "banter"

[TiredMe]

Miquel needs to put the hat back on. Never thought I'd say that.

Mara cannot sing period. I cannot take another performance. If she makes it through then I am muting future songs.

I love Christian. Mostly because I saw him perform in June at a orchestra/circus show combo. I've gotta soft spot for him.

[rollerblade]

Mara has one style - loud; zero variation, zero deviation. She's like a bad mash-up of Diana Degarmo + Kimberly Caldwell.

[Miss Scarlet]

 

Now Mel is drooling over Mat. Somebody buy this woman a vibrator.

 

Lol, this comment is amazing!

 

 

Oh, and while I also appreciate the visual finery of some of the shirtless males, Mel is going too far. It's fine to comment that they are attractive, or they look great, but she is treading into creepy cougar territory. Imagine if Howard said similar things to female performers.

I think that's some people would argue that's why it's okay for Mel to make these comments - because men do make them about women all the time, so women are just evening the playing field. I think everyone should just stop with these comments and talk about the performances instead.

 

 

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!

Hahahaha this is an amazing comment too!

 

 

One does not simply sing "Gimme Shelter" on a reality competition. That was not good, but at least the judges (mostly) finally said so. All but Howie, of course. I think he has the worst taste of any judge on any competition show I've watched. It's like he has to deal in superlatives so he can be the one who discovered some superstar - "You're the best this show has ever seen," "You are going to win," blah blah blah. He does it every year, but this might be the worst year yet. I just cannot with him.

What I really enjoyed from Howie's comment was that he was basically admitting that Miguel is not a great singer and that his performance wasn't very good, but that it didn't matter because teenage girls would vote for him no matter what and that this is how they were going to make a ton of money off of Miguel. Howie's comments are so awful every show. I'm seriously embarrassed that I used to like him. I cringe at that thought now.

 

 

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.

I didn't even notice this attempt at re-branding until I read these posts and all you intelligent posters pointed it out. Good god, it was really awful. The sad thing is how many viewers will fall for these cliches and marketing ploys. 

 

 

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.

I feel like that too. I think she's a good singer, but she does bore me and sometimes I like her, but sometimes I feel like there's an arrogant/entitled attitude lurking under there. Like when Howard said a few weeks ago that "she knows she's a star" it was kind of like, yeah, she does and it's sort of off-putting. Yes about the old Hollywood style. What is the big deal? It's not like that's original or unique. I find it weird that they're always talking about her style and how beautiful she is. It's better than when she was on Celebrity Apprentice and Donald Trump was talking about the magazine cover they did with her and how she should have been airbrushed. Of course that was tactless since it was Trump.

[Miss Scarlet]

Mara Justine - I just can't with her. She makes me so uncomfortable that I had to skip most of her performance. I unpaused for like 5 seconds and saw her crying and shot of her mom in the crowd and then fast-forwarded the rest of her. 

 

David and Leeman - The trick was good. Usually I find their "banter" too inauthentic and rehearsed, but they were good last night. I especially liked their responses to Nick's questions afterwards. That was funny.

 

Sons of Serendip - I think I'm just bored by all the singers this year.

 

Christian Stoinev - I feel badly that he keeps getting conflicting advice from the judges about what he should. Plus he always looks like he's 2 seconds away from a meltdown. 

 

Emil and Dariel - Again, enough with the grandfather stuff! I liked them, but don't think I need to see them again. I did think they thought of a good compromise with adding the choir in at the end. Everyone was crediting Howard with the idea to bring a singer in, but I think it was Howie that originally suggested it.

 

Acro Army - They've been so underrated before the last 2 weeks. Amazing. The camera work was horrible though.

 

Quintavious Johnson - Meh, another singer. His jokes sometimes veer off into bratty too. Also, enough speechifying about God.

 

Blue Journey - I like them, but can see why others might think they're boring. I think they're stuff is usually too mellow and quiet for this type of show. It's like with the singers. People prefer them to rock out. I also think some of the concepts for their dances might be too abstract to appeal to the mainstream audience. 

 

Mat Franco - Last night wasn't my favorite performance of his. I kept waiting for something "bigger" to happen. He's still my favorite overall though and I really hope he wins. He deserves it. I don't understand why Emily, Miguel and Quintavious are getting overhyped and comments from the judges like "you can win this whole show!!!", but Mat Franco and Acro Army, while getting praised, are not getting comments like that. 

 

Miguel - Um, yeah, so that happened. I agree with Heidi, I couldn't even hear him for most of it and when I could, it was not great. Also not great? His "dance moves". Yikes. I'm sure they appeal to teenage girls though.

And oh yeah, hated that drummer, who I guess they put on stage and gave close-ups to because they thought he was also cute. Dude, that raising the drums sticks over your head thing is so freakin' lame, like you're still 12 years old playing in front of the mirror in your basement. And here's a hint. If you're performing "Gimme Shelter," one of the darkest songs ever written, try not to smile through the whole thing. It ain't always about you.

 

Lol, wait who was smiling through the whole thing, Miguel or the drummer? Either way, I hate that. It's like when dancers smile through their whole performances that are supposed to be about lost love or abuse or other horrible things. They're fully doing it so that they will look nice in the pictures of the performance. 

Edited September 11, 2014 by wudpixie

[UsernameGoesHere]

Acro Army - They've been so underrated before the last 2 weeks. Amazing. The camera worked was horrible though.

 

A little part of me dies every time the camera people cut to a shot of the judges in the middle of an acrobatic act.

[QTBlueMoon]

Rewatching Mat Franco's performance and I'm extremely confused as to why he had the ace of spades in his mouth at one point. Am I missing something? Was it supposed to be Howard's card and he made a mistake?

 

Yes, what the heck happened there?  I bet when he watches it back, when it reaches that point, he's going to jump up and shout "WHAAAAAAAT!!!!"

Mara has one style - loud; zero variation, zero deviation. She's like a bad mash-up of Diana Degarmo + Kimberly Caldwell.

She also really has no lower register - none.  When she tries to sing those notes, she reminds me of Lily Von Shtoop from 'Blazing Saddles'

[backformore]

David and Leman - obviously they had various layers of clothing to remove to reveal who was off and by how much. Not sure how they influenced what numbers t he judges chose, but it was pretty cool.

Christian - one of the things is that he can vary his act, but it takes a lot of time to train Scooby to learn new variations of the act.

[marketdoctor]

 

obviously they had various layers of clothing to remove to reveal who was off and by how much. Not sure how they influenced what numbers t he judges chose, but it was pretty cool.

 

Or, if they could have put the numbers on the ticket after they'd been announced, it would have been easy to put a number that was off by one.  For me, this was the least magical part of the trick--it's a variation of a magician intentionally guessing a wrong card, but then can get it right through an impressive reveal (it's a clever variation, but I think it slowed down the trick just enough to cause a problem).

 

I'm not sure how they did some of the trick, but the parts I could guess at, they did really well.

[helenamonster]

Not sure why Emily West's "never give up" attitude is okay with me, while Kelli Glover was just irksome. Yet, that's how I see it.

 

Well, for starters, Emily West has never tried out for this show before. Also, as a lot of people have mentioned, Kelli Glover seemed more obsessed with becoming famous than actually having a singing career (hence why she tried out for AGT again after being rejected five years ago, as well as being rejected from American Idol before that).

 

Yeah, I think Mat Franco messed up his trick with the ace of spades, but I wouldn't put it at quite the level of David and Leeman's mistake in the quarterfinals. David and Leeman ruined their entire act by guiding Howie to the correct word, whereas Mat's act this week featured a lot of different tricks and the act itself wasn't much affected by that one mistake, since everything else was seamless. Also, I'm a hypocrite who has liked Mat Franco from day one and really wants him to win so there's that.