S10.E01: Auditions 1

[Guest]

In the 10th season premiere, variety acts of all types and contestants of all ages audition for the chance to win the $1 million prize. The judges are Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, Mel B, and Howie Mandel. Hosted by Nick Cannon.

 

 

[theabsolution]

Piff the Magic Dragon was my favorite act by far.

Hilarious.

[Commando Cody]

The way Howard was sitting back - not looking interested - It looked like he didn't like Piff at all.  I was surprised that Howard liked him that much.  I thought he was pretty funny. 

 

I feel like Howie wasted his golden buzzer moment.  The kid was going to go through.  He should have saved it for when he thought the kid wasn't going to make it. It was nice of him to send him through to the live shows.  I hate to say I didn't quite catch all that he was joking about, but I didn't quite catch everything he was joking about.

 

I was bored with the multi media dancers.  I didn't think the dancing was all that great.  I don't think that matters.  We have seen it a lot over the past few seasons.  

Edited May 27, 2015 by CommanderCody

[futurechemist]

Are there eligibility rules for America's Got Talent?  Because I remember seeing Piff on the British show "Penn and Teller Fool Us".  Which makes Piff neither American nor an amateur.

[GreatKazu]

Eligibility:

 

 

US Citizens & Permanent Residents Only
: Contestants must be a United States citizen, legal permanent
resident of the United States, or possess a current employment authorization card (EAD card).  If you are not
a
United States citizen, you will be asked to provide proof of legal residency and/or proof of your right to work in
the United States in connection with your participation in the Program.

Piff lives in Las Vegas.

 

Piff also has toured with Mumford and Sons.

[MsTree]

How many of us really believe Howie shook hands without using 20 bottles of antibacterial beforehand?

[Wings]

How many of us really believe Howie shook hands without using 20 bottles of antibacterial beforehand?

 

 

I don't.  His condition is well known and does not allow for preemptive measures.  He cannot touch hands at all.   This hypnotist really knows his stuff.  I think we will probably see a clip of Howie watching the playback next week. 

 

I have seen Piff before, too. Tom cotter was a pretty famous comic who made it to the end but did not win a couple of season's ago .  The Olate dogs (winner) were also professionals.  

 

I watch this show with liberal FFing but I enjoy what I stop to see.  Large dance troups and most singing acts are skip worthy.  I am looking forward to the good comic they said was coming.  

 

I agreed with Mel that the singing puppet was not all that but the act has potential.  I expect to see more puppets and larger act as they go forward. 

 

The comic with the voice injury was adorable.  It was touching to hear him admit to his his ego driven past.  His girlfriend is precious.  Also very cute that he admitted to dragging his feet on marrying her.  I think we will see a proposal before this is done.  Sigh, TV proposals have become a cliche.  Good for Howie for putting him straight through.  Very moving though it is definitely difficult to understand him. 

 

As amazing as the trampoline act was, I see its limitations and I think they will bore me.  

Edited May 27, 2015 by wings707

[marketdoctor]

This show had several of its hallmark moves, but I liked them:

 

The backstory was done better with a puppet than I'd ever seen.  I liked the buzzing in the background, because it reminded us that most of the acts didn't make it...we just didn't need to (thanks, editing!).  Once you've done self-parody, you never need to go back.  Ever.

 

Piff doing everything in character was...classic Piff. Good luck, or as you'd say, "yeah, whatever."

 

The comic at the end was, as Howie pointed out, was a comic who used who he was rather than a "comic with a disability."

 

The kid dancers were very talented.  I support an age limit, but they made their case for why not to have one.

 

I liked the gymnasts talking to Heidi in German; nice for them to have fun.

 

I didn't mind the camera work as much, but maybe that was because there were more good acts.

 

Fast forward is definitely the way to enjoy the show; everyone has a different standard of "interesting".  

[Misslindsey]

 

I don't.  His condition is well known and does not allow for preemptive measures.  He cannot touch hands at all.   This hypnotist really knows his stuff.  I think we will probably see a clip of Howie watching the playback next week.

I concur. The hypnotist said he did the college circuit. My university had a hypnotist come before winter break every year. He would pick from the audience and one of my friends got picked. When Howard was getting bored by the process before anything happened, I remembered that it would take about 10 - 25 minutes where the audience could not hear the hypnotist while he was actually hypnotizing, but could see what he was doing onstage. My friend after it was all over said he felt incredibly well rested.

 

I was with Mel that I did not liked the puppet act either. I also, did not love the two little kid dancers at the beginning.

 

I did like Piff. I saw him with Mumford and Sons, but if I haven't when he was walking around backstage I would have thought he was just fodder.

 

Most of the rest of the acts were fine, I just hope to see something more.

 

[Irlandesa]

Are there eligibility rules for America's Got Talent?  Because I remember seeing Piff on the British show "Penn and Teller Fool Us".  Which makes Piff neither American nor an amateur.

From what I remember reading, there's both an audition process and a casting process for this show.  Some people come in to audition but a lot of the acts are also recruited through word-of-mouth, YouTube...etc.  Recruiting means they make sure they do have some spectacular acts.

 

And this show isn't about being an amateur the way some other talent shows are. The acts probably have to be little known but a lot of them make a living off of what they do. Or at least get paid to do what they do. An act who just practices in front of his or her  mirror is likely not going to be as entertaining as someone who has put their talent in front of many audiences to see what works/what doesn't.  Last year's winner was a pro and I'm okay with that.  For most of these acts, especially variety acts where the tour circuit is how they make a living, a win can be career enhancing. Singers?  Probaby not which is why I'm not a fan of them in the competition.

Edited May 27, 2015 by Irlandesa

[mrsdalgliesh]

The best part about the hypnotist's act was the reaction from the other judges.  When they realized what he was going to do to Howie, one of them said something like "going for broke" -- as in, this either works or it's really really bad for him.  Then their glee when they discovered they could shake Howie's hand.

 

OTOH, if it was for real, I have to think Howie's going to be incredibly pissed off.

 

I do wish that they'd followed up with the redhead in the audience: her reactions, too, were really funny.

[A Boston Gal]

I don't know why, but I loved the puppets, especially the mom. She won my heart when she said, "My son just loves Melb!" Call me easily amused; it might be the actress's voice that does it for me. I think she's grand, and would watch a whole show just about Mom Puppet (who actually has a full name, but I can't remember it at the moment. I'm a bad fan. )

 

Commander Cody, I agree the mult-media dancers were just average, if that. So very overpraised - what good is your light show if your dancing is sub-par?

 

Piff! the Magic Dragon...so good to see him again! I wonder how long it will be before Howard says something like "Ok, we know your dragon routine...now, change it up a bit, and be yourself."  Piff does NOT perform without the dragon costume, does he? I sense heads will butt over this in future eps!

Edited May 27, 2015 by A Boston Gal

[Primetimer]

Handing out awards (and 'awards') for the auditioners of America's Got Talent's Season 10 premiere.

Read the story

[Porkchop]

I hate children's acts! No way is it good for a kid to be promoted like that. Primped and fussed with, lipstick on little girls, ack. I wish they would have an age limit, at least 16 years old to compete. 

 

[mrsdalgliesh]

Tara, I thought you were going to follow up your first two "exploitation" items with one on the dad who sang the song he wrote for his child who died of cancer ("Most upsetting exploitation...maybe"). I didn't know what to think about that. The song was genuine (if simplistic), he was an ok singer and genuinely sad...but do you really want to advance in talent competition because the judges cried over your tragedy? It felt odd.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Piff was an absolute hoot.  I knew he was a pro, but his super dark approach was such a welcome contrast to the relentlessly upbeat phoniness.

 

I don't see how Howie could have been his normal self for all the hale and hearty handshakes he gave his fellow jidges.  The man has a very real psychopathy.  Meryl Streep couldn't fake his tactile interactions.  

 

I already am sick to death with the chilllllldren.  

 

While I admire the stuttering comic, I severely doubt he has any material worth a spit, other than his self-referential stuff.  I doubt even more his ability to deliver such.  Golden button?  Please.

 

I liked the lie detector bit.  That was the most Howard Stern Howard Stern has ever been on this show.  I would love more stuff like this.

 

I thought the gymnasts were terrific.  Given the various apparatus in the sport, they have a real chance to keep innovating.  If they do, they have a real shot of going far.

 

Glad to have the show back.

[Tara Ariano]

Tara, I thought you were going to follow up your first two "exploitation" items with one on the dad who sang the song he wrote for his child who died of cancer ("Most upsetting exploitation...maybe"). I didn't know what to think about that. The song was genuine (if simplistic), he was an ok singer and genuinely sad...but do you really want to advance in talent competition because the judges cried over your tragedy? It felt odd.

 

Oh...I absolutely agree. I just didn't want to put that in the post: criticizing the stuttering, head-injured comedian was bad enough!

[marketdoctor]

I was OK with the use of the Golden Button, because it was a waste of its use.  I think the GB is too stupid to type out fully, and using it on someone who was going through anyway means that the contestant felt great, the button can't get used again on someone Howie likes but no one else (including the audience) does, and now

it'll go for three days to someone else...someone who doesn't know Howie

...wait, this isn't The Box?  Still, it was two wrongs cancelling out.  Whether it makes a "right" will depend on his follow-up material.

 

I know Piff has some other material--he's a magic dragon, so he's got as much as he wants; I wonder which other acts have enough material for a Vegas act.  

 

[Kromm]

Piff is well enough known, I'd be shocked if Howie (who knows people on the comedy circuit) hadn't already heard of him.

 

BTW: The trick that Piff wound up actually doing is one of the most ridiculously easy ones out there. I won't say how it was done, but it's very easy to find out how if you want. That said, Piff is all about the comedy aspect, so the actual difficulty of the trick doesn't much matter, I suppose.

Edited May 27, 2015 by Kromm

[ratgirlagogo]

 

I was bored with the multi media dancers.  I didn't think the dancing was all that great.

Kenichi Ebina already WON season eight doing a more impressive version of this multi-media screen performance.

 

Jon-Benet and her boyfriend creeped me out. But then I hate ALL the kid acts.

 

The stuttering comic needs some actually comic material.

 

I was not familiar with PIff before, but not surprised to discover he's a pro.  Good for him -he was a bright spot.

[PepperMonkey]

Piff was my favourite.

 

I wish Heidi would be on LESS stuff on TV. I would much prefer this show with just Howard, Howie and Melb. Actually, Howie could be replaced and I'd be okay with that, too.

 

As a compulsive myself, I was thinking, man, when Howie sees that hypnotist replay, he is going to be uber pissed and will need therapy. And, sure enough, there was a story on nbcnews.com about how he had to get intensive therapy after the fact.

 

I still cannot believe they actually sent through the professional cuddler.  I can't believe I just typed "professional cuddler" in connection with a talent show.

[MsTree]

I was implying that I don't believe in hypnotism...that the "act" was just that, an act. And Howie is VERY good at acting. I believe he had some sort of 'barrier' to allow him to shake hands. Otherwise, why not just stay "hypnotized" to alleviate all phobias??

[Kromm]

I was implying that I don't believe in hypnotism...that the "act" was just that, an act. And Howie is VERY good at acting. I believe he had some sort of 'barrier' to allow him to shake hands. Otherwise, why not just stay "hypnotized" to alleviate all phobias??

Hypnotism doesn't work that way.  It can reinforce behavior while out of a trance, but I don't think it can usually outright CHANGE it.

 

It's why the old spy thrillers with people being hypnotized into being killers are nonsense.  

[MsTree]

It's why the old spy thrillers with people being hypnotized into being killers are nonsense. 

 

Exactly. It's all smoke & mirrors to me anyway.



[Kromm]

The only thing which would have been better than Mel B not voting for the stupid puppet, would have been if she also refused to kiss the dirty old sock as well.

[Kromm]

BTW: I just played back the Piff performance and noticed something.  If you really want to.... go back and pay attention to the FIRST quarter of the card he changes. During that he slips up and the camera catches what he's done.  Likely neither the live audience, nor even Heidi a few feet away can see it.  But the CAMERA, which is closer to him than any of them, does. It's really clear (assuming you are actually ACTIVELY looking at what he's doing).
 

He does not repeat the mistake with the other three segments of the card.

It doesn't take away at all from how funny he is (his main talent), of course, so he still deserves to go on.

[Happy Belly]

So very happy this show has returned. This show and Big Brother will get me through the summer nicely. Now for a few comments on the show...#1 Hey Heidi..just what the hell are you doing with your hands up to your eyes when people are performing on stage? I know you are trying to make your hands look like binoculars but geez, it's very distracting and annoying. If you can't see, there is a remarkable invention called EYEGLASSES that will correct your vision. Try it. #2  I am really missing them airing the bad auditions. That was something I so looked forward to, even more than the bad auditions from Idol. All we got was the giant baby (which, I must say, had our house in stitches. It was so bizarre but it entertained us). Does anyone remember the elderly lady from many seasons ago who played her electric organ non-stop for like 20 minutes? It was the same song over and over and over. They couldn't stop her from playing. So damn funny and that's the stuff I want to see during the audition period. Serious stuff can be saved till the competition actually starts. #3 No more sob stories. I am sick and tired of it. Every season same thing. I'm so sorry for the dad who lost his child to cancer. That is no doubt gut wrenching and I pray his son is resting in eternal peace, but, that doesn't prequalify you to automatically go on to the next level. You aren't a good singer and your song was pretty bad. (Forgive me for being so blunt..this is in no way disrespect towards his deceased son or towards what he is going through, I just don't like a story as horrible as this to be a free pass to another round because we feel sorry for you) and finally #4 the camera work. I know I don't have to explain my feelings on that...everyone who watches the show knows what I'm talking about. But with all that being said, Welcome Back AGT!! I missed you!!

 

Edited because I didn't realize I actually had 4 rants not 3 as I originally typed.

Edited May 28, 2015 by Happy Belly

[LadyMustang65]

We had only watched this show sporadically until last season.  That was the first time we'd seen all the episodes, and we're looking forward to this year.

 

Piff was a treat.  No doubt about that.  Count me in with those who don't like kid acts.  I really wish they'd have a minimum age limit for this show.  So many of the kids get put through when you know there's no chance they'll make it to the end, and then it seems like it's more upsetting to them to fail after they've gone through 2 or 3 rounds.  Those kid dancers were okay, but they're not finalist material, and they weren't that great that we need to see them again.

 

I liked the gymnasts.  As someone else pointed out, with the other equipment available, there's a lot they could do that would be really entertaining.  If they stick with just the parallel bars, not so much.  But I'm glad they got a chance to go further.  I actually liked the voice of the singer who lost his son, and I liked the song.  Not the greatest, but I liked both his voice and the song enough that I'd like to see what else he's got. 

 

Seriously?  They put the "professional cuddler" through?  Just shoot me now, please.  The hypnotist was very good, but I'm not sure that was the best demonstration of his talent.  Yes, it showed what he could do, but it just seems wrong.  :\  I liked the media dancers enough to see them put through, but I'm not sure about the puppet.  I'm just not sure what the point was supposed to be.  His singing wasn't awesome; it wasn't ventriloquism; it was kind of a cute act but I was surprised they put him through.

 

Lastly, we all liked the comic.  I don't know if maybe we've seen his best material, but we were laughing.  I'm glad Howie used the golden buzzer on him.  That's what we all were thinking he should do.  And my husband agreed that he should definitely marry his girlfriend.  She seems like a sweetheart. 

[Wings]

Piff is well enough known, I'd be shocked if Howie (who knows people on the comedy circuit) hadn't already heard of him.

 

BTW: The trick that Piff wound up actually doing is one of the most ridiculously easy ones out there. I won't say how it was done, but it's very easy to find out how if you want. That said, Piff is all about the comedy aspect, so the actual difficulty of the trick doesn't much matter, I suppose.

 

 

Why would you hesitate to tell how that was done?  I would love to know.  It would not be violating anything or anyone.  

[Skyler Durden]

I don't know how I feel about this review. I hate to be one of those assholes who say things like "if you don't like it, don't watch", and I will try not to be here...

I have been watching AGT for a few years now and consider it to be my guilty summer pleasure. I think if you allow yourself to get upset by the pageant kids or the pushy puppets, you're REALLY going to hate this ride. And at two hours a week PLUS a third hour for weekly eliminations, it's a LONG fucking ride. Remember this: the cheesy, hideous, train-wreck acts are only for the first few shows, and even when they make it to Vegas, they DON'T make it to the live shows.

Once the live shows begin, it becomes really repetitive as the acts basically repeat themselves and you might even find yourself missing the silliness of the opening weeks.

[barbedwire]

Agree with you all who said this is a show to dvr and fast forward thru at least half of it.  I too hated the puppet and am glad Mel B was brave enough to say no.  The cuddler?  Um, no.  Just no.

[Kromm]

Why would you hesitate to tell how that was done?  I would love to know.  It would not be violating anything or anyone.  

Generally people don't actually WANT magic tricks revealed to them.  Especially in a public forum.

 

How 'bout this?  I'll use spoiler tags.  That way someone has to WANT to know.

 

 

How the trick was done: WARNING - you REALLY don't want to look if you don't want this ruined for you.

It's a rigged deck, and the cards are actually double layered--a sticker that looks like their denomination sitting over a hidden 7 of Spades (or whatever other pre-arranged "prediction" the magician has made).  When Piff bends the cards into quarters, he's actually breaking the sticker (which I believe is perforated into quarters anyway, so it peels off easily that way), and those hand passes he makes over the card are actually him peeling off that quarter of the sticker.  The signature he asks for is just a misdirection of sorts--although note he's careful to insist the signer ONLY sign on the white part on top, because there's no sticker material there, but if the signature DID overlap onto anywhere else on the card the signer would notice it was gone when the outer sticker got peeled off. The purpose of the signature is to reassure people it's physically the same card, and of course it is.  

 

At least in this performance Piff makes an error too (as I pointed out upthread).  When he's peeling off the first quarter, the camera has an angle and is close enough that you can briefly see the "peel" of what he rubbed off before he's able to palm it.  Either the camera angle is different, or he's more careful for the other quarters of the card, because that doesn't happen again.

 

The only part of the trick that I'm not 100% sure of is if EVERY card in the deck is a 7 of Spades with a sticker over it, or just a single card and he's manipulating Heidi into picking that specific card.  The trick would work either way--it's just more expensive for the whole deck to be treated like that.

 

EDIT - Actually on reflection, I'm now convinced he DOES force/fool the helper into picking a specific card.  Why? Not because it's a cheaper made deck, but because he wants a FACE CARD (one of the ones with a picture on it instead of a number).  He'd want this because if it was a number card there'd be too much white space and the chance of the signature wandering onto the part of the card covered by a sticker would be too high.  The face cards wouldn't have that problem.

 

The easy way to verify this, of course, would be to see other performances of the same trick by him.  He's probably smart enough that the prediction is not always the 7 of Spades--he's probably got multiple fake decks around in other words.  But I bet the card the volunteer picks is always going to be a face card, at least as long as he has the "sign the card on the edge" thing as part of the trick (which admittedly he may not).

Edited May 29, 2015 by Kromm

[Neet]

AGT's my favorite talent show to watch, although Tuesday's show felt pretty repetitive. I'm getting sick of sob stories that end in cliched lines from a judge (usually Howie) like "you may have lost your family, but America's Got Talent is your new family now", or when the story influences the judges' opinions of their audition to the point where something okay is touted as the best act all season. I agree that this show needs an age limit, I'm so done with seeing little kids do mediocre performances that throw them as far as the top 12 because "aww, so cute!". That professional cuddler getting through was bullshit, you know damn well she's not going to advance any farther because she doesn't do anything. I can't stand when Howie, Mel B, and Heidi are blinded by their own stupidity and pass some novelty act on to the next round as a result of the last audition of an episode usually being some untalented goon who's only there to call Nick and Co. onto the stage for a laugh. The stuttering comedian was hilarious, although I expect him to have no material aside from his injury. Fingers crossed that's not all he can do.

[Kromm]

I'm getting sick of sob stories that end in cliched lines from a judge (usually Howie) like "you may have lost your family, but America's Got Talent is your new family now"

Howie's kind of as asshole that way, isn't he?  

[Neet]

I've never thought of him as one, and those phrases sound like something the producers want said so they have something to throw in a future video package.

[DrLar]

Can someone explain why were weren't allowed to show Howie being fully hypnotized? like it's signature move from the hypnotist or something?

 

Or they wanted to avoid people being hypnotized via TV?

 

I didn't understand either, perhaps I don't know the trait, the lady that was also hypnotized on the audience, is her name Howie? wasn't him calling by name?

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Can someone explain why were weren't allowed to show Howie being fully hypnotized? like it's signature move from the hypnotist or something?

Assuming he "really" did it, because  it took forever by TV standards, as  posted above.  Twenty minutes at least.

[Kromm]

Assuming he "really" did it, because  it took forever by TV standards, as  posted above.  Twenty minutes at least.

Well there's also the aspect that by announcing they can't show it on TV, that they've created a seed in people's minds that something went on (when in fact it was in reality probably something really mundane).  By NOT showing it, by making a big deal of it, you've used the power of suggestion to help the illusion.

[zxy556575]

I was at a hypnotist's show once and he did some preliminary work directed at the audience to find a few suggestible types to come on stage. I felt myself going and had to walk out to the lobby to clear my head. Hey, I had gone to laugh at the monkeys, not be one.

 

It is possible for people to be inadvertently hypnotized through the TV, so I think it's fairly standard not to show the entire process.

[Kromm]

Actually in this particular case they didn't need to do that much groundwork for Howie (to pick him from the judges to target for something), simply because Howie has made it clear via participation in acts on previous seasons that he's very suggestible.

BTW: Howie on The Today Show

 

http://youtu.be/PH8yfLVlLbI

[rollacoaster]

I just saw the professional cuddler on the encore show.  Based on everyone's position on the sofa, does that mean that the rest are Mel B's bitches?

[Kromm]

One upsetting bit from that Today Show interview BESIDES Howie's own problems is that he says that not only the normal judges but the GUEST JUDGES are also getting "Golden Buzzer" presses.  Geez.  If they give Nick one too, that's like NINE people they can forward right to the finals.  Good lord.  Way to ruin things.

[backformore]

How is cuddling a TALENT?

[Kromm]

How is cuddling a TALENT?

It was clearly a joke act.

 

I mean we're not as used to that anymore as we were in the early seasons, back when American Idol already had us primed for that, but AGT used to show them all of the time too.

[UsernameGoesHere]

I'm just now getting a chance to watch the show and I thought the MC Hammer kids were fun. I'm sure they're just a novelty act and can't do much more and I have no interest in seeing them making it past the next round, but I thought they were entertaining.

 

The hypnotism stuff is just boring to me. I always hate these kinds of acts.

 

Sexy baby is the stuff nightmares are made of. I did laugh when he dropped the diaper though.

 

I know nothing about magic or comedy so I've never heard of Piff, but I assumed it was going to be one of those joke acts they only show because it's so bad. I was surprised when I actually liked him.

 

The multimedia dancers were fine, but I'm so tired of the judges always saying stuff like, "We've never seen anything like this before!!!" Please stop. Yes you have. Kenichi won with a better version of this act 2 years ago.

 

Singer who lost his son to cancer - sad story but I didn't think he was anything special. Next.

 

I liked the European gymnast quad. Looking forward to seeing what they do next.

 

The professional cuddler making it through was by far the dumbest thing to happen in the episode. That should've been 4 easy no's.

 

Triple Threat was good. And that dancing guy who flipped off the stage was cool.

 

Maybe I'm just mean but I didn't like the stuttering comedian. I only laughed at like one joke. I don't get why Howie used the golden buzzer on him since he was probably going to go through anyway. But I guess now the GB sends them straight through to the live shows. Wonderful. I can't wait to see how much nonsense we'll be subjected to during the live shows because of this, especially since it looks like there will be guest judges who also get a golden buzzer? For real? Hopefully nobody bothers using it.

[saber5055]

I just saw the professional cuddler on the encore show.

 

 

I did not see the "cuddler" when the original show aired or during the encore rerun because I found her so obnoxious, she forced me (maybe through hypnosis!) to turn the channel both times. Sorry to read here that I'm going to have to do that again during her next appearance.

 

I was at a hypnotist's show once and he did some preliminary work directed at the audience to find a few suggestible types to come on stage. I felt myself going and had to walk out to the lobby to clear my head.

 

Wow! So that red-headed gal in the audience maybe really did get hypnotized. Go figure!

 

I don't get why Howie used the golden buzzer on him since he was probably going to go through anyway.

 

 

This way the kid doesn't have to come up with several more routines to get to the live show, so it was a blessing for us all, especially for him. He can maybe just repeat his original jokes since he'll then be in the live voting shows, right?

Edited May 30, 2015 by saber5055

[marketdoctor]

 

Maybe I'm just mean but I didn't like...

 

I'm going to use my Golden Buzzer here and give everyone who doesn't like a specific act a pass, even if I like the act myself.  You're not a terrible person if you don't like a sob story act.  You can even hope their life gets better, or even get an offer to perform somewhere you're not/not watching.  None of that makes you a sociopath (if you are, try proving it by giving a large sum of money to charity and not caring.)

 

If we're stuck with this buzzer thing, let's use it well.

[helenamonster]

Jon-Benet and her boyfriend creeped me out.

 

I shouldn't have laughed at this, but I did. I think those kids have the foundation to be great dancers and should come back in 10 years or so instead of being sent through now.

 

Piff was amazing. He's my favorite so far.

 

I thought the stuttering comedian's GPS joke was pretty funny. Eh, his whole act was good. I'd like to see if he could do jokes that aren't about his stutter.

 

I'm withholding judgment on the Mel B-loving puppets for now, as it might slowly evolve through each round to something really entertaining. Also, the fact that he loves Mel does earn him a few brownie points from me. She's my summer TV wife.

 

Fuck this show for making me roll my eyes at a guy whose five-year-old kid died of cancer.

 

ETA: The hypnotist. I find hypnotism really fascinating. I've never been to one of those shows where it's done, but I've seen YouTube videos of them and other hypnotism-related things. It's also featured prominently in several books I've read over the past few years (usually as a form of therapy or recovering lost memories as part of a mystery novel). But I can't commend this hypnotist making light of what appears to be a very severe case of OCD/germaphobia. As someone who suffers from anxiety, I am sick to death of television making a big joke out of people's various anxiety disorders, and/or exploiting them for emotional manipulation, like they did with that one singer girl last year who didn't leave her bedroom for months.

Edited June 1, 2015 by helenamonster

[A Boston Gal]

 

Fuck this show for making me roll my eyes at a guy whose five-year-old kid died of cancer.

 

 

 

 

Yea, verily. And twice on Sundays.

[gaPeach]

I cringed when I saw the other Judges shaking Howie's hand.  I did not think for a minute he was acting.  But I am surprised that not one of the judges stopped to think about how it would effect Howie once he was out of trance.  It was amazing yes but it was cruel too.  At least IMHO.

 

Not impressed with kid dancers at all. They were cute and good dancers but we have seen so many Great kid dancers they did measure up.  Not even close.

 

So what's this about Howard and Nick not liking each other?  I have not heard anything about it.  Hey if Nick can be married to Mariah Carey he can get a long with the likes of Howard Stern.

 

Yeah what is up with Heidi and her finger glasses?  She did it several times last night.  Is she being funny?