S12.E05: Auditions 5

[Drogo]

Auditions continue.

[Ohwell]

DAYUM that guy can sang!  Whitney would be proud.

Ok, his name is Johnny Manuel.  Somebody needs to sign him.

Edited June 28, 2017 by Ohwell

[Ohwell]

I also love the three "acrobat" guys.  What a novel idea!

[Allie56]

I liked the opera singing cabbie as a person, but I felt like I was taking crazy pills. He hit wrong notes, his phrasing was off, and, yes, he was passionate, but it was all over the place for me. I thought it was pretty awful. Is it just me?

LOVED Johnny Manuel belting out Whitney. I enjoyed the girl sword fighting her dog, but I don't think it's an act I would pay to see. I think the wife half of the competitive married couple vastly outshone her husband.

[lor]

im so tired of everyone's sob story. if you got a sob story you get a yes.

thebest acts of the night were johhny manuel,the guys in the tv,the singing cab guy, and the cgi with heidi.

what is with these men getting naked? at least that magician had a screen.

simon pleading with the judges for the dog act was ridiculous. she starts crying and he jumps up.

[dbklmt]

Did they show Dr. Brandon Rogers who sang and was moved to the next round, but was killed in a car accident on June 14, 2017?

Johnny Manuel was a past contestant on "American Idol" and also has had lots of breaks in the music business. 

http://2paragraphs.com/2017/06/agt-singer-johnny-manuel-recorded-album-with-jermaine-dupri-videos/

Edited June 28, 2017 by dbklmt

[Ohwell]

30 minutes ago, dbklmt said:

Johnny Manuel was a past contestant on "American Idol" and also has had lots of breaks in the music business. 

It was made pretty clear in his intro package that he'd been in the business and performed with other more well-known acts.  He didn't say why his career stalled, but it's not like they were trying to portray him as an amateur.  He can sing and he's young, so even though he probably won't win, maybe the exposure will jump start his career again. 

[camom]

Putting the girl with her dog through was a big mistake.  The act wasn't very special, and when she gets cut early on she will completely fall apart.  

[Brookside]

3 hours ago, Allie56 said:

I liked the opera singing cabbie as a person, but I felt like I was taking crazy pills. He hit wrong notes, his phrasing was off, and, yes, he was passionate, but it was all over the place for me. I thought it was pretty awful. Is it just me?

LOVED Johnny Manuel belting out Whitney. I enjoyed the girl sword fighting her dog.

Totally agree that the opera guy seemed like a great person, but his singing was not great.  But I also felt that about Johnny Mandel - great potential, but way too much vibrato, especially in the first half.

Simon needs to learn to say "One of the best ever", not "The best.  , ever."

I found the act with Heidi in the white leotard incredibly boring after the first twenty seconds and would never pay to see her in a set.

I enjoyed the woman with the dog, mainly because he was incredibly well trained, and didn't require a treat every few seconds, unlike the dogs at shows like Westminster, Crufts etc, (and the earlier dog act on AGT who were allowed to behave obnoxiously in the holding area) who could learn a few things from watching old Barbara "Walkies" Woodhouse videos.

[LadyMustang65]

There seem to be fewer acts this year that are really making us go "wow."  But we did like the boy magician who went first.  We also thought the cabbie seemed like a nice guy but that song was off.  Johnny Manuel was great.  We also liked both the male groups - The Marauders and the boy group - and the female hand balancer/contortionist.  We enjoyed Hero, and I don't mind that they put her through, but it remains to be seen how much more she has in her repertoire.  The act with Heidi in the leotard was creative, but I was trying to imagine watching that for more than a few minutes before it lost its appeal.  Not sure where else they can go with that, but I'm okay with giving them a chance to show us what else they've got up their sleeve. 

[ketchuplover]

Has Heidi picked her Golden Buzzard yet? tyia

[bluepiano]

14 hours ago, Brookside said:

Totally agree that the opera guy seemed like a great person, but his singing was not great.  But I also felt that about Johnny Mandel - great potential, but way too much vibrato, especially in the first half.

Simon needs to learn to say "One of the best ever", not "The best.  , ever."

I found the act with Heidi in the white leotard incredibly boring after the first twenty seconds and would never pay to see her in a set.

I enjoyed the woman with the dog, mainly because he was incredibly well trained, and didn't require a treat every few seconds, unlike the dogs at shows like Westminster, Crufts etc, (and the earlier dog act on AGT who were allowed to behave obnoxiously in the holding area) who could learn a few things from watching old Barbara "Walkies" Woodhouse videos.

Thanks, because I felt the same way about Johnny Manuel and thought I was alone. I admit it's not my style of song or singing, but I also thought he was on the same level as a lot of the r&b singers who go on The Voice, so really not that special.

I was also pretty quickly bored with the projections on the white body suit. For me it was another example of the judges going overboard and praising an act as the most amazing, creative thing ever, when there were have been many similar acts over the years. And I found the whole behind the scenes "mysterious geniuses" thing to be juvenile and dumb. Also, how could Heidi not have been in on it in advance, as they needed to create that leotard to fit her perfectly. You don't buy those off the rack.

The "pirate dog" act was kind of sweet, because she obviously had a great relationship with the dog, and they seemed to be real partners, unlike your typical dog act. But her breakdown and Simon's pleading were uncomfortable.

Overall I thought the singing acts were good, maybe because none of them were kids. It was a pleasure not to hear squeaky, cracking voices followed by way over the top praise from the judges. I liked the quartet from Atlanta and the trio of "older gentlemen." My only quibbles are that "It's a Man's World" is one of those songs done to death on competition shows, and I thought that brining in the Civil Rights movement and the death of Dr. King as the reason their act never took seemed inappropriate.

[anthonyd46]

On 6/27/2017 at 10:09 PM, lor said:

im so tired of everyone's sob story. if you got a sob story you get a yes.

 

I saw this show live every year when it was in the NYC/NJ area. The TV changes a lot of the acts. So if some magic trick looks obvious on TV in person with a limited view and not multiple camera angles being in your view something looks a lot more talented than it actually is. The reason I think singers get so many votes on this show is on TV the magic of sound and whatever technology makes them sound better than what they really are. Some of the live shows I went to some of these people were terrible, but on TV they sounded ok. Let me also tell you the crowd is SUPER obnoxious. They try to down it on tv a bit, but sometimes it can get super loud and they try to stray the judges thoughts especially with the sob story ones. I think the main problem I have with this show at times is I feel they try to keep a variety as long as its in their control. Like right now America isn't voting so even if an act isn't bad they want to keep the balance of singers,dancers, etc so I feel like even some bad acts will get through because they have a quota of how many of each type of act they need to push through to make the show interesting. One thing I wish they did later on is when America does vote to actually show the vote totals. Without that sometimes it seems bizarre some of the acts that move through and makes me wonder if there is a bit of rigging going on. The only time the vote totals are ever shown is part of the way through the save votes. So point of this post I wonder if America's votes even cast or they just advance sob stories for ratings.

[rr2911]

The performances I liked:

. Henry Richardson The magician - I like magic so I'm going to pay attention to these acts. I thought his trick was well done and even though a more experienced magician might have done the trick better or with more style, the kid did a good job.

. Johnny Manuel - Very good singer! Wasn't he doing rap music when he was opening up for other acts? Maybe he tried to showcase his voice and the rap industry said "NO"? Anyway, JM should go far.

. Final Draft - Another very good singing performance this time by a group. I like them and think they can go far in this competition.

. The Masqueraders - I loved the old music. These old dudes can sing!! They should be in the thick of things but it will be tough for them because of the others singing groups.

.Oskar Gaspar (Heidi) - I liked the performance even though we've all seen this before. The only concern is does the person or object have to be stationary for the act to be successful?

.Carlos De Antonis opera singer - I don't know anything about opera! I can't tell if the singer is off tune or in tune like other posters pointed out. I thought he did an o.k. job according to my own ears...lol!

 

The performances that I didn't like:

. Sara Carson and Hero - O.k., so the judges like dogs. They can't separate their fondness for dogs and judge the performance by itself? This act was boring, all over the place, and there was nothing new that we all haven't seen before! NOTHING!! Sara spend her whole time showing her backside waiting for the dog to do something. It was slow moving and shouldn't have gone through. But, this is a show that needs ratings and Simon going on stage to insist that this act go through was just further proof of the show being scripted.

Maria Popazova - Another contortionist that will wow the audience for a while then run out steam.

Maxim Popazov - I think he has a better upside to his act. He can always go higher and higher!

 

I was hoping we would get the old Simon Cowell when we heard about his signing a couple of years ago. Now, I think it was a mistake and I wish Piers Morgan was brought back. That dam dog named Hero certainly wouldn't have gone through. Now we're left with a show that's totally depending on script writing and everything seems fake from the audiences reactions to the judging.

 

Until next time......   

[saber5055]

Brookside, the Pirate Dog is a TRICK dog, which is nothing like and in no way related to dogs shown in kennel-club CONFORMATION events like Westminster and Crufts. Handlers there use bait (treats) to get a dog's attention and to show expression. AKC "trick" dogs compete in agility, obedience and/or rally, where "treats" are not allowed. But rest assured all dogs get plenty of praise (positive reinforcement) between exercises. Meanwhile, Simon getting on stage and pleading for Pirate Dog made a whole lot more sense to me than MelB getting on stage to plead for Pumpkin Head to go through. At least Pirate Dog actually has a talent.

And duh, yeah, this show is scripted. Just like all "reality" shows are. That's a no-brainer.

[Brookside]

29 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Brookside, the Pirate Dog is a TRICK dog, which is nothing like and in no way related to dogs shown in kennel-club CONFORMATION events like Westminster and Crufts. Handlers there use bait (treats) to get a dog's attention and to show expression. AKC "trick" dogs compete in agility, obedience and/or rally, where "treats" are not allowed. But rest assured all dogs get plenty of praise (positive reinforcement) between exercises. Meanwhile, Simon getting on stage and pleading for Pirate Dog made a whole lot more sense to me than MelB getting on stage to plead for Pumpkin Head to go through. At least Pirate Dog actually has a talent.

And duh, yeah, this show is scripted. Just like all "reality" shows are. That's a no-brainer.

Thanks for the explanation Saber.

[rr2911]

1 hour ago, saber5055 said:

Brookside, the Pirate Dog is a TRICK dog, which is nothing like and in no way related to dogs shown in kennel-club CONFORMATION events like Westminster and Crufts. Handlers there use bait (treats) to get a dog's attention and to show expression. AKC "trick" dogs compete in agility, obedience and/or rally, where "treats" are not allowed. But rest assured all dogs get plenty of praise (positive reinforcement) between exercises. Meanwhile, Simon getting on stage and pleading for Pirate Dog made a whole lot more sense to me than MelB getting on stage to plead for Pumpkin Head to go through. At least Pirate Dog actually has a talent.

And duh, yeah, this show is scripted. Just like all "reality" shows are. That's a no-brainer.

I think we all are aware that these shows are scripted, but to make it so obvious is just not good television imho. The judges aren't actors so when they are forced to do something that is not in their talent level, they look awkward and fake. I agree that MelB's going on stage to save Pumpkin Head was ridiculous also, but the dog act just didn't show anything to want to see the act again....and I like dogs! Oh well, Sara and Hero will be gone in the live shows.  

[saber5055]

One thing that irks me about this show being scripted is, we see a back story about the contestant being 49 and having survived cancer, then the judges, before the act begins, asks how old he/she is and if he/she has had any medical problems. Okay, so not exactly like that. But my point is, the judges ask pointed and personal questions of some contestants (and we already know the answers having seen the sob story). Other people, they don't get asked anything at all, just "Let's see what you do." Because that person wasn't born deaf or blind or have cancer or survived a plane crash or anything dramatic, they just have a talent (hopefully). I know, there's nothing to be done about it (except rank here, LOL!) since that's the way TPTB want it. So some people get a golden buzzer or sent to next round based on who TPTB want to get a golden buzzer or sent to next round. Their choices don't always coincide with mine, of course! Still, there's next round for the acts we didn't like to get sent home. Hopefully. Not that I'm invested in any act (not since Prince Poppycock), it's just a way to kill a few hours every week, then come here to see what you guys think.

[SnarkyTart]

6 hours ago, rr2911 said:

Sara Carson and Hero - O.k., so the judges like dogs. They can't separate their fondness for dogs and judge the performance by itself? This act was boring, all over the place, and there was nothing new that we all haven't seen before! NOTHING!! Sara spend her whole time showing her backside waiting for the dog to do something. It was slow moving and shouldn't have gone through.

A thousand times yes to this.  What Sara and Hero did was "freestyle heelwork".  It's been done a thousand percent better than their performance.  The "talent" involved should be an exceptionally talented trainer and an exceptionally well-trained dog if they are to be worthy of a million dollar prize and headlining a Las Vegas show.  This act wasn't that.  Now, if Lucie Plevova and her dog "Jump" entered AGT, I'd vote my fingers off for them.  Here's their first place winning exhibition at Crufts 2017:

[Wings]

8 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Meanwhile, Simon getting on stage and pleading for Pirate Dog made a whole lot more sense to me than MelB getting on stage to plead for Pumpkin Head to go through. At least Pirate Dog actually has a talent.

I agree and I will add the chunky black guy who danced on the first audition show.  Oh there are more, too, but I have blocked them for mental health reasons.   

[lor]

why is tyra not wearing pants? why is mel b. wearing see through dresses? They should be dressing respectfully.   

I think it was last year that mel threw a drink at simon. the drink hit an audience member. She threw a drink again. They have childish fights. I don't think its entertaining.

I dont remeber any of this childish stuff with the previous judges.

[crazycatlady58]

I cannot figure out why Simon  wears a t-shirt  and everyone  else dresses up.

[Wings]

3 minutes ago, crazycatlady58 said:

I cannot figure out why Simon  wears a t-shirt  and everyone  else dresses up.

He always has.  He hates to dress up and the white T-shirt has become a trade mark of sorts though I don't think it started out to be one.  

[crazycatlady58]

Well I guess he can get way  with it, it just seems almost  rude everyone is dressed  nicely  and he is in a t-shirt .  But  I am old so I have a different  view  point  does  not mean I am correct . 

[SnarkyTart]

54 minutes ago, crazycatlady58 said:

I cannot figure out why Simon  wears a t-shirt  and everyone  else dresses up.

At least he wears pants...and we can't see through them. 

[crazycatlady58]

True I should  be grateful  for small  favors.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I was genuinely angry that we got snippets of a few acts (I think magic acts) and we had the most extended storytelling I can ever recall - and that is saying something!  I would much rather not have been reminded that there were at least a score of pretty good acts we might never see.  

The distraught dog owner was arguably the most disturbing breakdown I've seen, as well.  Wow.  I loved (loves) me some snarky back-in-the-day Simon and dearly wish he would have made a return for these auditions.  Alas, he did not.  However...I was intensely hoping that he would not be the slightest bit mean to her.   That may have been literally catastrophic.   But then he had to go and be Mr. Marshmallow?  Booooooo!  I understand the manipulation and I am truly thankful that the woman was able to gather some dignity before leaving the stage.   I still doesn't has to like what he pulled.

I truly do enjoy close-in magic.  We've had some terrific acts on AGT.  A really good buddy of mine is well established in L.A. as one.  But, whatever happened to the critiques that those acts would never translate to the audience at-home?  They said it a bunch of times when they refused to put decent acts through.  Now, we get some each week and all are sent through.  That's good.  I'm just pointing out the sea change by TPTB.

Edited June 30, 2017 by Lonesome Rhodes
speeling

[saber5055]

I don't think the Pirate Dog lady should have started crying, but has anyone kept track of all the contestants who have started sobbing on that stage this year? Some before they even begin their act. For all I know, Pirate Dog Lady was told by TPTB to cry, and Simon told to get on stage to promote her. TPTB need enough acts to fill the next episodes, so some of question (or emotional instability) have to be put through. Cannon fodder. And too funny about the pants thing, SnarkyTart. For a prime-time family show, there are plenty of things shown (or "not" shown) that I wouldn't want to have to explain to a little kid. At least Simon wearing the same white or black t-shirt doesn't distract me as does Tyra, with her multiple hair and costume changes between acts. That is really irritating.

[Brookside]

On ‎6‎/‎29‎/‎2017 at 2:44 PM, SnarkyTart said:

A thousand times yes to this.  What Sara and Hero did was "freestyle heelwork".  It's been done a thousand percent better than their performance.  The "talent" involved should be an exceptionally talented trainer and an exceptionally well-trained dog if they are to be worthy of a million dollar prize and headlining a Las Vegas show.  This act wasn't that.  Now, if Lucie Plevova and her dog "Jump" entered AGT, I'd vote my fingers off for them.  Here's their first place winning exhibition at Crufts 2017:

 

Thanks for posting this - the level of training is amazing (have you seen One Man and his Dog?  British sheep trials, amazing). 

[Babalooie]

On ‎6‎/‎29‎/‎2017 at 8:30 PM, crazycatlady58 said:

I cannot figure out why Simon  wears a t-shirt  and everyone  else dresses up.

The toothpick he was holding while critiquing a contestant was classy, too.  Low.  I guess that someone with a net worth of $350 million can do what he wants.

[SnarkyTart]

1 hour ago, Brookside said:

Thanks for posting this - the level of training is amazing (have you seen One Man and his Dog?  British sheep trials, amazing). 

I haven't seen that, but will look for it now.  I've really enjoyed watching youtubes of the Australian sheep herders that deck their sheep out in LED-lighted vests, then have the border collies herd them into forming very complex patterns and pictures.  Awesome!

[Meushell]

The dog act might be the first time I ever got bored watching an animal act.

The husband and wife competing separately were both entertaining. 

I'm trying to like Tyra. I'm trying not to judge her based on America's Next Top Model. I just find her annoying though. The "Of course he is going to say yes, duh" thing was just rude though. Was that supposed to be funny?

[Frankenstein123]

11: Carlos De Antonis - Pro tip for AGT: When trying to pass your act off as just a simple cab driver, make sure he doesn't have multiple IMDB credits and a lengthty wikipedia entry describing all the world famous opera houses he's performed in. I really wanted to like this guy, but everything from the very first moment they tried introducing him with wacky goofy music to the "simple cab driver" story felt like something out of a talent show cliche book written 10 years ago. Once the nessun dorma kicked in I was prepared to hide my head under the couch like an ostrich. It doesn't help that you can easily find info online on how he's actually a fairly known, classically trained singer who has performed all over the world in sold out concert tours in some of the most renowed concert halls and even recorded an album in Capitol Studios. Why they needed to push this tired "simple guy turns out to have an amazing talent" cliche on us is beyond me when there is actually a much more interesting story here having to deal with him being invited to sing at the oscar gala as he's involved in a bad car crash the same night and ends up spending years going through physical therapy to take up a part time job as an uber driver as he tries to get his old career going again...But no, instead we get fed bullshit and lies. COME ON AGT, I thought we were beyond this...

 

10: Sara Carson & Hero - I liked this better than the judges and actually felt a little sorry for her considering it was a neat spin on the "dancing dog" act and it takes a TON of time and effort to put execute something like this, yet she pretty much had to claw her way to the next round while "professional huggers" and Bon jovi rejects miming playing the keyboard get through with ease. This show sometimes...

 

9: Henry Richardson - Glad to see Chipps Cooney found a way to inspire people through this show. All jokes aside, he was actually pretty good, even if the trick was basic and something we have seen before on the show. There's a worry here that he's too young to really offer us anything unique, but good on him for giving it a go.

 

8: Oskar and Gaspar - Forget Blofeld, Oskar abd Gaspar might just be the biggest threat james Bond has ever faced. Or was "Oskar and Gaspar" just a codename for LG? Because this felt like a tech demo..."the most unique act we have seen this season" KINDA...But I've seen this technology used at concerts to add a bit of flair to the artists costume and it works PERFECTLY for that, here Heidi was just standing in one spot as they made her look like she was using a badly broken face swap app. There's great potential for technology like this to be used WITH something else, but it doesn't seem these guys bothered to figure it out so as it stands It was just...weird.
 

7: Maria Popazov -They're creepy and they're kooky, Mysterious and spooky, They're all together ooky, The Popazov Family *finger snap*. Both her and her husband felt like a serious case of "seen it all before" without really offering us anything new, but good enough for now I suppose.
 

6: Maxim Popazov - Well that's one way of making sure nobody else can get to your cake...

 

5: Final Draft - Yeah they felt very much like a better version of Linkin Bridge, but without the backstory I doubt we'll see them going as far.

 

4: Vinny Grosso - Another act I'm familiar with, although this is the only routine I've ever seen him do so I have no idea what might come next besides more shots of Tyra acting like she's never seen a man naked before. I like my comedy and my magic so I'm alwayd down for seeing more of them on this show.

 

3: Johnny Manuel.  He's probably the best singer we have had this season, I can see him doing quite well in the future...

 

2: Sirqus Alfon - This was funny and clever and these guys fascinated me so I did some digging online and what I found out was...well..where do I even begin? Turns out these guys are actually a Swedish award winning comedy/circus/music/performing arts/dance/the kitchen sink group who have been around since 1997. If that's not mindboggling enough, they also have 4 albums out as of today. It seems their stage shows consist of A. Humorous music, B. comedic 3 stooges style acrobatics and C. tape face style audience participation gags with the use of technology. While it might ruin the gag a bit, sometimes I wish instead of tired sob stories the show would shed a bit of light on acts like these and explain their backstory a bit, because the 15 minutes of research i did on these guys was far more interesting than anything we heard this episode. I...am intrigued and while I fully expect them to get the "joke act" treatment and be cut early on, there is at least some cool potential here.

 

1: The Masqueraders - Yeah these guys won me over, they just had great stage presence and it helps that they sang in a genre that's very dear to my heart.

[Wings]

5 hours ago, Frankenstein123 said:

8: Oskar and Gaspar - Forget Blofeld, Oskar abd Gaspar might just be the biggest threat james Bond has ever faced. Or was "Oskar and Gaspar" just a codename for LG? Because this felt like a tech demo..."the most unique act we have seen this season" KINDA...But I've seen this technology used at concerts to add a bit of flair to the artists costume and it works PERFECTLY for that, here Heidi was just standing in one spot as they made her look like she was using a badly broken face swap app. There's great potential for technology like this to be used WITH something else, but it doesn't seem these guys bothered to figure it out so as it stands It was just...weird.

LOL @ bold and YES.  I suspect they will step it up.  I think computers can do everything thing so these effects never dazzle me. 

I quickly forget these acts so I have no comments of the rest of your post! 

The show should be named 'Circus Circus with Some Singers."  

[Ohwell]

I remember the Masqueraders from back in the day.  I even have a 45 of theirs called Travelin' Man, a lovely ballad.  I think the problem for them was that in their heyday, there were so many great R&B groups that they just got lost in the shuffle.  It's nice to see them back after so many years and even though I doubt they'll win, I hope they can go on tour.  They'd sell tickets in the DC area, for sure.

[saber5055]

Hey Frankenstein123, thanks for the recap and the inside info. I watched the replay of this episode last night and saw all acts this time, not just the ones I was flipping through Monday night (while watching The Bachelorette!). I had forgotten that I LOL'd at Sirqus Alfon (I couldn't understand their name when said on the show). They were hilarious and so funny, I never LOL for real, but these guys made it happen for me. I totally couldn't understand Simon "not getting it." WTH? He doesn't have eyes? I also loved Little Johnny. Man, best singer on any show by a long shot. Plus we got his back story, unlike the cab-driving opera singer. Frankenstein123 gave us his backstory, so yeah, a big BOO to AGT pretending like he's some neighborhood guy who sings while making pizzas. Oh wait ... that was last year. And seeing Hero's act all the way through, I give a big A+ to them, too. Training a dog for freestyle isn't easy, and he was stellar IMO. Meanwhile, I can't even look at Tyra. Her black-lipstick-and-no-pants look isn't a good one.

I also really loved the Masqueraders. And wow to their backstory. Being black and in Memphis when MLK was murdered ... just ... wow.

[UncleChuck]

Quote

Also, how could Heidi not have been in on it in advance, as they needed to create that leotard to fit her perfectly. You don't buy those off the rack.

I'm sure that the costume supervisor provides Heidi, Mel and Tyra with their clothing for every episode, so the costume department would already have all of Heidi's measurements locked in and could have produced that unitard in an hour or so.

Quote

I was hoping we would get the old Simon Cowell when we heard about his signing a couple of years ago.

Simon was not actually signed for this show.  He created the show in England (BGT) and is not only the Executive Producer of AGT but owns the show. 

"Old Simon" or "New Simon"--as the Boss, he performing in exactly the way he determines will be most successful for this production.

Quote

I think it was last year that mel threw a drink at simon. the drink hit an audience member. She threw a drink again. They have childish fights. I don't think its entertaining.

I dont remeber any of this childish stuff with the previous judges.

Remember, Mel is tossing that drink at her Boss, so if there is any real animosity or meanness, she could be FIRED before the next commercial break.  Obviously Simon has figured that this is a type of friendly banter that will sell well.

As for such "childish stuff" between judges in the past--how about the constant feuding between Howie and Piers Morgan.  Piers had such a no-fun stick up his arse and Howie just loved to give it a twist.  Piers never gave the slightest impression that he was amused by Howie's pranks--he always seemed truly annoyed.  Good for Howie!!!

[Wings]

3 hours ago, UncleChuck said:

have all of Heidi's measurements locked in and could have produced that unitard in an hour or so.

Oh no, it would take a good deal longer than that!  This was all planned way in advance.  

[helenamonster]

I don't think they're million-dollar worthy but I enjoyed Sarah and Hero enough that I don't mind them going onto the next round. After that it depends who they're up against for going through the live shows, and I might prefer other acts go ahead of them.

The magic acts are generally my favorite on this show so I liked the young magician that opened the episode.

Sirqus Alfon were awesome. I'm really looking forward to more from them.

On 6/29/2017 at 8:35 PM, wings707 said:

He always has.  He hates to dress up and the white T-shirt has become a trade mark of sorts though I don't think it started out to be one.  

It used to be a black t-shirt, right, in the early days of American Idol? I forget when he switched.

[rr2911]

11 hours ago, UncleChuck said:

As for such "childish stuff" between judges in the past--how about the constant feuding between Howie and Piers Morgan.  Piers had such a no-fun stick up his arse and Howie just loved to give it a twist.  Piers never gave the slightest impression that he was amused by Howie's pranks--he always seemed truly annoyed.  Good for Howie!!!

I would welcome Piers Morgan back! He didn't hold anything back and told things like it is! He was about putting through an act he thought had a chance to win. He didn't get caught up in sob stories, or couldn't buzz an act because it was a kid contestant.

[Ohwell]

After he buzzed Prince Poppycock in the finale, Piers Morgan was dead to me.

Dead.

[bluepiano]

On ‎7‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 9:09 AM, saber5055 said:

 I had forgotten that I LOL'd at Sirqus Alfon (I couldn't understand their name when said on the show). They were hilarious and so funny, I never LOL for real, but these guys made it happen for me. I totally couldn't understand Simon "not getting it." WTH? He doesn't have eyes? I also loved Little Johnny. Man, best singer on any show by a long shot. Plus we got his back story, unlike the cab-driving opera singer. Frankenstein123 gave us his backstory, so yeah, a big BOO to AGT pretending like he's some neighborhood guy who sings while making pizzas.

I thought Sirqus Alfon's act showed a lot more creativity than the video projections on Heidi that the judges (including Simon) went nuts for.

I was one of several people posting last week about AGT lying to make professional performers seem like undiscovered amateurs hoping to escape from their mundane day jobs. Sorry to hear that with the opera singing cab driver they're at it again. I wonder if these people legitimately try out and then the producers come up with the phony baloney story, or if they're recruited from the beginning.

When the Popazovs said they live in Vegas, that's one way of making it clear that they're already a performing professional act. I liked both of them, though as a guy I have to say I enjoyed watching Maria a lot more. (Sexist I know. But there's a double standard on this show, where Heidi and Mel ogle the muscular male dancers or acrobats and say things like "you're really hot" or "my favorite part was when you took your shirt off." The male judges have always kept those kinds of thoughts to themselves in order not to be accused of crossing the line.)

When the sheriff was dancing, did anyone else think he looked like one of the Village People?

Edited July 3, 2017 by bluepiano

[Frankenstein123]

2 hours ago, bluepiano said:

I wonder if these people legitimately try out and then the producers come up with the phony baloney story, or if they're recruited from the beginning.

I'm going to give the acts the benefit of the doubt here and assume they audition normally and just answer a TON of questions from the pre-judges/producers as they guide them and later edit the footage to fit whatever narrative they want to portray on the show.

2 hours ago, bluepiano said:

When the sheriff was dancing, did anyone else think he looked like one of the Village People?

All he needs is to buy some wooden dolls and dress them up as the other members, then attach them to a rig he could wear on his body and....wait...oh.........

[saber5055]

I'm thinking some of these professional acts are recruited and their backstories then "neglect" to mention their professional affiliations. Sort of like certain people are recruited to be on The Bachelor/Bachelorette. When people live in Sarasota or Vegas, yeah, that's pretty much a give away they are working performers. Not that I mind, I like seeing all kinds of acts. It's just that every year I learn more and more about how this show is scripted. Like Heidi's white body stocking, which even included hands w/fingers. Please. That was just laying around backstage? And Heidi being all, "Me? You want ME?" and "I didn't get to see the act, what does the audience think so I can vote?" Oh well. Smoke and mirrors. It's just fun to come here and find out who is what.

[Commando Cody]

The act with Heidi in the bodysuit was good for about 30 seconds. It's one of those things you put in the lobby. People look at it briefly - say "Oh that's cool" and then move on. 

The opera singer wasn't impressive. 

They have had better dog acts on this show. 

I thought the kid singing Whitney Houston was good. 

I thought the deputy was going to be a stripper act. 

[Parker]

On ‎6‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 11:31 PM, anthonyd46 said:

I saw this show live every year when it was in the NYC/NJ area. The TV changes a lot of the acts. So if some magic trick looks obvious on TV in person with a limited view and not multiple camera angles being in your view something looks a lot more talented than it actually is. The reason I think singers get so many votes on this show is on TV the magic of sound and whatever technology makes them sound better than what they really are. Some of the live shows I went to some of these people were terrible, but on TV they sounded ok. Let me also tell you the crowd is SUPER obnoxious. They try to down it on tv a bit, but sometimes it can get super loud and they try to stray the judges thoughts especially with the sob story ones. I think the main problem I have with this show at times is I feel they try to keep a variety as long as its in their control. Like right now America isn't voting so even if an act isn't bad they want to keep the balance of singers,dancers, etc so I feel like even some bad acts will get through because they have a quota of how many of each type of act they need to push through to make the show interesting. One thing I wish they did later on is when America does vote to actually show the vote totals. Without that sometimes it seems bizarre some of the acts that move through and makes me wonder if there is a bit of rigging going on. The only time the vote totals are ever shown is part of the way through the save votes. So point of this post I wonder if America's votes even cast or they just advance sob stories for ratings.

Like AI, all these vote shows make millions.  Rigging votes makes no sense and doesn't increase the bottom line and would be catastrophic if found to be so.

[Parker]

On ‎6‎/‎29‎/‎2017 at 2:22 PM, saber5055 said:

One thing that irks me about this show being scripted is, we see a back story about the contestant being 49 and having survived cancer, then the judges, before the act begins, asks how old he/she is and if he/she has had any medical problems. Okay, so not exactly like that. But my point is, the judges ask pointed and personal questions of some contestants (and we already know the answers having seen the sob story). Other people, they don't get asked anything at all, just "Let's see what you do." Because that person wasn't born deaf or blind or have cancer or survived a plane crash or anything dramatic, they just have a talent (hopefully). I know, there's nothing to be done about it (except rank here, LOL!) since that's the way TPTB want it. So some people get a golden buzzer or sent to next round based on who TPTB want to get a golden buzzer or sent to next round. Their choices don't always coincide with mine, of course! Still, there's next round for the acts we didn't like to get sent home. Hopefully. Not that I'm invested in any act (not since Prince Poppycock), it's just a way to kill a few hours every week, then come here to see what you guys think.

Actually, that's what shown on TV.  Most acts are much longer in person and may include questions by the judges that aren't show on TV.   Since there are only 5 Golden Buzzers, I don't think anyone but the judges has a say in this.  Plus, it may not always be exact because each judge only gets one.  One judge may see another act more deserving, but if they have already used their buzzer, nothing can be done.

On ‎6‎/‎29‎/‎2017 at 8:30 PM, crazycatlady58 said:

I cannot figure out why Simon  wears a t-shirt  and everyone  else dresses up.

On most of the finales of AI, he did.

[Parker]

The Good...I liked all the singing acts, and it remains to be seen how good they can be going through.

The Acrobats on the screen was inventive and I laughed.  They deserved to go through, but have no chance to win.

The Bad...I have only watched for two years, but the judges constantly say...best kid ever, best singer ever, most original ever...the best ever way too much...did the judges in the early years do the same? 

Tyra...her clothes, emphasis on those gigantic hips...she's not terrible, but she adds little to the show. 

Simon and Mel B and more water fights...been there, done that.  Quit letting Simon bait you Mel.

[anthonyd46]

On 7/7/2017 at 7:17 PM, Parker said:

Actually, that's what shown on TV.  Most acts are much longer in person and may include questions by the judges that aren't show on TV.   Since there are only 5 Golden Buzzers, I don't think anyone but the judges has a say in this.  Plus, it may not always be exact because each judge only gets one.  One judge may see another act more deserving, but if they have already used their buzzer, nothing can be done.

On most of the finales of AI, he did.

I've never been to the auditions so I can't say for that, but as far as the live shows the only acts that are longer than you see is something that takes forever to setup. Such as loop rawlins, the two kids a couple seasons ago that danced in water, etc. The audience is there from about 2 hours before and during these two hours they tape these longer acts which take about 5-10 minutes a piece. Then when the spot for them shows up in the live shows the audience just sits there in the dark and watches a tv monitor.