S13.E03: Auditions 3

[Commando Cody]

A variety of acts perform for the judges.

[xls]

Wth? didn't we see the quick-changing-outfits couple before?

There should be age requirements here, I think, moving little kids though be cause they are so adorable, only to crush their feelings later on is just cruel. jmho

[Ohwell]

I don't know if it was the same couple, but that quick-changing outfit routine is nothing new. 

The little girl singer was adorable and sang her little heart out, but yeah, she shouldn't have even been on the show.  Stop it!

Mel B looks rough.

[Diana Berry]

So Courtney (golden buzzer) was on the voice Uk kids edition, I guess just feel bamboozled when they act like these acts have no stage experience.

 

The  quick changing act from a few years ago was an older couple and very established in Vegas.

Edited June 13, 2018 by Diana Berry

[Babalooie]

41 minutes ago, Diana Berry said:

So Courtney (golden buzzer) was on the voice Uk kids edition,

Yes, I went to her FB page.  This isn't her first rodeo.  She's quite experienced and it's insulting that the producers think that we will fall for the "I'm so shy" act.  Sadly some viewers will.

[Commando Cody]

Little Sophie: So cute. Big voice. We all know she isn't going to win this, but I have admit, I did enjoy her performance. 

Quick Change Couple: The problem with quick change acts are that they are only good for about five minutes. You may find new, exciting ways to do a quick change, but it's not something you want to watch for 90 minutes.  At least I don't want to watch quick change for 90 minutes - unless Bill Murray is involved. 

Noah: He was on Glee.  

Caterpillar Guy: I agree, Caterpillar Guy, it hurts. I always feel like when they give time to these crappy acts, someone with a good act didn't get a chance. They didn't buzz this guy soon enough. Total waste of time.

Future Kings: They were pretty good. However, nothing stood out to differentiate them from any other dance troop. The little kids in the act are going to hold them back. 

Virtual Reality Guys:  I didn't get it. It looked like a guy running through some graphics. No dance, no acrobatics. Was it just the graphics we were supposed to be impressed with?

Miss Trish:  I think she may have a bit of a Gladys Knight quality to her voice.  Really enjoyed her performance. I hope she goes far in the competition. 

Scorpion Guy:  Whatever. I think the guy was just watching the clock count down while he jiggled the lock. These escape acts bore me. I watched it on fast forward until the end when he pretended to not be able to unlock the lock until the last second. 

Hans - International Superstar: Nice voice. Energetic dancing. Definitely not European. 

Samuel the Comic: Kind of amusing.

I think Mel's hair is doing some sort of quick change act. 

Courtney - 13 year old girl: Not an appropriate song for her. Not a great singer. Not even close to Janis Joplin, Howie. Another waste of the golden buzzer. 

[filmfan2480]

I'm sorry.  I enjoy this show and get from it what I can to be entertained.  But I just CAN NOT with the sappiness and phoniness.  I realize some of it is editing, but when these audience members leap to their feet in the midst of a performance in unison and give their OVER-THE-TOP screams and claps, it just feels so unbelievably disingenuous and programmed and beckoned by producers (off stage) or asked to do so by some off-camera blinking message or ... something.  It just totally negates a lot of the amazing, natural feelings I SHOULD be feeling during lots of the talented acts.

Loved the outfits changers.  Loved the couple that did it years ago.  I'm just in awe of that stuff; don't know why.  And the techno/visual effects guy was increeeeeedible.  Hope he goes far.

And yeah, Mel B does look rough.  I mentioned it last week but, why go to the botox and make your face looked all frigged?  Ugh.

Edited June 13, 2018 by filmfan2480

[BuckeyeLou]

We had our local weather folks interrupt AGT about 15 minutes from the end, so I missed the Golden Buzzer act, but sounds like I did not miss anything too exciting.  

[backformore]

I may be alone, but little Sophie didn't impress me.  All the talking - "and my favorite judge is Mr Simon!"  seemed over-rehearsed, gave me a Toddlers and Tiaras vibe.  

The virtual reality guys - that seemed like something that was good live.  But watching on a television screen? It reminded me of watching a video game. 

The caterpillar/butterfly guy - I missed something. "his stocking tore, oh my god what is that?"  and MelB hides her eyes, audience members were shocked.  What? what did I miss? 

[kickedinthehead]

2 hours ago, Commando Cody said:

Noah: He was on Glee.  

Yup, that's about all I remember of his appearance (and I completely forgot about him until I read your post).

 

2 hours ago, Commando Cody said:

Caterpillar Guy: I agree, Caterpillar Guy, it hurts. I always feel like when they give time to these crappy acts, someone with a good act didn't get a chance. They didn't buzz this guy soon enough. Total waste of time.

Yes -- whatever THAT was, it definitely went on for too long (I confessed, I laughed once at the sheer ridiculousness of it; but the "caterpillar"'s voice quickly began to wear on my nerves...)

 

2 hours ago, Commando Cody said:

Future Kings: They were pretty good. However, nothing stood out to differentiate them from any other dance troop. The little kids in the act are going to hold them back. 

Was one of them the kid that asked for a Dunkin' Donut? That's about all I remember of that act.

2 hours ago, Commando Cody said:

 

Scorpion Guy:  Whatever. I think the guy was just watching the clock count down while he jiggled the lock. These escape acts bore me. I watched it on fast forward until the end when he pretended to not be able to unlock the lock until the last second. 

His fiancee, or wife, or whomever the woman with him was reminded me of the overly dramatic wife of last season's Escape Artist (Demian Aditya?). Hopefully she won't be as hysterical as Demian's wife (as for Scorpion Guy ... meh. Nice grunty-looking expressions when you were "bending the bars", or whatever it was you were pretending to do.)

 

2 hours ago, Commando Cody said:

Hans - International Superstar: Nice voice. Energetic dancing. Definitely not European. 

Apparently, he's Australian ? He was far from my favorite, but at least slightly less boring than many of the other acts tonight.

2 hours ago, Commando Cody said:

Samuel the Comic: Kind of amusing.

I liked him better than the lady comic from a couple of weeks ago. I wonder if  he'll joke about anything other than his Tourette's (I don't really mind one way or the other as long as he's reasonably funny, although I don't exactly see him winning).

 

2 hours ago, Commando Cody said:

 

Courtney - 13 year old girl: Not an appropriate song for her. Not a great singer. Not even close to Janis Joplin, Howie. Another waste of the golden buzzer. 

Agreed. And this is probably mean of me, but her dancing (?) was very... awkward.

 

I'm still rooting for the cats!

[bluepiano]

Did Heidi not realize that "Hans" wasn't German? She kept trying to speak to him in German when he clearly didn't understand a word. Sometimes she isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. Especially as his "accent" was about as authentic as Sasha Baron Cohen doing Bruno.

I'd rather see a goofy act like Hans than a 13 year old singer who I'm supposed to believe is really incredible. Golden Buzzer??? I was cringing through the whole thing. Hate to say, but coming on after the guy with Tourette's, it seemed like she was the one suffering from some kind of nervous disorder. And thanks to those who pointed out her TV background. It's more of the same old BS from this show, trying to make us believe that everyone is a nervous first-time performer.

The "escape" aspect of the guy with the scorpions was totally contrived and unconvincing. I felt bad for the scorpions.

We've seen way better virtual reality acts on this show, in which the "main character" was interacting with his environment, instead of just running, running, running. Ho hum. Does every act get the same amount of time? Maybe it's how they edit the show. But some acts (especially comics) are over so quickly, while this virtual reality act seemed to last forever.

I enjoy quick change acts, but I remember the one that was on a couple of seasons ago as having been more stylish and entertaining. (The clothes were really cool, and they said that the woman designed all of them herself).

Anyone notice that there were a bunch of acrobats and danger acts that were montaged? I presume that some of them were pretty good and being saved to liven up future episodes.

Almost every act this season has either gotten four "yesses" or four "nos." I only recall one case where the vote was two to one and we had the "suspense" of whether they'd get put through. It seems like every act that isn't a terrible, Gong Show type act gets four yesses. (Including the 5 year old singing "My Way." Which was actually slightly amusing, but I have no desire to ever hear her sing again.)

Edited June 13, 2018 by bluepiano

[Vermicious Knid]

Somebody was on fire. Why can't we see more of that instead of all the time wasted on caterpillar guy?

[PhD-Purgatory15]

There are always interesting acts we get a snippet of (either in performance or milling around in the cavernous backstage area) that I would trade tons of people who actually get their act shown (I'm looking at you, Caterpillar man, 5 year old singer girl, and Scorpion guy). I wanted to see the guy doing the flaming Cyr wheel's entire act....or various cultural dance groups hanging out back stage (Bollywood, and possibly a Native Hawaiian or Polynesian dance group as well). Even the 4 girls with fiddles who we are supposed to believe were terrible....I would've like to see their act and judged for myself lol.

I guess the Glee singer guy wasn't too bad, and stand up comic was ok, but man this just seemed like a rough two hours that I copiously ff'ed through....

Edited June 13, 2018 by PhD-Purgatory15

[silverspoons]

Does anyone know how the auditions worked this year because it sure seems like we are seeing a lot of contestants that have been on other shows or already have some level of fame.

I was not impressed with the golden buzzer use. I looked up Courtney and watched some of her previous performances on UK voice and before. She sand everything from ballads to rock and without the dancing to distract , she was not a great singer. Plus she was super outgoing in some of the videos so I don't like her act of being so shy and nervous. 

[Manda317]

Sophie: She is adorable, but I don't know what her talent is. I can see her being a Disney star or child actor, but I don't see much coming of her appearance on this show other than publicity that may help her get into that kind of work. I hope her feelings aren't hurt when she is eliminated. Using publicity to advance a career may be difficult for a 5 year old to understand.

I liked the comedian.

I thought the escape artist was hot.

I love the story of the dance group and I hope they do well. 

Hans was....interesting. I think he could be funny.

Simon's son is adorable and looks so much like him!!!!

That is all that sticks out to me from this episode.

[suebee12]

2 hours ago, backformore said:

I may be alone, but little Sophie didn't impress me.  All the talking - "and my favorite judge is Mr Simon!"  seemed over-rehearsed, gave me a Toddlers and Tiaras vibe.

Plus that outfit! No one dresses a little girl like that anymore, do they? So pretentious and not adorable for me! Why would a parent do this to a child?

[Ellee]

Last season was the first time I watched AGT.   Despite many’s feelings I turned out to be big fans of the young kids’ talents.  Lol ... still check on them today. 

With that being said if this season would have been my first, I wouldn’t be watching it a second.  Would someone be kind enough to explain to me what I’m missing?  I have to be missing something.  

[backformore]

2 hours ago, Ellee said:

Last season was the first time I watched AGT.   Despite many’s feelings I turned out to be big fans of the young kids’ talents.  Lol ... still check on them today. 

With that being said if this season would have been my first, I wouldn’t be watching it a second.  Would someone be kind enough to explain to me what I’m missing?  I have to be missing something.  

To me,  everything seems so fake this season. The judges clearly know what any of the acts are going to be before they walk out on stage, and are prepped as to whether it's a good or bad act. And maybe that's the problem.Some acts are 4 yeses, absolutely amazing, best act of the night, and others are AWFUL.  And of course, for some acts the judges are told to ask about the tearful backstory.  There's no in between, no disagreement, no nuance.  If the judges do disagree with each other,  even that seems scripted and fake.

And this season, the audience reactions are so clearly orchestrated and spliced in to reinforce how the producers want us to react. Sometimes a shot of the judges shows that the audience is quietly applauding, and in the next shot the audience is over the top, going wild. It just seems more fake, more manipulative this season.

And the WORST was the "shy little girl" breaking into a wild rock song.  The way the story was told was too much.  Without the shy act, and being told for a few minutes how very frightened and shy she was, she wouldn't have been on the show at all.

Edited June 13, 2018 by backformore

[lynxfx]

10 hours ago, silverspoons said:

Does anyone know how the auditions worked this year because it sure seems like we are seeing a lot of contestants that have been on other shows or already have some level of fame.

Most of the acts have been preselected and recruited to be on the show. The mass audition doesn't happen. Even the line outside that they show is filled with paid extras that are told what to say and do. A girl on reddit explained the whole process of how she was selected months in advance. In the end she was montaged. 

The sob stories have always been annoying. This season it doesn't even seem like they are trying. One guys was just that he had a kid. The plants are pretty obvious, like the caterpillar guy, the roast comedian, and the "new judge" from previous episodes. 

[marketdoctor]

Quote

Would someone be kind enough to explain to me what I’m missing?  I have to be missing something.  

They often put some of what they think are the weaker acts in the middle few weeks of audition rounds, and the best in the first week (to build excitement) and the last week (to build momentum.)  However, the judges often see something I don't in the golden buzzer.

Does that help?

[Commando Cody]

I always thought it would be better if they had real judges of talent rather than these "celebrity" judges. These celebrities get paid multi millions every year to push the audience to the way the producers want things to go. The thing that bothers me most about their paychecks is that they don't get annuities over 40 years. They can pay the judges millions in one year, but they can't pay the winners one million in one year. 

[Koalagirl]

I finally took this off of my DVR Manager.   I miss Nick as the host; can't warm up to Tyra.  Also Howie's and Heidi's shtick is getting old to me.   Haven't been impressed by any of the auditions so far.  Maybe I'll revisit once they whittle down to top 10 or 12.  Meanwhile I'll keep coming here for recaps.

[Ellee]

26 minutes ago, Koalagirl said:

I finally took this off of my DVR Manager.   I miss Nick as the host; can't warm up to Tyra.  Also Howie's and Heidi's shtick is getting old to me.   Haven't been impressed by any of the auditions so far.  Maybe I'll revisit once they whittle down to top 10 or 12.  Meanwhile I'll keep coming here for recaps.

As far as judges ... Mel B and Simon drive me nuts.  Mel B ... just about everything and Simon because of his delivery.  There’s something about the way he says things that is just so wrong.  I don’t know.  

Again it might just be me. 

[Koalagirl]

14 minutes ago, Ellee said:

As far as judges ... Mel B and Simon drive me nuts.  Mel B ... just about everything and Simon because of his delivery.  There’s something about the way he says things that is just so wrong.  I don’t know.  

Again it might just be me. 

I liked Simon much better on Idol.  I think he has softened up too much since becoming a dad.  I also find it difficult to look at him nowadays.  He may have had some work done on his face which has totally screwed up his eyes.  Like his cheeks are too full and too high and now his eyes look narrow.

[hnygrl]

Isn't this supposed to be "AMERICA'S got talent????"

 

Cause all these damn acts from other "got talent" shows in other countries coming over here acting like this they first rodeo is pissing me off.

Weird Janis Joplin girl who WON her country's "got talent?" I'm looking at you.

know why this is pissing me off?

Cause I think the Powers that Be already have her pegged as the winner. They love awkward little girls with big talent. Last 2 winners were awkward little girls with big talent. And what do we have HERE??? An awkward little girl, with a huge talent....

 

Gag me. 

That five year old's mom need to be slapped. Let the child BE a child and stop pimping out her "talent" already.

For some reason, last night's show, with allllll those non-americans with alllll that "got talent" pissed me off. This show is for AMATEURS, not PROFESSIONALS. WHY is a PROFESSIONAL SINGER on an amateur talent show??? WHY????

 

UGH....Let me stop....

[silverspoons]

2 hours ago, lynxfx said:

Most of the acts have been preselected and recruited to be on the show. The mass audition doesn't happen. Even the line outside that they show is filled with paid extras that are told what to say and do. A girl on reddit explained the whole process of how she was selected months in advance. In the end she was montaged. 

The sob stories have always been annoying. This season it doesn't even seem like they are trying. One guys was just that he had a kid. The plants are pretty obvious, like the caterpillar guy, the roast comedian, and the "new judge" from previous episodes. 

Thanks. I suspected that they didn't have real auditions anymore. I can't believe people in the line were paid extras. They film a bunch of reality TV near me and our family has been extras for free. Lets say it was just a scene of people clapping, with like 2 hours of retakes in bad weather, the payment was a cookie and the joy of seeing yourself for a second on TV. 

I'm tempted not to watch AGT same night anymore. I don't like how staged it feels and the gushing over contestants. Everyone is the best ever.  I think beat shazam and love connection are more interesting these days. 

[Allie56]

OK, the golden buzzer girl. I had such secondhand embarrassment when she started because I thought she was just plain AWFUL. I couldn't believe it when they all thought she was fabulous. I could have overlooked the weird convulsions had she been an amazing singer. I could have dealt with some wrong notes if she'd been a great dancer. It was awful. I'd rather watch Hans, International Celebrity, than whatever that was. And apparently she's won other competitions? Apparently I am missing something huge.

[ketchuplover]

I wonder how many of last year's contestants wish they had waited a year

[SnarkyTart]

Awful, just awful. I've yet to see a single act that I'd ever care to see again.  The golden buzzer acts have all been mediocre at best and horrible at worst (such as last night's fake awkward can't sing girl).  The judges seem to be phoning it in more than ever, they all look so completely bored, tired and just over it.  The show's always been fakity fake, as expected, but really it does seem scripted to within an inch of its life this season.  Only 3 audition rounds into the season and I'm already considering deleting.  That's a record for me.

[LadyMustang65]

Little Sophie: She was cute, and we knew they were going to put her through, but I honestly wish they'd set an age limit as I really don't want to see her again. 

Quick Change Couple: We enjoyed this one mostly because it's the first time we can remember having both of them do a quick change, and then having Tyra do a quick change was awesome.  But there's only so much you can do with an act like this.  We thought they were good enough to get another round, but they won't win.

Noah: We liked him. 

Caterpillar Guy: Why did anyone on the show think we wanted to see that crap?  We undoubtedly missed a good act to give that ridiculousness air time.  :(

Future Kings: We enjoyed them and were happy to see them get to another round.

Virtual Reality Guys:  Honestly, we were so bored by this act, but this is the type of thing that probably is experienced differently in the auditorium than on tv.

Miss Trish:  Loved her voice!!  Very Motown.  We're looking forward to seeing her again.

Scorpion Guy:  I know these acts can go wrong, but we just don't like them because they all follow the same pattern.  Anxious assistant who hypes tension and artist escapes at the last possible second.  At this point I'd actually prefer to see one who got out so fast they weren't even close to being in danger. 

Hans - International Superstar: We did not expect that and found that we enjoyed it immensely, even though we didn't expect to. 

Samuel the Comic: We were rolling with him.  Just loved his entire act.  But then we also enjoyed the comic who built his routine around his stuttering as well.  But I'm a sucker for anyone who can take something like that and just roll with it and have fun.

Courtney:  We really liked her a lot, but having read the comments here, I'm disappointed to learn that she was a contestant on another version of the show.  But she was good, even though she reminded us of Joe Cocker.  :)

[Ohwell]

6 minutes ago, LadyMustang65 said:

Miss Trish:  Loved her voice!!  Very Motown.  We're looking forward to seeing her again.

How could I forget Miss Trish?  I loved her voice too, and also the shtick with Simon, and then her husband came out.

[lynxfx]

2 hours ago, silverspoons said:

 I think beat shazam and love connection are more interesting these days. 

We've been watching Love Connection. It is quite entertaining.

[backformore]

3 hours ago, hnygrl said:

Isn't this supposed to be "AMERICA'S got talent????"

 

Cause all these damn acts from other "got talent" shows in other countries coming over here acting like this they first rodeo is pissing me off.

Weird Janis Joplin girl who WON her country's "got talent?" I'm looking at you.

know why this is pissing me off?

Cause I think the Powers that Be already have her pegged as the winner. They love awkward little girls with big talent. Last 2 winners were awkward little girls with big talent. And what do we have HERE??? An awkward little girl, with a huge talent....

 

Gag me. 

That five year old's mom need to be slapped. Let the child BE a child and stop pimping out her "talent" already.

For some reason, last night's show, with allllll those non-americans with alllll that "got talent" pissed me off. This show is for AMATEURS, not PROFESSIONALS. WHY is a PROFESSIONAL SINGER on an amateur talent show??? WHY????

 

UGH....Let me stop....

Yeah, was it las season that they had the regurgitator guy?  he had already competed in two other countries' "Got Talent." the show was originally supposed to be about finding undiscovered talent.  But if they've competed in another country's show, they're "discovered."  

and I agree about the two contestants you mentioned, little Sophie and Joplin-girl.  neither was talented enough to be on the show, both were praised as though they were the next Beyoncé.   Getting on stage to sing in front of a live audience and a tv audience takes guts.  But it doesn't necessarily take TALENT. 

[ams1001]

16 hours ago, Manda317 said:

I thought the escape artist was hot.

Simon's son is adorable and looks so much like him!!!!

 

I'm not a huge fan of escape acts and I hate most of the danger acts but I'll admit I watched more for his shirtlessness than anything. 

Simon's son reminds me of my friend's son who is a couple years older.

 

2 hours ago, LadyMustang65 said:

Noah: We liked him. 

Scorpion Guy:  I know these acts can go wrong, but we just don't like them because they all follow the same pattern.  Anxious assistant who hypes tension and artist escapes at the last possible second.  At this point I'd actually prefer to see one who got out so fast they weren't even close to being in danger. 

Hans - International Superstar: We did not expect that and found that we enjoyed it immensely, even though we didn't expect to. 

Samuel the Comic: We were rolling with him.  Just loved his entire act.  But then we also enjoyed the comic who built his routine around his stuttering as well.  But I'm a sucker for anyone who can take something like that and just roll with it and have fun.

I liked Noah. Even downloaded the song from iTunes. He's got at least 5 albums of covers and some singles I assume are original songs. Some unexpected stuff in there too; did not think I'd see a bluesy version of "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" on the list.... :)

I hate danger acts. I leave the room for sword swallowers and the like; I just can't watch them. Escape acts are marginally better but the fake anxious-assistant-face and thing-that-goes-wrong (I didn't believe for a second that dropping the knife was an accident. So obvious) have me rolling my eyes greatly.

I liked Hans. He had a pretty good voice and he was funny. I was amused by his reactions to Heidi speaking to him in German and cracked up at his dramatic exit expecting a fawning audience outside the theater and there was no one around.

I agree on both comics. 

[Juneau Gal]

I really, really disliked everything about the golden buzzer girl; the fake back story, her messy look, her unintelligible singing, her convulsive dancing, Howie’s inauthentic adoration, the whole kit and kaboodle. I disliked it all so much that I just may be done with this show. I’m not stupid nor naive, don’t treat me as such show producers! 

[hnygrl]

I knew it. That five year old? Sophie? I found myself thinking "She belongs on Little Big Shots. That would be a better venue for her..."  Guess what? She was ON Little Bit Shots Just THREE MONTHS AGO!!! Singing the same song! This was just in MARCH.

I don't know y'all...I may be out until the lives...this is seriously pissing me off with the fakey fakes.

[hnygrl]

Oh hell no. SHE WAS ON THE ELLEN SHOW THE NEXT DAY!!! This kid is already FAMOUS.

[bluepiano]

5 hours ago, hnygrl said:

Weird Janis Joplin girl who WON her country's "got talent?" I'm looking at you.

know why this is pissing me off?

Cause I think the Powers that Be already have her pegged as the winner. They love awkward little girls with big talent. Last 2 winners were awkward little girls with big talent. And what do we have HERE??? An awkward little girl, with a huge talent....

That five year old's mom need to be slapped. Let the child BE a child and stop pimping out her "talent" already.

To start with, I hate that Howie compared her to Janis Joplin. Every white girl who sings blues or soul on these competition shows gets compared to Janis Joplin, who was a special talent, and virtually none of these girls is anything like her. "If there's a rock'n'roll heaven," as the song titles goes, Janis is probably spitting out her Southern Comfort every time she hears that comparison.

Then, as someone previously pointed out, there's the fact of a young girl doing a song that's completely age inappropriate. I guess after all the teen and pre-teen singers we've seen we're all getting used to that, and it doesn't raise an eyebrow. But for the record, I will point out that this was a 13 year old girl singing a song that it is very definitely about sex. "I can give you what you want, but you gotta come home with me." "Sweet little thing let me light your candle." etc. You hear a lot of people express concern these days about the sexualization of children. Then they go nuts for an act like this.

Agree with you about Sophie and her mom. Clearly every line she said in her interview was fed to her by her mother, and possibly others. (Would not surprise me in the least to learn she has a professional coach.) I will admit that a 5 year old memorizing those lines, as well as all the lyrics to "My Way," and being able to deliver them in front of a huge crowd, is impressive. Though I'm not sure if I would call that "talent." The best thing that could happen to her as a human being is if her "career" fizzles. And soon. But clearly Mom has other ideas. ( I got a "single Mom" vibe, but who knows? There might be a Dad they're hiding because it makes a better story without him).

The Tourette's comic made me think about the stuttering comic of a couple of seasons ago, who did nothing but tell jokes about stuttering. I suspect it will be the same with this guy. Although the stuttering comic drove me nuts by giggling hysterically at his own jokes. The Tourette's guy didn't do that, and he seemed genuinely likeable. I'm sure he's not had an easy life, so I'm glad he's got a nice wife and kid.

Edited June 14, 2018 by bluepiano

[Babalooie]

1 hour ago, hnygrl said:

She was ON Little Bit Shots Just THREE MONTHS AGO!!! S

Yes!!!  I came here to say that.  Also, last year's winner Darcy with the puppets had been on Little Big Shots.  NBC is just rotating people around the shows.

[Babalooie]

Courtney doesn't seem so "nervous" prior to singing in this clip.

[helenamonster]

Little Sophie was adorable. I work with child actors and she would be amazing in commercials--the fact that she's five and can already memorize lines (don't tell me her mother didn't feed her those cute things to say) would be a huge plus. But she shouldn't be on this show. I hope she's one of those that gets quietly forgotten between auditions and judge cuts so we don't have to see her get rejected.

Quick change done well never fails to impress me, but I'm really tired of it on this show. Until someone can come up with new tricks for it, I get bored after the first two or three.

I love when they're clearly scraping the bottom of the barrel for sob stories. "I had to stop dancing cuz I had a kid!" Give me a goddamn break.

I echo whoever said the fiancee of the escape artist gave them vibes of last year's escape artist couple. This one doesn't seem nearly as insufferable, but it's early days. The one last year used to scream until her husband popped back up all smug. 

Hans was a delight.

Golden Buzzer Courtney was giving me serious Mara Justine vibes, and anybody who remembers her knows that is not a compliment. Janis Joplin, Howie--are you kidding me?! Janis did not die for this!

I feel like we should have a post pinned to the top of this forum regarding the audition process/how famous you're allowed to be to compete on this show. Some quick facts:

• Most of these acts are scouted out by producers from talent showcases, the internet, similar Got Talent/Voice shows, etc.
• There are open auditions in cities across America, but it is very rare to be discovered/picked from there, and that is not where these auditions are taped. This article is a great rundown of what it's like to attend the open calls: https://jezebel.com/i-auditioned-for-americas-got-talent-to-find-out-if-ive-1792364306
• All the acts that make it through or don't make through during auditions and judge cuts are predetermined by the showrunners. The judges are told which ones to like and which ones to not. It's fascinating every year to see them fawn over certain acts who the general public hates during auditions and judge cuts, and then immediately turn on them during the lives when they (meaning the producers) realize they made a bad call in guessing what we would like.
• This competition is not limited to amateurs and never has been. In theory, an A-list celeb like Beyonce could enter, she just wouldn't because she doesn't need the exposure or a million dollars paid out over 40 years. People on this show have done the talent show circuit, recorded albums, been in movies/tv, and performed in major circus troops. To be honest, I would much rather have a show of seasoned professionals than a bunch of jamokes who taught themselves to juggle in their backyards. I do, however, prefer when they are honest about a contestant's professional background (Glee guy) as opposed to pretending they are uncovering a new talent for the first time (Golden Buzzer Courtney).

[Babalooie]

25 minutes ago, helenamonster said:

To be honest, I would much rather have a show of seasoned professionals than a bunch of jamokes who taught themselves to juggle in their backyards. I do, however, prefer when they are honest about a contestant's professional background (Glee guy) as opposed to pretending they are uncovering a new talent for the first time (Golden Buzzer Courtney).

Exactly.  The producers/writers need to quit pretending that these people just fell off the turnip truck and quit making up  or embellishing the sob stories.  Just show us talented acts.  We can be entertained without being coerced into feeling sorry for the contestants.

[bluepiano]

41 minutes ago, Babalooie said:

Exactly.  The producers/writers need to quit pretending that these people just fell off the turnip truck and quit making up  or embellishing the sob stories.  Just show us talented acts.  We can be entertained without being coerced into feeling sorry for the contestants.

But the producers think that a huge part of the appeal of  these shows is that the audience gets to feel that they are helping to discover new talent. And that all the Rocky/Flashdance/Fame stuff about "making dreams come true" supplies drama and human interest that wouldn't be there if the audience knew they were watching seasoned performers.

Putting whether that's true or not aside, it's amusing that the producers keep lying to us even though they've gotten caught time and again. In this era of internet search, it's much harder to pull the wool over people's eyes. But I guess they figure there are enough people out there who buy into the fakery, or don't read forums like this one.

Edited June 14, 2018 by bluepiano

[hnygrl]

1 hour ago, Babalooie said:

Courtney doesn't seem so "nervous" prior to singing in this clip.

Oh dear...she's awful....pick a key will ya?

[Juneau Gal]

10 hours ago, bluepiano said:

But I guess they figure there are enough people out there who buy into the fakery, or don't read forums like this one.

Sadly, you are right. My Facebook timeline has been flooded with the clip of Courtney “singing” at the audition and comments of “OMG, she’s amazing!” It has taken everything in me not to disabuse the posters of their admiration. Falling for the back story if you don’t know it’s a lie, I understand. Thinking she’s a great singer, I don’t understand. I guess my ears hear differently than other people’s. 

[deemac]

12 hours ago, Babalooie said:

Courtney doesn't seem so "nervous" prior to singing in this clip.

 

Omg.  My DVR recorded severe local weather warnings/forecast for the last 20 minutes and I missed the last 2 acts.

I can't believe this.  I watched for the first time about midway through last season and was captivated and apparently very naive.  Reading all this I feel totally conned and doubt I'll watch again.

 

d

[backformore]

I don't know if Courtney is a good singer or not.  I think it's hard to judge a voice in that kind of song - it's really more about the energy and passion someone brings to the performance.  That said, her singing actually sounds, to me, like someone doing karoke after a few shots of tequila. 

BUT - the whole "she's so shy, so scared, blah blah blah"  pisses me off after seeing those clips of her singing in front of live audiences.  clinging to her daddy, hiding behind her hair, looking like she might cry when someone asks her a question - give me a break!  I know it was all to tell a story, shy little waif breaks out of her shell and ROCKS THE HOUSE.  But, neither one of those things are true.  

I wonder if she is the pre-determined winner.  Because I do think that when the performers are recruited for the show, the producers already have in mind what final result they want. 

[Commando Cody]

In the end, the audience still votes for their favorites, All the producers can do is push their chosen few towards the final. It's always kind of hilarious to me, how shocked the judges looked when one of their favorite finalists gets eliminated. The show has come come up with tactics like the golden buzzer, and the judges deciding which act with the fewest votes gets to stay. I don't know if the judges still have to ability to bring back a favorite, eliminated act. 

I was always confused about how they picked the winners in the early years. They wanted a variety show, so they decided they had to eliminate one of the two magicians. My thinking was, if the final came down to two magicians in the final - so what. You would then vote for your favorite magician. The producers don't seem to care about that when the final comes down to two singers. 

[bluepiano]

38 minutes ago, backformore said:

I don't know if Courtney is a good singer or not.  I think it's hard to judge a voice in that kind of song - it's really more about the energy and passion someone brings to the performance.  That said, her singing actually sounds, to me, like someone doing karoke after a few shots of tequila. 

BUT - the whole "she's so shy, so scared, blah blah blah"  pisses me off after seeing those clips of her singing in front of live audiences.  clinging to her daddy, hiding behind her hair, looking like she might cry when someone asks her a question - give me a break!  I know it was all to tell a story, shy little waif breaks out of her shell and ROCKS THE HOUSE.  But, neither one of those things are true.  

I wonder if she is the pre-determined winner.  Because I do think that when the performers are recruited for the show, the producers already have in mind what final result they want. 

I think you're right on the money with your karaoke comment. Very much like what you'd hear at your local karaoke bar, with the only real difference being her age. But when are these shows going to stop pretending that someone 13 or 14 singing is so amazing. There are kids that age who have already years of serious vocal study and are technically proficient singers who can do opera, Broadway etc.

I've gotten cynical enough from years of watching this show that during the whole "she's a shy little flower" introduction my bells were going off, so totally unsurprised by what happened next.

Dear God I hope you're not right about her being the chosen winner. Not after Grace van de Waal, and all the little girls who win The Voice and Idol. At least Darcy Lynn was different and really talented. But if I saw Courtney at a middle school talent show I would grit my teeth and pray for it to be over quickly.

Aside from the shouty vocals, her awkward gyrations made me think of Olive Oyl dancing in the old Popeye cartoons. It was all really bizarre.

Edited June 14, 2018 by bluepiano

[LadyMustang65]

16 hours ago, bluepiano said:

To start with, I hate that Howie compared her to Janis Joplin. Every white girl who sings blues or soul on these competition shows gets compared to Janis Joplin, who was a special talent, and virtually none of these girls is anything like her. "If there's a rock'n'roll heaven," as the song titles goes, Janis is probably spitting out her Southern Comfort every time she hears that comparison.

Then, as someone previously pointed out, there's the fact of a young girl doing a song that's completely age inappropriate. I guess after all the teen and pre-teen singers we've seen we're all getting used to that, and it doesn't raise an eyebrow. But for the record, I will point out that this was a 13 year old girl singing a song that it is very definitely about sex. "I can give you what you want, but you gotta come home with me." "Sweet little thing let me light your candle." etc. You hear a lot of people express concern these days about the sexualization of children. Then they go nuts for an act like this.

In defense of Howie, I will admit that she brought Janis Joplin to mind for my husband and I as well due to the raspy quality of her voice, so I don't think that comment was entirely out of line.  Of course, she also brought to mind Joe Cocker . . . .  But singing can be very subjective - we liked her performance and thought she was better than a lot of singers that have been put through.  But that's us.  I will also say that we were not familiar with the song she sung and because she shares the same affliction many singers have in that they cannot enunciate worth shit, we had no idea what she was singing about, so the sexual references were totally lost on us.  For which I think I'm actually grateful because ordinarily we can't stand children singing adult lyrics.  In fact, that's really a pet peeve of mine.