Season 4 Reflection

Overall, I would have to say that America's Got Talent Season 4 was just full of talent.

Being someone who tends to like acts that aren't just about singing, I thought this season had a lot of unique variety and dance acts who really had shots at winning. I thought the Top 40 was fairly solid this year minus maybe 4 or 5 acts. I thought the Top 20 was pretty good; I agreed with 13 of the 20 acts in the Top 20. I thought the Top 10 was overall very talented, although I only agreed with 5 of the 10 acts in the final round.

Some of my favorite acts this season:
-Fab Five
-Mosaic
-Drew Thomas Magic
-Voices of Glory
-Pixie Mystere
-FootworKINGz
-Hairo Torres
-Ishaara
-Barbara Padilla
-EriAm Sisters

Some of my least favorite acts this season:
-Kevin Skinner
-The Diva League
-Manuela Horn
-Carol Loo
-Dave Johnson
-Coney Island Chris
-The Lollipop Girls

I really thought this season had potential, and the truth is it did. The only problem was America got in the way and screwed things up. Kevin Skinner did NOT deserve to win, but there were definitely many acts in the Top 40 who did. I have watched all three seasons preceding this one, and have always been happy or at least content with the winner until now. However, I will still continue to watch the show and blog about here at americas--got--talent.blogspot.com. I am excited for Season 5 and am ready for a new season full of talent!

It's been a great few months, and I'm happy to say it was all worth it, despite the fact that I don't like the winner.

AMERICA'S GOT TALENT SEASON 4 FINALE

1. Kevin Skinner
WOW, I cannot believe Kevin Skinner won! He is absolutely nothing compared to Barbara Padilla, and deserves sqaut for his voice. OK, you can argue he deserves something, but certainly not one million dollars and a headline show in Las Vegas!!!! He can't carry a tune, and had the worst voice of anyone in the Top 10. I would argue even in the Top 20! Why the hell did he win?! America voted for the wrong reasons of course. Either that, or American's are tone deaf and/or complete idiots.

2. Barbara Padilla
Now SHE can sing! She has an amazing voice, and is a wonderful and kind person who deserves the title of Best New Act in America. She is certainly talented, and I cannot believe she did not win. However, I must say I am happy to see her in second place at the least.

3. Recycled Percussion
Although not my favorite act, Recycled Percussion is very Vegas-like, and they are a unique group who at least does something other than sing. I am happy to see them in the Top 5.

4. The Texas Tenors
Although not the greatest singers (still better than Kevin Skinner), The Texas Tenors are a quality Vegas act taht have the talent to sustain a show. They can sound really good at some points, and after a bit of work they will be able to harmonize much better.

5. Voices of Glory
They should be second place (out of the acts in the Top 5) in my opinion, but they certainly deserve a spot above Kevin Skinner. Those three kids are talented, kind, and generous and man can they sing! That little girl can sound really good at some points, and they all harmonized perfectly during their last performance.

Fab Five, Grandma Lee, Drew Stevyns, Hairo Torres, Lawrence Beamen
In my opinion Fab Five should have won, as it would be great to see a talented act that doesn't just sing win this show. Hairo Torres also deserves recognition for his amazing talent, and I don't think Drew Stevyns is too bad either. Lawrence Beamen is almost as bad as Kevin Skinner in my opinion, and then Grandma Lee is a great woman, but honestly just not funny enough to be in the Top 5 like she isn't.

Finals REVIEW

1. Voices of Glory
This was by far their best performance yet. The girl had a great performance tonight. It was a little shaky at first, but the performance just got better and better. It sounded really good when the three of them sang together in harmony. They really sound terrific! I was very surprised by their improvement this week.

2. Hairo Torres
I don't think that his decision to go solo tonight was the greatest idea. I understand he wanted to showcase himself, but I think he could have done that fine in a group. It was really just missing the energy of a Las Vegas show. He is no doubt an amazing contortionist/dancer, but his performance just didn't work tonight.

3. Lawrence Beamen
I think I've finally come to my opinion on Lawrence Beamen: eh. He's really just not that great. Sure, he can sing, but I don't think it's good enough. He's better off singing ballads, and I just think there are way better acts than him in this season's finals.

4. Barbara Padilla
Once again an amazing performance. She has the voice, the looks, the story, and the quality to be a real star. She truly has an amazing voice, and continues to take charge of the stage every performance.

5. Fab Five
They definitely slowed down their speed tonight, andI still haven't decided if it's a good thing or not. They are definitely superb tap dancers, and they certainly have talent. I liked their performance tonight, and thought the choreography was different and unique than their past performances. Still one of my favorite acts.

6. Texas Tenors
I really liked them, but their performance tonight did not go well in my opinion. Separately, their voices are pretty good, but not great, and when they come together they fail to harmonize and end up sounding like three people singing the same song at the same time. It's just not an appealing sound in my opinion, and I just don't think they're good enough for Las Vegas.

7. Drew Stevyns
This was definitely his best performance of the season. He gave a really solid, clean performance and his vocal talent really shined tonight. He didn't really stand out as anyone special to me until tonight. He really has star quality, and I think he could certainly win American Idol, so why can't he win America's Got Talent?

8. Grandma Lee
She's a great lady, but I still don't find her material "laugh out loud" funny. It makes you smile, but not really "laugh". I was surprised to see her come this far, but I can tell America is caught up in her story and her age. She's a great woman, but I don't really think she's that talented.

9. Kevin Skinner
I still don't like him. I've said it all along: Kevin Skinner is no one special. His vocals are not up to par with the rest of the acts, and there's really nothing special about him. OK, he's a chicken catcher achieving his dream of being a performer, but so what? I don't care how raw his talent is if it's no good.

10. Recycled Percussion
I liked their performance tonight, and liked their use of recycled items. They had more of a "melody" to their drumming instead of just constant "bum bum bum bum bum". They are a very Vegas-like Show, and are very talented.

WOW, this was the BEST night of performances all season! After all, it IS the FINALS. I am very pleased with this season's finalists, and I would happy with almost all of them winning the title.
Here is my list of acts from best act (who I think should win) to worst.
(I'd be happy with any act winning besides Lawrence Beamen and Kevin Skinner).

1. Fab Five

2. Barbara Padilla

3. Voices of Glory

4. Hairo Torres

5. Recycled Percussion

6. Drew Stevyns

7. Texas Tenors

8. Grandma Lee

9. Lawrence Beamen

10. Kevin Skinner

My "Las Vegas Show" Finalists

Here are the five acts (if they do what they did last year) I want to see perform in the Vegas Show:

1. Fab Five
They have mad talent and can tap dance like no other.

2. Barbara Padilla
She has an absolutely amazing voice and deserves recognition.

3. Texas Tenors
They are raw, quality talent and have great voices. 

4. Hairo Torres
His dance skills are so unique, and he is a great guy. 

5. Voices of Glory
They have so much potential, and I would love to see a child/young adult act in the Vegas Show.

Top 10 Checklist

How did MY Top 10 match up with America's?

*Green Box with a check mark means we both picked that act.
*Red box with an X mean America picked it but I didn't.

5 / 10  :  Not too shabby; I agree with half of the acts in the Top 10.

Semi-Finals Round 2 RESULTS

1. Hairo Torres
Great to see him go through. His act is fun, entertaining, original, and well, not a singing act.

2. Recycled Percussion
They were not my pick to advance, but I am interested to see what they bring to the finals.

3. Barbara Padilla
She has an amazing voice, and I am not the least bit surprised that she is in the finals.

4. Lawrence Beamen
His semi-finals performance was not the best, but he is a talented singer, so I am not totally against him being in the finals.

5. Drew Stevyns
I still don't think he is the greatest singer, but I can tell America likes him. He has is probably the weakest of the four singers in the final, but it will be interesting to see what happens.

Well, America only voted 2/5 that I chose through, but I guess we will just have to see what happens in the finals.

Semi-Finals Round 2 REVIEW

1. Recycled Percussion
I really was not impressed by this act. It was just a bunch of guys running around and banging on drums. It would be way cooler if their act actually focused on making sounds with recycled materials, but it doesn't, and I find it very boring to watch a bunch of guys make a bunch of racket, which is really all it is. Could you listen to that same beat for more than five minutes? I couldn't. 

2. Lawrence Beamen
That was definitely not the right song for him. His voice is much more suited for something lower. I definitely think he needs to forget the vocal "acrobatics" and stick to singing songs suited for a voice as low as his. His voice can be very smooth and rich, but tonight it just wasn't. 

3. Erik and Rickie
They are great dancers, but I think I prefer their classic ballroom dancing more. They had some interesting moves, and I thought it was a fairly well choreographed dance. It didn't WOW me, but it was fairly entertaining. I liked the whole theme. 

4. Jeffery Ou
More like Jeffery "OW- stop hurting my ears". His performance was terrible, and the music didn't match the stage lighting. There were a bunch of fast, flickering strobe lights, and then Jeffery playing a classical song. It just didn't work. Plus, the piano playing didn't sound that great either. 

5.  Hairo Torres
He was very entertaining tonight, and I loved the story. He is a great dancer, and continues to bring something new to the table each time. I loved his performance and thought he did a great job. His body can do amazing things, and I just think he is really unique and talented. 

6. The EriAm Sisters
Agreeing with the judges, I would have to say that their performance was shaky at the beginning, but then really came together well towards the end. They need to work on their blend, and should work on balancing between all three singing at one, and one girl taking the lead vocals. They sure have talent, but the whole song did not showcase it. 

7. Mario and Jenny
Terrible performance in my opinion. They did nothing interesting, and they simply danced and banged a few drums. Their act is not a dance act, it is a danger thrill act, and there was none of that in that performance. OK, glad to see you have variety in your act, but show us that mixed in with the danger and excitement, not altogether on its own. It was boring, stupid, and I would never pay to see it. 

8. Drew Stevyns
His voice is not my favorite of the ones I've seen on this show, but he has star quality. His voice is very raspy, and it only works with certain songs. The performance was fairly good, but I don't think his voice is diverse enough in itself to really sustain a show. 

9. FootworKINGz
They definitely failed tonight. They needed to cut the "fighting" crap, and stick to dance, which is something they're very good at. I thought they really had potential, but they really did not showcase their talent tonight. They gave that same boring, quick-footed step, and they need to dance together in unique ways, like in their last performance. 

10. Barbara Padilla
She has an amazing voice, and is a very talented singer and performer. There is not much more I can say; Barbara Padilla will go far in life.

Not really the greatest performances tonight, but here are my Top 5:
-Hairo Torres
-Barbara Padilla
-EriAm Sisters
-FootworKINGz (to give them a second chance)
-Erik amd Rickie

Semi-Finals Round 1 RESULTS

1. Texas Tenors
Very glad to see them go through; they are an amazing group, and I knew that America would love them.

2. Grandma Lee
Obviously America loves her, and yes, she is a great person, but I just don't think her jokes are funny enough for her to be in the finals...However, I am glad she made it over Tony & Rory and Drew Thomas Magic.

3. Kevin Skinner
Well, I still feel he is overrated, but America gets what they want. Maybe he will impress me more in his final performance. 

I got so nervous when two of the acts that I wanted to see go through had were going head to head for a final judges vote. I had basically decided that I wanted the Fab Five to win, but I was surprised to hear that they would send both acts through. I have a feeling the producers had nothing to do with it, and it was purely a decision made by the judges that they knew the producers would have to accept. 

4. Fab Five
SO glad to see them through! They have amazing talent and really deserve this opportunity. 

5. Voices of Glory
Not only do they have amazing talent, but they have a great attitude towards everything. I know they will come back in the finals with an even better performance

Well, 3/5 acts is not bad, considering only one of the acts I chose to go through didn't. Paradizo Dance was my last choice anyways, so I'm not that dissapointed. Grandma Lee and Kevin Skinner aren't my favorite acts, but I hope they impress me more in the finals.

Semi-Finals Round 1 REVIEW

This was by far the best night of talent so far on this show. I cannot say anything horribly bad about any act that performed tonight. I am overwhelmed by the talent and I know America has a very tough choice tonight. 

1. Acrodunk
Although I still think their act can get a bit repetitive, I think they really brought it to a new level tonight, and really showed what they can do. The dunking was great and spot on, and it was very intense to watch them jump through the ring of fire. They've got a lot of energy, but I'm not sure how far they can really take it. 

2. The Texas Tenors
The Texas Tenors were definitely great tonight. All three of them have amazing voices; it's not like those groups where only one of the singers is actually good. My only critique on them is that I would like to hear their voices blend a little more. When they sing you can distinctly hear three different voices. Although the three voices are great, I still felt that the performance was a little much with the operatic style and power. They definitely know how to sing, and they really have powerful voices. 

3. Paradizo Dance
At first I really liked their act, but the more I thought about it the more I realized how limiting it really is. I can definitely say they did different things this time than anytime before, and it is really very cool. After hearing the judges comments, I would have to agree that their older acts are better in the manner of being slow and romantic. They tried to do something cute, and it worked to some extent. I would definitely like to see her lift him more, as that is what makes the act different from ones like it in the world. 

4. Drew Thomas Magic
I must admit that this act was not as exciting and grand as I was hoping it would be. I generally like magicians, but Drew Thomas gave us the same trick: disappearing/appearing women in different sized boxes/chests/whatever. I would have liked to have seen something more original like the trick in his quarter-final performance. However, I do admit I am still amazed at how he does it. 

5. Tony Hoard & Rory
My only problem with this act is it's repetitive nature. It's definitely entertaining and fun and talented, but I would like to see the dog do something other than 'dance' and catch disks. I could tell they tried to do something different tonight when Rory was supposed to jump on the three peoples' backs, but unfortunately he got sort of distracted and only managed to jump the last two at the last minute. No, he didn't drop any disks, but I have a hard time putting him through over the other acts. 

6. The Voices of Glory
I still liked their first performance better, but that girl can really sing. They are all pretty talented kids, and deserve recognition for their talent and attitude. I definitely think they need to let the girl do more of the solo/lead singing, but they can definitely make a really good sound if they all sing together and blend just right. 

7. Fab Five
Considering I naturally tend to like dance acts like this one, I really have to say that they amazed me again tonight. They were really great and gave us something different. I would like to see perhaps something slower so we can really see all the skill that these women have. I don't think we give them enough credit for being able to tap dance that well and together with precision. 


8. Grandma Lee
I really think the jokes in her first audition were much better, but Grandma Lee certainly has pizazz. Her jokes were funny, but not the laugh out loud kind of funny. Unfortunately, I don't think they're quite funny/strong enough to allow her to move on compared to some of the other acts that performed tonight. She's a strong-willed, amazing woman, but I don't think she really deserves one million dollars. 

9. Arcadian Broad
Arcadian is no doubt a very talented dancer, but I don't think his performance tonight really displayed his true capabilities. He told us that it wasn't really his choice to do High School Musical (prompting Nick to ensure the audience that the acts get the final say in what they perform - which you can believe or not), and I think he was right in not wanting to do it. I would have liked to see him do more wild dancing across the stage to really showcase his talent. 

10. Kevin Skinner
I still can't figure out why this guy is so great, but I will admit that he gives off some pretty strong emotion. When it comes to his singing, I don't know if it's because I'm getting it through the TV or what, but I just don't feel like he's that good of a singer. He's just another Susan Boyle fad, and I hope it wears off before the finale voting. He's good, but not good enough to win the competition in my opinion.

Again, really great talent tonight, making this decision really hard, but here are my Top 4:
-Fab Five
-Texas Tenors
-Voices of Glory
-Paradizo Dance

Acts that got Cheated out of the Semi-Finals

These acts deserved a spot in the Top 20:

MOSAIC:
They are an absolutely amazing group, and I thought they did a great rendition of 'Supersititon'. They truly have talented, and are one of the only accapella groups to make it into the Top 40. They really deserved another chance to come back and show America how great acapella is.

PIXIE MYSTERE:
I thought the Pixies were quite entertaining. They had a very unique act full of dancing, tumbling, and 'contortionism'. They are very talented, and the dance was choreographed AND executed beautifully.

ISHAARA:
Ishaara was by far the best dance crew on the show. We watched as dance crews (many who were wild cards) were not voted through until finally FootworKINGzgot through by work of the judges! Yes, they were great and have great technical skill, but Ishaara is so unique and different. I would have to say their first audtion was better, but they are so deserving of a spot in at least the semi-finals. What is it? Does America just not like dance groups?

Who would I trade in their place? Kevin Skinner, Mario & Jenny, Tony & Rory

OTHER ACTS THAT WERE REALLY DESERVED TO MOVE ON:
-Charles DeWayne
-Thia Maguia

*To cast YOUR vote on who you think deserved a spot in the semi-finals, see my poll on the upper-right hand side of this page