I think this season is off to a better start than last. Last year was pretty bad, at least compared to the previous seasons but the judges kept saying it was the best season ever (I know, they have to).
I wonder if Howie actually likes all the bad acts that he champions, or if it’s a calculated plot for ratings. Gee, what kookie acts will he get behind this time?
OK, just watched the 16 year old magician. Usually when someone does a magic trick on the show I know how they did it, but not this time. Obviously moving all around and involving all the judges caused a series of misdirects so he could get the dollar in the bag… But how he got it in the bag…
It’s just a street magician’s trick. He did it pretty well. He’ll need to do much more than that to stay in the competition, but at least he understands what it’s about, unlike the world’s worst escape artist. The two pairs of dancing kids were pretty good, the guy on the pole had everyone’s attention, but he’ll have to do more also. Opera proposal guy was pretty impressive, hope he doesn’t try to jazz it up too much and sticks with his singing.
America’s Got Sob Stories.
This show should be sponsored by Kleenex.
The kid dancers were just creepy. Pushing the creep factor by asking if they were romantically involved isn’t “cute”, it borders on child porn. Big ugh.
Sword swallower…been there, done that, and it still grosses most people out, with or without an x-ray to prove an idiot has sharp objects down his throat.
Pole climber and escape artists would be fun in a circus for one act - maybe.
Magic trick rigged. I mean, seriously…Howie just happens to have a single dollar bill he can whip out in less than a second? Right…and a good color photocopier might possibly explain how there are two dollar bills with the same number.
What, exactly, is America’s fascination with mediocre snippets of well-known opera songs - sung in falsetto or normal voice? My guess is that 20% of all people in any choir could crank out a decent opera song…and they don’t because the same people who love to hear those little snippets wouldn’t be caught dead going to a real opera, even at gunpoint.
The last guy who came on with his guitar and singing his original song would be a huge hit - amongst his friends at a party. Otherwise…meh.
Other than the one girl last week who had a pretty amazing voice (only because she was so young to be able to carry it off), so far they have selected acts that could comprise a variety act at the local convention center, sponsored by the Jaycees, with profits going to Americans With Sob Stories.
They’re collecting a bunch of one-shot circus/side show acts again. Do they have a bingo card of them maybe? So far in the past they’ve had the high diver, assorted geeks, and a shot-from-a-cannon guy. Now they’ve added the pole balancer and a sword swallower.
What’s next, a seal act?
I think the rigging was the sealed bag of potato chips he just happened to know Nick had stashed right at hand. Yeah, like we’ve all seen Nick noshing away behind the scene every past show…
Maybe the dollar bill was planted with Howie, but it didn’t have to be. Any decent closeup magician could swap in the duplicate bill for whatever he got from any of the panel.
A female escape artist is amazingly rare, in a rare field. What detracted from the act was the underwater cameras following her process. Yes, we know she’s got a pick or key and just unlocks the handcuffs, still we’re not actually supposed to see it happen. If we’d been left with only the surface view, it would have been better. Not sure if that staging issue was forced on her or she just didn’t know enough to control for it.
Amen. So we see their “candid” interview where they’re discussing backstage with someone, presumably with the show. Then apparently the questions are fed to the hosts to make sure they ask the right topic. Like with the gay singer guy and then Howie’s strategic question about his family. I feel like the interview crew pumped the story out of him backstage for us all to see, then prepped Howie with a “ask him about his family” prompt so the audience up front and judges could see it, too.
Meh, I’m less interested in the sob story. Either they’ve got talent or not. The sob story is unfair manipulation. “I’m sorry your family rejected you for being gay, but you sound like a dying hippopatomus with flatulence*, so I’m afraid I can’t send you on to Vegas. But I can still think your parents are turds.”
Glad I wasn’t the only one who thought so. Those just aren’t moves I want to see a 9 year old girl doing. Yes, the boy moved his hips like they weren’t connected to his body, but it just triggered my flinch factor. And Howard hammering on the 13 year old girl and boy getting back together was sort of cute in watching her response vs the boy’s, but kinda creepy in a “why do you want to know?” kinda way.
Interesting act with a way to prove the swords are down the throat, combined with multiple blades, and then the spin. But ultimately not a million dollar headlining act. I just don’t see it.
Pole climber is scary bad. I mean, the real risk is impressive and the skill is good, but then what? We see a handstand every week? I assume he ups the risks. Now if he’s doing backflips by the finales, that will be something.
Obviously it’s a rigged trick - it’s magic. It was well performed, with a good grasp of stage presence and presentation and a great skill at masking.
I don’t know how he did it. I can speculate that he might have made a duplicate bill on flash paper for the burn, prestaged his bill in a bag of popcorn that he prestaged on the table of “snacks”, maybe with Nick’s collusion. Then it’s some crafty sleight of hand to trade out his duplicate for the serial number read. Sure, I can figure that out. But it was well performed.
Why opera itself would get huge attention baffles me when it isn’t more popular as a genre. The guy singing with the incredible high voice was rather original.
Yeah, without the sob story would that really have gotten as good of reviews? He should try out for The Voice, and put his music on comparison with other vocalists.
*The kid was fine, this is a hypothetical statement.
The sob stories (with the tinkly “sensitive” music in the background) were one of several reasons I dropped this awful show after the first season. I do enjoy reading the comments of those with tougher hides than mine and I can then seek out any particular performance on You Tube that sounds interesting without having to put up with time-wasting drek from the judges and the host and other bullshit.
Actually that recently occurred to me, that he swapped out Howie’s bill with his own. That would explain it.
There are plenty of female escape artists. She doesn’t seem to realize that escape artistry is all about the presentation, not the escapes, which are almost always rigged. The presentation was awful, it was the judges who made her act slightly interesting to the audience with their commentary during the performance, which was an unfair advantage for her. Left to her own wits no one would care what she was doing. She was awful IMHO.
Hell, lots of talent shows are like this. Sometimes even the Olympics. I hope this is a fad which will run its course soon.
I didn’t mind the first time, it was kind of funny and the two dancers were quick thinkers. But then Howard had to keep pushing it, and pushing it.
Also, I think both teams dances were a little adult for them.
Whether it’s good or bad is subjective. Also, those of you who listen to opera on a regular basis have something to compare these performances to. The rest of us don’t, so we just rely on personal preference. Also, it probably helps that these are short snippets of songs and not the hours long performances of a full opera.
Again, for those of us who don’t listen regularly; Little snippets good; Long shows… Zzzzzzzzzzz
This show just goes to prove the wonderfulness of DVRs. This show would be unwatchable in real time.
Obnoxious, overly-long judge intros? Bah! Fast forward!
Obnoxious, overly-long judge “critiques” of acts obviously moving on? Bah! Fast forward.
Someone crying and talking about their parents to dramatic piano music? Bah! Fast forward.
Attempting to add drama by drawing out a 10 second act to a minute and a half, usually with Howie staring agape and pointing? Bah! Fast forward.
First opera singer of the night? Eh, I’ll give it a go…
Second opera singer of the night? Bah! Fast forward.
This also comes in handy during the eliminations when the producers feel the need to zoom in on each and every person on the stage before Nick reads the name of the act that has to go home. When there are 3 dance troops on the stage, it is unbearably long.
That little girl was amazing. Even when she was speaking, she sounded much older.
I liked the country singer, too. Same age as me! Great voice.
BTW, who’s the black lady judge? I don’t recognize her.
Spice Girl I think.
Mel B.
Scary Spice
Should the thread title be changed? or are we going to open a new thread each episode (which we haven’t so far…)
I think a season thread makes more sense.
Totally wasn’t impressed with this week’s show. I mean, yeah the dancing kids were good and there were a few good acts. But overall, it was pretty meh. Nothing really super shocked me or impressed me. Was this the last week of the auditions? I kinda want to get going so I can see more of the acts that I really liked.
I edited the thread title since this has become an ongoing discussion of the season.