That was a really weak night. I wasn’t wowed by any of the singers, the juggler sucked, the magician was blah (nice trick, but poor presentation), Silhouette was impressive (but I’m pretty tired of “yay America” stuff).
The motorcycle guys were good, but it’s going to get boring - it’s pretty much the same everytime (unless they actually hit the head of their assistant at some point). That would actually be fine for a Vegas show (you’d only go once, generally), but it’s going to get dull on the program.
I think I’d pay (not a lot of) money to see Geechy Guy - but Howie’s right - 90 seconds isn’t enough time to establish himself for the viewers.
Piers needs to focus more on the ‘dance’ part of the pole-dancer - I think he keeps comparing it to a strip club show in his mind - and it’s not that.
So, I guess my picks would be:
[ul]Silhouettes[/ul]
[ul]Retchless (pole dancer)[/ul]
[ul]Smage Bros[/ul]
[ul]tie - Magician, Daniel Joseph Baker[/ul]
I’d like to vote for Dani/Justin Bieber - but she just somehow never quite clicks for me.
By far and wide the weakest season yet.
Seriously - anybody you would pay $100 (average price for headliner on The Strip) to watch for 90 minutes?!
Silhouettes made me want to gag…I personally find it offensive when people wrap themselves up in the American Flag to better chances at getting votes. We could have had pole dancer dress like a Marine, motorcycle dudes have huge flags waving from back of cycles, magician make daddy appear from Iraq to surprise his crippled daughter with MS.
The young black Liberace is the only performer so far that would be slightly entertaining for a big production show on stage - but again, can’t say as I would really want to sit there for 90 minutes to watch him.
Okay, last time I got 3 out 4, let’s see if I can do it again:
Attack Dance Crew. 0 It’s a weak hybrid of cheerleading type movements and some not very exciting dance, but not actively unpleasant to sit through.
Dani Shay 0 Just nothing stands out about her singing.
Geechy Guy - Weaker than his previous set, I think. Way too few of his jokes were new to me.
Daniel Joseph Bake + + I really enjoyed him. At the end, I realized that although I knew all those other dancers were prancing around there, I totally never took my attention off him, which is rarely true for the tarted up acts. He’s got definite star quality. I don’t know, though, what his chances are of going through: way too much homophobia in America still, plus I believe the main voters are young girls, and I don’t think he’s the type they fall for.
Rhinestone Ropers - - Wow, that was slow and boring.
Dyland Andre 0 Not bad singing, but didn’t hold my attention.
Landon Swank + Nice enough trick (though I think I immediately figured out how it was done) but there was no snap or excitement to the presentation.
Smage Brothers + Some excitement, but it’s already moving into ‘same old, same old’ for me.
Thomas John - - Slow, the ‘humor’ aspect didn’t play for me, and he dropped stuff.
Steven Retchless + Not as good as the first time, but mostly I blame that on the ‘improvements’ they added to his act. Another one with potential homophobia problems in the vote.
Mona Lisa 0 Really, would they have made it to this stage except for the ‘twin’ factor?
Silhouettes + Again, not as good as the first time. Like some posters above, once you start down the ‘dedicated to the soldiers’ and ‘yay America’ route you just come across as desperately pandering for the votes. OTOH, they did a really really good job of the set pieces.
Truthfully, the only act I absolutely want to see move on is Daniel Joseph Baker, but there needs to be four, so:
Baker, Silhouettes, pole dancer, and… (flips mental coin) the motorcycle guys.
It didn’t bother me that the Rhinestone Ropers weren’t that exciting or dangerous. Thinking big picture, it’s nice they did something completely different. It shows they can put on a variety show vs. an hour long knife throwing and target shooting show.
I really liked Daniel Joseph Baker, Mona Lisa, and Silhouettes. I think they, and probably the motorcycle act will go through.
Everyone else was pretty, “Meh.”
And I would have liked what’s her name, the Justin Bieber lookalike, better if her voice hadn’t been so wobbly.
OK, I’m sick of, when asked their opinions, the judges say, “America will decide.”
No shit Sherlock.
And second if the producers feel they have to add dancers or other space fillers because some of the acts aren’t interesting on their own, maybe those acts shouldn’t be moving on.
This is just a problem with the whole premise of the show, though. They’re using 90-second performances as auditions for 90-minute shows, but the requirements for these are completely different.
The bellyflopper baffles me completely. I experience exactly zero excitement, thrill, or interest in what he’s doing. None. Zip.
But of course I feel this way, or nearly, about virtually all of the “danger” acts, from motorcyclists in balls to bicyclists jumping around the stage to knife throwers and balance beam gymnasts. SO dont’ give a shit.
I am almost that disinterested in magicians. Seems to me there’s about three magic tricks in existence, and it’s about creating some drama and entertainment around the execution. Which pretty much no one ever does, and that is why Penn and Teller rule.
And it’s getting harder and harder to be a dance troup that is worth watching for more than 30 seconds.
Although we are all handicapped by this godawful season. The only one of these acts that are the ZOMG SO MUCH DANGERSZSZ!!! that actually gets me is the russian bar girl, screw the rest. The decision to make splash guy over the magician was horrible, and the fact that black Sinatra guy made it over the magician is horrible as well. Dude barely hit a note and I couldn’t hear him when he DID hit them.
Wow, ignorance must be bliss because any time somebody posts about singers missing notes I almost never realize it. I thought Landau Eugene Murphy Jr (black Sinatra) was great.
I couldn’t believe PopLyfe made it through. I thought their rock version of “Rolling in the Deep” was incredibly cheesy.
As for belly flop guy, here’s how he’ll have to stretch out a show.
10 minutes setting up a set.
10 minutes slowly climbing the ladder, slowly looking down into the pool, and then finally jumping.
10 minute audience break.
10 minutes setting up another set, or raising the ladder and adding fire, or whatever.
10 minutes - Another long climb and procrastination before jumping again.
10 minutes of bows and taking questions from the audience.
10 minute second audience break
10 minutes setting up the final set
10 minutes final climb, procrastinate, dive.
Now who wouldn’t pay top dollar for that?
Yeah, so, those of you who thought they’d seen iLuminate before, I hope you realize now that you haven’t, although there’s certainly Defying Gravity elements. But this is them to a whole new level.
My guess is that they team up in Vegas down the road, or at the least Defying Gravity hires the inventor of the technology iLuminate uses.
I think they will be spectacular after they’ve been taken under the wing of some great producer and choreographer.
I even called iluminate a “defying gravity knock off” before…but their performance yesterday changed my mind. I only wish they would do more dancing and less…interpretive dancing looking things.
He handled it perfectly, though. No bullshit, no whining, no breakdowns…just total acknowledgement…if you’re going to fail, might as well fail spectacularly!
Bike guy - the beginning was weird. I assume he was riding the bike instead of just spinning it - but you couldn’t tell that. Similarly, if you didn’t know it was a bike act, the second part (with the blacked out bike) could of been something else supporting him. But still, a good act.
Magician - trick was good, but everyone was right about the slow middle - but that’s fixable.
Singer (Kevin Colis) - I don’t normally like singers on this show (other venues for that) - but he was actually pretty good, and the other acts either weren’t very good, or I can’t see them as a Vegas show.
And, please, please, please put a minimum age limit in place. Piers was a dick to buzz her, but, as all of the judges agreed - she was just too young/inexperienced.
So I guess it is now official - we have seen everyone?
If that is the case - don’t care who wins. Not a single act made me go “wow”.
Some better than others, but seriously cannot think of one act I would pony up $100 to see for 90 minutes in a show on The Strip.
Worst season to date.
