Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, Nick Cannon, Howie Mandel & Mel B
Wow. All month, I had noting to say? Well, I did, but said most of it on Facebook. Still, I missed posting here and am glad to do so again.
You all know by know how much I love AGT. And it's mostly because, unlike"American Idol" or "The Voice," anyone can audition with any sort of talent. It's a throw-back variety show with singers; dancers; musicians; acrobats; magicians and and any other number of performance artists. I love it.
Last night saw the first 6 of the 12 finalists for this season and I was very pleased by the winners. In no particular order, they are:
SONS OF SERENDIP:
DAVID AND LEEMAN:
(BTW - Leeman is a friend of a friend)
MIGUEL DAKOTA:
(A cutie who MUST lose the knit cap)
MIKE SUPER:
MARA JUSTINE:
(A Broadway Belter in the making)
And last,but hardly least, my current favorite, EMILY WEST:
Next week's shows will determine the last six of the final 12. While there are several acts I hope go through, I'm really hoping to see the adorable and hot CHRISTIAN STOINEV and his equally adorable Chihuahua Scooby, move onto the finals:
Of course, as usual, I am torn. There so many great acts this season. Next week's Semi-Finalists include magician MAT FRANCO; singer JAYCOB CURLEE; dancers BLUE JOURNEY and cellists EMIL & DARIEL (who stole their act from by beloved Serbs, 2CELLOS) and all of them have their merits. But if it was up to me, the winner would probably be chosen from among this week's 6. Only one of my personal favorite acts have won (last season's Konichi Ebina), so I'm keeping my fingers crossed this year. I'll let you know who I would have picked after it's all over.
And while my all-time favorite AGT contestant dd not win, I do hope that the gorgeous, funny and very talented Prince Poppycock is doing well.
If you've never seen him, it's well worth the 15 minutes.
For the first time since I started watching my Reality TV guilty pleasure "America's Got Talent," my favorite act won. Japanese dancer Kenichi Ebina took the top prize of $1M and a stint as a Vegas headliner.
Last Season, William Close was my favorite. The 'Earth Harpist' was fascinating to watch. A dog act won. The year before that, I didn't have a favorite. A former car wash attendant turned lounge crooner (albeit a very good one), won.
Season 5 gave me my all-time favorite contestant. You know him, you love him. Madamen und Herren. Medames et Monsieurs. Ladies and... Gentlemen. Presenting His Majesty, Prince Poppycock:
Singer John Quale's alter-ego displayed not only Quale's prodigious vocal talent, but his genius in creating a truly memorable character. The winner was blues singer Michael Grimm. Who?
In Season 4, another opera singer, the lovely and talented Barbara Padilla was my favorite. Her audition was revelatory:
Barbara came in second to Country singer Kevin Skinner. Who?
But this year, my favorite was visionary Dancer/Mime/Choreographer/Gymnast/Contortionist Kenichi Ebina, who was consistently better and more creative with each performance. The self-taught, petite and gloriously elvish-looking performer beat out some very talented folks, including both my runner-up picks, opera trio 'Forte' (my mother's favorite, who will definitely have a career) and the adorable 17 year old magician, Collins Key (also likely to have an amazing career).
If you don't watch AGT (and Uncle P will think no less of you if not), see why Kenichi won this year:
I couldn't be happier for Kenichi Ebina. Congratulations to a truly brilliant and original performing artist who deserves to be seen and appreciated.
Regular readers know that I have two "Reality Show" vices: NBC's "America's Got Talent" and SyFy's "Face-Off" (BTW - had "Face-Off" existed in the late 80's/early 90's, I totally would have been a contestant). The new season of "Face-Off" has just started, though AGT is about to go into their semi-finals.
And to be perfectly honest, I'm not digging AGT so much this year. First off, Heidi and Mel are great, but they are no Sharon Osbourne. Say what you will about Mrs. O, but she sure knows how to command an audience and I must admit that I love her brassy style. Heidi and Mel together serve as the Voices of Reason and seem to work well as both comedic 'straight men' to and buffers between Howard and Howie, though I often doubt their judgement (especially Heidi's) when it comes to talent. Klum comes from modelling (and has had her own successful contest show for years), though I have to ask what makes her qualified to judge dancers, singers, acrobats, musicians and variety acts? Former Spice Girl Mel B at least has some experience in the industry, as sketchy as it may be.
Still, it's not the judges that are the problem (at least not their chemistry). It's the acts the judges have put through this season. AGT is quickly becoming a 'Been There; Done That; Bought the T-Shirt and Returned It' show. If I see one more "Shadow Dancing" act, I'm going to throw up. Stop giving standing ovations to acts ripped off from other acts, please. They're boring. And stop giving guys who build Rube Goldberg machines spots instead of far more interesting and talented acts.
I am a fan of Forte, the operatic trio who met online (especially their gorgeous new member) and charismatic & adorable young magician Collins Key. And I would honestly be very pleased if either of them won. But now that they're about to start the Semi-Finals, I have a clear favorite: Japanese stunt dancer Kenichi Ebina. His audition was pretty astounding and he was pushed right through to New York without having to endure the Vegas call-backs. His first New York performance was truly brilliant. Combining prerecorded digital images with an astoundingly precise live performance, Ebina flawlessly immersed himself in a video game. Live. Onstage. Amazing. Watch. Watch Full Screen:
I must agree with all four judges. The man is astounding.
In other reality show news, a sweet and dear friend (K's older sister, actually) shared a clip from "X-Factor Australia" on Facebook today that just took my breath away. Remember the first time you saw Susan Boyle? 14 year old Jai Waetford puts that moment to shame:
I've never seen all the judges on any talent competition show lose their minds like Danni Minogue, Ronan Keating and LMFAO's Redfoo do there. I'm betting the actually talented (and graciously humble) Waetford has young girls all over the world asking "Justin who?" within the next year.
Nick Cannon, Howard Stern, Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel
When NBC announced that Howard Stern was going to replace Piers Morgan as a judge on "America's Got Talent," I nearly gave up on the one 'reality' show I do watch. Now in it's 7th season, AGT has brought us some amazing performers over the years, despite the seemingly revolving door of hosts (Regis Philbin, Jerry Springer and Nick Cannon) and judges (David Hasselhoff, Sharon Osbourne, Piers Morgan, Howie Mandel and now Stern).
Back in the '80's, when I listened to Stern's local New York broadcasts on FM radio, I often found him amusing. As he grew and went national, I started to find him rude and obnoxious. I never thought "Bababooie" was funny and thought Robin Quivers was little more than a "Yes Woman." By the time Stern moved on to satellite radio, I was completely over him. I was actually sort of angry that NBC thought he could succeed the sophisticated Morgan, who was often the only voice of reason among the show's judges, even if he was perceived as the 'mean' judge. Morgan's critiques, while sometimes harsh, were usually right.
So it was with trepidation that I finally watched the first four hours of auditions last night and tonight and I have to admit that I was wrong about Stern. Oh, he's still a pompous ass, but so far he has managed to be kind and compassionate judge, doling out his opinions without being cruel or derogatory (unlike Morgan, who was often downright mean to the hopeful wannabes). He even gave a second chance to one contestant, who (on his second attempt) proved to be an excellent operatic singer. I'm glad I continued to watch and even happier that Stern managed to change my mind about his ability to be subjective.
It's also nice to see young Nick Cannon come into his own as the show's host. Personable, funny and adorable, Mr. Mariah Carey continues to prove himself a likeable host who can empathize with the contestants and their families while maintaining the often huge live audiences at the show's various audition venues. After over coming a bout with Lupus, Cannon is still professional, energetic and just silly enough to be likeable.
All that having been said, in the first four hours of auditions, only one act among those sent through to Vegas so far has caught my attention as a potential winner. There has yet to be a Barbara Padilla; Prince Poppycock; Jackie Evancho or Landau Murphy this season. But it's very early and there are many acts yet to be seen.
The one performer who did grab my attention, street dancer/contortionist Alonzo Jones (AKA 'Turf') has great potential. The opening moves at his audition were amazing and it appeared as though he was actually floating across the stage. The control and coordination required to make that happen are the result of the formerly homeless dancer's untiring dedication to his craft and he supplied the first real "Wow!" moment of the season so far:
Other highlights for me:
Speed-painter David Garibaldi and his CMYK dancers:
Father/Daughter team Maurice and Shanice Hayes:
Instrument designer William Close:
and Light Wire Theatre, who managed to take an act we've seen on AGT twice before and elevate it to another level:
Of course, there have already been some truly dreadful acts:
Personally, I'm still waiting for an act that both excites and inspires me as much as 2010 contestant Prince Poppycock:
I can't wait to see what the rest of this season's AGT has to bring us. It's vaudeville, burlesque, variety and theatre all rolled up into one insane and very entertaining show. If you aren't watching AGT, you are missing out on the summer's single most entertaining program. Whether it's a train wreck or a potential million-dollar act, AGT never fails to provide something to talk about at the water cooler.
Yes, I admit it - I was hooked on ABC's kitschy, catty, crazy soap "Desperate Housewives" from the beginning. Outrageous, salacious and even downright ridiculous, the one thing DH never was, was boring. And while my suburban neighborhood was not quite as involved in one another's lives as the women who lived on the fictional Wisteria Lane, watching the machinations that went on there was a guilty pleasure that helped round out the weekend on an almost always amusing note. Whether it was Susan's wacky attempts to woo plumber Mike Delfino; Lynette's exasperation with her brood of trouble-making kids; Bree's attempts to remain dignified in the most humiliating of situations or Gabby's torrid affair with her hot young gardener, the ladies (and gents) of Wisteria Lane were always entertaining. If you've never seen "Desperate Housewives,"then nothing I've just written will make a lick of sense to you. But the show's many fans understand.
This past Sunday saw the show's 2-hour Series Finale in which all loose ends were tied up. Bree's murder trial ended with a surprise confession from the dying Karen; Lynette finally reunited with Tom; Renee married Ben and Julie gave birth to a healthy baby girl. It was a fit and fair end to an 8 year run to a show that knew when to bow out before it had out-stayed it's welcome.
In those 8 years, the show had a huge list of guest performers, including Alfre Woodard; Dana Delaney; Neal McDonough; Roger Bart; Brian Austin Greene; Gale Harold; John Slattery; Nathan Fillion; Bob Gunton; Valerie Mahaffrey; Polly Bergen; Dixie Carter; Lily Tomlin; Mindy Sterling; Gary Cole; Jeff Bridges; Laurie Metcalf; Lainie Kazan; Julie Benz; Justine Bateman; Miguel Ferrer; John Barrowman; Alec Mapa; Joely Fisher; Shirley Knight; John Schnieder; Ernie Hudson, Sharon Lawrence; Kathryn Harrold; Adrian Pasdar; Eddie McClintock; Paul Dooley; Bob Newhart; Frances Conroy; Larry Hagman; Joyce Van Patten and Chloe Moretz, to name a few. That list sounds like the cast of an Irwin Allen 70's disaster movie...
And don't get me started on Nicolette Sheridan's ridiculous lawsuit. "Housewives" creator Mark Cherry very generously donated a "Desperate Housewives" package to the JTMF 5th Anniversary silent auction. It included an autographed cast photo and a signed copy of the pilot's script, among other goodies. Cherry (who had a cameo as a mover in the final ep) doesn't strike me as someone who would strike anyone, let a woman.
So, thanks "Desperate Housewives," for all the campy, soapy and ridiculous outrageousness you've provided over the last eight years. I won't exactly miss you (unlike how I'll miss "Fringe" when it ends next year), but I enjoyed you while you ran.
In case you missed it, here's a compilation of some of the show's best mayhem:
