TVSquad

(S03E14) "I'm looking for the next Terry Fator." - Piers

Well, Piers, I think what you are looking for is for Nuttin But Stringz, pictured right, to win this season of America's Got Talent. I doubt they'll get a 100 million dollars five-year deal but the brothers are rockin' the house and making the crowd go wild! They could easily win this competition and headline their own show on the Vegas strip. We'll soon discover if America thinks so too!

I was extremely surprised that Terry Fator performed at the beginning of the show. This decision goes against all show marketing strategies. If you have someone really popular or talked about appearing on a show, you always have them show up near the end of a show so that viewers watch the entire show in the hope to not miss the act. Of course, awards show are not exactly following that rule since they have a huge act opening but they usually have a huge act at the end too but that's another story. So last year's America's Got Talent viewers who tuned out this season got exactly what they wanted (aka their winner) in the first 10 minutes of the show and could switch channels afterwards.

Terry Fator reminded us exactly why we voted for him last year in this week's performance. Not only did he show great comedic timing, especially when he had the Elvis puppet answer Jerry's questions and say he was "Scared!", but he also demonstrated how skillful he is by singing as the puppet, making the puppet move in ways that fit the act and helped carry the mood, and making facial expressions that were fitting on his own face. Talk about multitasking!

Of course, there was more to Terry "The Million Dollar Voice" Fator's performance than showing the current contestants how big they can make it thanks to the show. Terry was there to advertise his own Vegas show (premiere night is on February 14 at the Mirage) and his "Who's the Dummy Now?" book. What he didn't mention is that he also has a DVD, titled "Millions of Americans Can't Be Wrong...", coming out next month and there is a mention on his site that "Winston Jr Puppets Coming September 20th"... does that mean we will be able to by Winston puppets and play ventriloquist? Talk about Terry turning into a business! Maybe one of Episode 314's acts will be as lucky!

SickStep - The intro was intriguing which built up my expectations in the very first seconds of the performance. Therefore, the rest of the act felt a bit flat from my point of view. The dancers did include some new cool moves in their routine this week but they were not always in sync and missed some attitude. I was actually surprised Sharon didn't tell them they needed to bring more attitude if they were voted through to the next round. The SickStep dancers are really good but because they are not improving week to week, I don't think they'll make it further.

Donald Braswell - For a guy who said in the intro clip that he is not dated and that he can do more, he sure made a song choice that proved otherwise. The Phantom of the Opera may be playing in Vegas right now but it's not getting any younger and it's not helping Donald prove that he's not dated. I stand by what I said last week about him: soap opera. I must admit that his facial expressions were better this week but his singing was still iffy for my taste. Some of those higher and longer notes were so pitchy that I wanted to flip channels. But since America voted him back, I see the voters pushing him through the Top 10. However, I don't think he is finale-night material. He would do very well as a performer in a musical on Broadway though.

Joseph Hall - Thankfully, Joseph learned from his mistakes and offered a performance that will secure him a lot of votes this week. His voice was more like Elvis' this time around but I could still hear Joseph under there. It also showed that Joseph practiced the King's moves all week because those were pretty good. He may not be one of my favorites but I can see him go through at least another round. People love Elvis!

The Taulb Family - I get why the Taulb Family wants to have some of them sing solo but if they want to win this competition, they'll have to stop doing that. They will also have to understand that some of them don't have a singing voice that's good enough to sing in duo or trio. It's a difficult reality check but when a prize such as AGT's is at stake, you must make difficult decisions. The Taulb family members are really good musicians and, as the judges put it, they are at their best when performing as one. I don't forsee them going through the Top 10.

Sarah Lenore - If you want to win such a competition, you have to take risks and move out of your comfort zone. Sarah tried it once again this week but got burned. The song choice was fitting her personality but not her voice range. Even if the song was "bigger" than her, Sarah gave a fair performance and showed better voice control. She works well with the camera and the crowd, and moves well on stage.

Nuttin But Stringz - Wow! Need I say more?

Kaithlyn Maher - You have to give it to Piers "The Beast" Morgan; he was able to tell princess Kaithlyn that it was more than likely the end of the road for her in a nice and imaginative way. Sharon shouldn't have been so hard on Piers because, as he pointed out, she said exactly the same thing he did! Kaithlyn did amazing things during her stay on the show but I think it should be the end of the road for her. She may remember all the words and sing the songs on key, but she doesn't move on stage and will mostly appeal to kids her age. She cannot headline a show in Las Vegas. However, Disney could easily put her under contract and have her appear on the Disney Channel and release an album with kids' songs.

The Tapping Dads - I must admit, The Tapping Dads brought it on this week. I still don't think they should win this competition because they are still amateurish but they showed huge improvement, added new moves, and were more energetic. What they need to work on is timing and all showing the same energy and smile during the performances. Even if I don't see them going far, I wouldn't be surprised to see them go through. They do have 18 families rooting for them and I've read many comments of fans of theirs.

Eli Mattson - Looks like Eli didn't have a chance to read my review of Episode 312 because his facial expressions still looked like he was in pain and his eyes were closed most of the song. He gave a really good performance but he didn't move me this week. I couldn't pin point the problem until the judges spoke. After hearing what they had to say, I must admit that the song was too low for Eli's voice. He does better with songs that are a little bit higher. It's almost certain he'll go through. What I would like to see him perform next week is a faster paced song. He must get out of his comfort zone (aka ballads).

Jonathan Burkin - Another perfect performance from Jonathan this week. However, the moves from week to week are way too repetitive and it's doubful he could headline a 90-minute show.

I believe that Joseph Hall, Nuttin But Stringz and Eli Mattson will go through for sure. As for the other Episode 314 performers, it's a toss up. Some improved while others stayed put. Tune in tomorrow at 8 p.m. to learn which acts will go through the Top 10. (Yes, it's really 8 p.m. as Jerry said at the end of the show. Some TV guides (including mine) list it at 8:30 but Jerry and NBC say it's at 8 p.m.)