TVSquad

(S04E13) "Tonight is opening night." - The Hoff

Here we go America, you now have control over America's Got Talent. And just based on the comments TV Squad readers left on my last three AGT posts, it's clear that viewers were not happy with the Top 40 selection and that they hoped the Simon Cowell curve ball would allow them to rectify the list and bring fan favorite Kari, Ciana and/or Tallan into the mix.

Did Simon throw the curve ball we wanted? Did the first Top 40 performers deliver? My two cents, and yours via comments, coming up!

Simon did throw the curve ball we wanted. He told the judges they overlooked some acts and wanted a few back in. Sadly, the judges were not thinking straight when they decided which acts to bring back as Wild Cards. Instead of Ciana, Tallan or Kari, The Diva League and Lake Houston Dance were given a second chance. Why oh why?!? Can you guys confirm to me that they are bringing two or eight Wild Cards back? Somehow, I can't remember what they said ... I truly hope it's eight and that Tallan, Kari and Ciana are back.

Sadly, the performance episodes are not by categories but a mixture of all sort of acts. This means that we will more than likely get too many singers in the later rounds.

Breaksk8, Breakdancing Roller Skaters (Audition show 10, their official website and their YouTube channel) - Doing a choreography on "Smooth Criminal" from Michael Jackson will give them a few sympathy votes for sure. It was nice of them to add female dancers to add to the number. The Hoff said the ladies were not needed, but I'm sure he would have said the contrary if the number only had the skaters. Some of their dance moves were really reminiscent of the Jackson moves in the video clip for the song. I have to agree with Piers that the choreography was a bit slow but they still had some impressive moves.

Thia Megia, Singer (Audition show 3 and her MySpace page) - The 14-year-old singer showed passion and nice stage presence during her performance. Sadly, her voice was not always on key and at its best. Some of the longer notes were weak. Nonetheless, she is a really promising singer and will do wonders with a few singing lessons to help her use that powerful and wonderful voice of hers. I hope she gets voted through. With all three judges saying she was brilliant, it wouldn't be surprising if America votes the same.

The Platt Brothers, Variety Act (Audition show 7 and their official website) - Piers said it best; they are energetic and creative, but their act lacks focus. As I watched their act, I was wondering where they were going and what the theme was. Also, I thought the changes in soundtrack were too drastic -- going from something really hyper to a slow track. They are a bit too eclectic right now. I'm not sure they will move on, as there are better acts performing tonight.

The Diva League, Drag Queen Dancers (Audition show 3 and their MySpace page) *Wild card - The horror and vampire theme was fun, but that was about it for me. Their act was not energetic enough; it was too serious and didn't wow me. Why did Piers agree to have this act be a wild card if he doesn't believe they can win?!?

Manuela Horn, Comedic Variety (Audition show 2 and her official website) - I must say I wouldn't have recognized her during the pre-performance segment. She actually looked like a soccer mom! Manuela wanted to show another side of her but, as Piers pointed out, what she offered tonight was too far from what she did at the auditions. It's one thing to take risks but it's another thing to totally change your act. Maybe she should have warned the judges after her audition that she have a wide variety of performances. Even if she hadn't been Xed by the three judges, I doubt Manuela would have moved on because her voice during the act was extremely weak, to the point where it took away from what she tried to do, which was an act that mixed sex, humor, and singing. Too bad for her.

Grandma Lee, Comedian (Audition show 6 and her MySpace page) - Grandma Lee rocks! She has good comedic timing and her jokes are quite funny. Her act is also fresh since there are very few comedians her age, so she can tell "life" jokes that other comedians can't, thanks to her life experiences and age. It was also great of her to incorporate Piers and The Hoff in her act. She must move on!

Mosaic, A Capella Singing Group (Audition show 10, YouTube clip and their MySpace page) - Nice song choice that will connect with many viewers. The back vocals were very fun and helped make the song their own, as many judges say. However, the back vocals were too loud at times and took over the lead. I had fun watching them own the stage and hearing them perform the song with their unique style.

Acrodunk, Basketball Dunking Entertainers (Audition show 6 and their official website) - Some extremely impressive moves. Especially when they used the mini trampoline to do acrobatic moves before shooting the basket ball in the hoop. They must have practiced for hours because they were totally in sync and everything was well timed. They will more than likely go through.

Arcadian Broad, Dancer (Audition show 2 and his official website) - He is a great pianist, too?!? Since he told Manuela that she didn't do an act that was true to why they put her through, Piers had to tell Arcadian to not play the piano again on the show, even if he has some talent there. Arcadian did very well in the dancing part of his routine. It was a given that at one point he would perform "Footloose," since many tagged him as a young Kevin Bacon. Arcadian is really impressive on stage, but he lacks a real routine. I wouldn't be surprised to see him go through to the Top 20, but to be in the Top 10, he'll need to perform a real dance routine.

Drew Thomas Magic, Illusionist (Audition show 2 and his official website) - The act had a funny warehouse set-up with a box to be sent to The Hoff. The setting of the trick was a bit too long, though. It took forever for them to open the box that was in the air, as well as the one they were working on. But the ending was a big pay off. Wow! Never did I imagine the ladies would end up being the ones working on the boxes and having Drew Thomas appear behind the judges. Will we finally have a magic act go far in the competition?

Kevin Skinner, Singer/Guitarist (Audition show 3) - Great of him to have cleaned up; that way we can take him a bit more seriously as a performer. His guitar playing was good. The singing was alright. Maybe it was just me, but it seems that at times he was a tiny bit off key. However, you could sense the emotion he was putting into the song, and he had good stage presence. Even if Kevin is not one of my favorites, I see him going through.

Lake Houston Dance, Dancers (Audition show 4 and their official website) *Wild card - It was very age appropriate to have them do a slumber party routine on "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." The routine was good, but didn't seem to be as in sync as their audition performance. I agree with Piers that there were too many things going on at once and too many props.

The five acts that I hope move through to the next round: Grandma Lee, Mosaic, Acrodunk, Drew Thomas Magic and Kevin Skinner. Not an easy choice to make, eh?

On a side note, if you recall my comments about Jerry Springer, I didn't like that he was reading the teleprompter too much during the live shows, which made him sound like a robot and less like a human. Nick is doing better in that area. It showed that he was reading, especially at the beginning of the show, but Nick has more flow and spontaneity than Jerry ever had.

Which five acts do you want to see go through to the next round? Are you happy with the Wild Cards? Let your voice be heard in comments below!