America’s Got Talent – Episode 15: Quarterfinal #2

It’s Quarterfinal #2 for America’s Got Talent and 12 more acts will perform for America’s vote.  On Wednesday’s results show, 4 more acts will join the 4 acts who made it to the Semifinals last Wednesday.  It’s another interesting mix of performers who hope to impress the voters. There really is something for everyone on America’s Got Talent.  Last week, two singing acts (Nathaniel Kenyon and Christina & Ali), one dance act (Future Funk) and one performance act (Fighting Gravity) made it through.  For a rundown of the top 48 acts and a summary of their journey so far, see our previous posts (Part 1 & Part 2).  Who makes good impressions and who spruces up their performance too much with unnecessary flair?  Let’s find out.

Cheer San Francisco – Cheerleaders
Cheer SF perform a routine to Adam Lambert’s “For Your Entertainment” and it’s just not good enough.  In order to bring this kind of act to the Semifinals it has to be flawless and innovative and tonight’s performance was neither.  I have to say I’ve seen better squads in the competitions on ESPN.  It’s interesting that both Piers and Sharon buzz them when they were put directly through to the Quarterfinals without performing in Las Vegas.  After tonight it looks like they may have stolen a spot in the final 48 from another more deserving act (they’re certainly not the only ones, see Ronith below, and Mary Ellen in a later Quarterfinal).  I don’t see them advancing on Wednesday.

Alice Tan Ridley – Singer
Alice performs “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight and the Pips and it’s great.  She’s really good at putting her own spin on the phrasing and singing without deviating too much from the original (Reviewer’s disclaimer:  I love this song and have a dream where I get to be a Pip for a day with the choreographed movement and background singing, whoo-whoo, too cool.)  Alice has also been through the makeover process and looks like a true diva on the stage.  With Alice being the mother of Oscar nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe she was already one of the best known contestants on the show and that combined with her talent means we should be seeing her in the competition for awhile.

Mona Sampath Dance Company – Bollywood Dancers
MSDC do a fusion performance that mixes traditional Indian music with “Pump It” by the Black Eyed Peas and while the routine is good and the costumes are eye-catching it’s not really my style.  It’s interesting that there are such divergent opinions from the judges as Howie seems to agree with me while Piers is a big fan of the group.  It’s too early in the show to really know whether they have a chance to advance, we’ll have to wait and see.

Iron Horse – Rockabilly Band
Iron Horse perform “American Saturday Night” by Brad Paisley and immediately I think “bar band”, not good enough for this kind of stage.  The tricks would be cool at a different venue where they get to do a complete set but, as the judges said, they only have 90 seconds.  Piers buzzes them and then makes the same “bar band” comment I had written down earlier (scary…).  I don’t see them getting enough votes to move on to the Semifinals.

John Beatty – The Strong Man
John does a 3-part act where he lifts a motorcycle, rotates a parked car and then rolls the parked car.  He has a trio of models and the standard rock style music to accompany him.  While I’m sure what he did was extremely difficult, I would have liked to have seen something more innovative like when he rolled up the frying pan or drove a nail through a stack of wood.  Piers buzzes him and then critiques his stage persona which I thought was fine.  Sharon may be right that he would be better off with a longer set with more props and feats as this felt kind of short, shorter than the other acts.  I’m not sure that was strong enough (rimshot!) to advance.

Ronith – Impressions/Comedy (sorta…)
Ronith is back to do more impressions and that’s bad news for everyone except Howie.  I get what Howie is saying about the “bad impressions make people laugh” and it was fine to show his original audition and maybe you could even defend sending him to Las Vegas but the fact that he made the top 48 is an insult to other acts with talent who got cut just short of the Quarterfinals.  It makes the producers of this show look bad because Ronith was brought back solely for TV purposes and is just a wasted spot this week.  You know, Piers only buzzed one act out of 12 last week and has already buzzed 4 out of 6 this week, I bet RNG are really wishing they had been in this group of 12 instead of last week’s.  Anyway, Ronith impersonates John Wayne, Jim Carey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Charlton Heston and Sylvester Stallone, badly.

Hannibal Means – Singer
Hannibal sings “Circle of Life” from the Lion King with a riff from “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”.  There are dancers dancing around him (maybe like the stage production of “The Lion King”?) and they are all wearing different animal hats that Hannibal crocheted himself.  Hannibal has a really full, rich voice and is probably well-suited for stage musicals but he’s also a few birds short of a flock.  You know, I just realized that that might make him a perfect fit for a stage show in Las Vegas.  Of the acts who have performed so far he’s probably in the top 4 but he could be bumped by the acts coming up.

Wreckless – Hip-Hop Dance Crew
Wreckless are all decked out in elaborate clown costumes and perform their routine to a song I don’t recognize.  I agreed with Howie in that I missed the “just came in off the street” vibe of their previous performances.  This performance wasn’t really that different from a routine you would see from Cirque du Soleil, complete with clown costumes.  I think we’ve seen several acts try to spruce up their stage presence and make their acts more elaborate but it’s really coming at the cost of what made some of them interesting in the first place.  I’m not sure this routine was good enough to advance but this Quarterfinal has been really weak so they may have a chance to slip into the Semifinals.  Again, I bet RNG really wish they could have been in this group of 12.

Lil Chris – Singer
Lil Chris performs “Closer” by Ne-Yo and I’m pleasantly surprised by how good it is.  Like Alice Tan Ridley, his voice is different enough from the original without sounding like it doesn’t go with the song.  The producers seem to be providing some of the performers with back-up dancers that I don’t really feel are necessary (I believe John Beatty and Hannibal Means’ back-up dancers were producer provided as well.  Say, why didn’t Alice Tan Ridley get back-up dancers?).  The back-up dancers didn’t do anything wrong, I would just like to keep the focus on the talent of the contestant.  I agree with the judges that Chris really has a bright future ahead of him but I feel he’s closer (rimshot!) than Howie and Piers think.  I give Chris a real shot to advance as I feel the audience will connect with him better than with Hannibal Means.

Ascendance – Rock Wall Dancers
Ascendance has added two members since the audition and Las Vegas rounds for a total of 4 dancers.  I was a little worried about that at first for the reasons I discussed above in my review of Wreckless but Ascendance did it the right way by keeping the new members on the outside portions of the wall to mimic the movements of the two principals.  This keeps the main focus on the two principals and the entire act is just a sight to behold.  They perform to “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol (I think it was a live version or a cover (?), it didn’t sound like the version you hear on the radio, at least around here).  The entire thing is just mesmerizing and I really give them credit for coming up with something different.  It’s like ballet turned sideways.  Acts like this and Fighting Gravity are really what I want to see on this show.  Part of me would really like to keep the singers on American Idol but of course Idol has all of those age restrictions.  I think Ascendance are a good bet to advance tomorrow.

Antonio Restivo – Fire Illusionist
Antonio sets the mood with some Ozzy Osbourne which is sure to garner favor from Sharon.  The two Ozzy songs, “Crazy Train” and “Scream”, really fit the performance well.  Antonio has many lovely assistants and much fire about the stage and has really created a compelling persona for his stage act.  As the judges said, this is exactly the kind of show you would expect to see in Las Vegas, the city of excess.  Antonio would seem to be a shoe in for the Semifinals and the second half of the show has certainly been stronger than the first half as Alice Tan Ridley is really the only contender from among the first six performers.

Michael Grimm – Singer
Michael sings “Tired of Being Alone” by Al Green and it’s really good.  Michael has a great bluesy style and he really nails the performance with a soulful vibe.  Michael has ditched the hat and has undergone the makeover procedure common for these types of shows.  I might not have recognized him without the intro package (kidding, kinda…).  The judges say they want Michael to connect more with the audience but the songs he sings are kind of introspective and I didn’t have any problem with the performance.  Well done Michael, we should see you again in the Semifinals.

Favorite Performances:
Alice Tan Ridley & Ascendance

The 4 Acts I Would Advance to the Next Round:
Alice Tan Ridley, Ascendance, Antonio Restivo & Michael Grimm (honorable mention to Lil Chris)

The 4 Acts I Think Will Advance Tomorrow Night:
Alice Tan Ridley, Ascendance, Antonio Restive & Michael Grimm

Come back tomorrow for the Quarterfinal #2 Results Show.