creekdipper

One thing my wife & I were wondering:

Why were there no instrumental musical acts?

Maybe you have to have a novel approach like the Earth Harp, but it seems that there would be at least one violinist, guitarist, pianists, Flugel-hornist, or something. I mean, there are plenty of touring musicians who rely solely upon their instrumental skills (with the occasional guest vocalist).

Charlie Goose

The 3rd rate magician gets in over the stunning dance art of Catapult? I thought the preteen girls were only allowed to vote 10 times.

If Kenichi had been eliminated, I wouldn't even have bother to watch the remaining episodes.

This is my first year watching AGT, those creepy dancing dogs actually won?

Crocker Jarmen

I felt bad for Scary Spice when she couldn't figure out the time on the watch. Could it be that digital is so prevelant she actually doesn't know how to read a clock face?

So glad to see those dancing kids gone. They look too grown up and creepy for me.

Surprised Konichi got such high praise. I thought the use of the strobe light to look like he was flying was inspired, but everything else in that performance was kind of a dud.

Josh-da-man

Really surprising that Catapult and KriStef didn't make it through. I figured they'd both make it, and thought KriStef was a lock even though I'm not a huge fan of either.

Collins Key was fucking horrible last night. No way he should have made it any further. And I don't care if that was a $250k Jacob and Co watch, that thing was tacky as hell.

Does anyone else really hate the way they grind that fucking Orville Redenbacher Pop Crunch in your face every chance they get? I really feel sorry for the contestants who have to whore that shit out on tv from the "Orville Redenbacher Lounge" every night. It makes me NOT want to buy any. I saw some in a store the other day and just seeing it in person pissed me off something fierce.

Nausicaa

I've always wondered this too. At least there are some singers who play instruments this year, but the lack of straight instrumentalists is odd, and it's been that way for the last 4 seasons or so that I've watched.

With so many weird acts that we basically see every year (dance troupes, acrobats, dog acts, comedians) you'd think there would be a lot of instrumentalists in there too, since I have to imagine musicians are far more common than those other categories.

I hate Collins Key and his fake teen heartthrob persona. Every vignette they have a shot of him being stopped on the street by girls for a picture and an autograph, obviously staged. And he just has that stupid laugh through his whole performance. None of his tricks are interesting, and in fact are easy to figure out (this time, he never specified what he would do with the bag a judge chose, so he could put it down or hit it with a hammer or put them in any order he wants, and he could look inside the bags the whole time - it was awful), and he fails to sell the mentalist aspect of his routine. Like, if you're going to talk about mentally influencing someone, actually perform like that's what you're doing.

And yes Charlie, the dogs actually won last year. I hate dogs and "dog people", so I was way more upset about that than I should have been, but unlike this year there were actually a lot of really good acts, and those fucking dogs won.

Taylor really won me over this week. I haven't been a fan of his really, but he had some good jokes, and his rapport after the performance was also really funny.

I hope Cami and Jimmy didn't make it through this time. I tried something different and just browsed the web while the performed, listening to their music, and it is really not very good at all. They constantly miss notes, and it's way more obvious when you aren't watching.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Don't know if it has been mentioned, but I saw at the end of one show it says the $1M prize will be paid in 40 yearly installments or contestants can take a lump sum which is somewhere around $200K

creekdipper

Thank you for mentioning this. I was beginning to think that both my wife and me were both tone-deaf.

I like their personalities and have nothing against them personally, but IMHO they are just average (or slightly below-average) singers.

I wasn't surprised that they got in (1/3 of the finalists are singers), but it's a disgrace that Catapult didn't make it while they did. Not a big fan of dancing acts, but I'd have picked the kids over the Cami & Jimmy, too.

And totally agree about Collins Key.

flashburn

How in the name of FUCK is this country singer in the finals? I'm just baffled.

Deftones

country music is pretty much the most popular genre of music right now.

flashburn

Okay, so I don't really have a "pulse" on what's popular... but looking at the Billboard charts, I don't see that at all.
http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100

Deftones

pretty sure there's as separate chart for country music.

CPA-ESQ.

I was thinking that if you are a singer then AGT is the place to perform - you have to perform at most 4 or 5 times.

On the Voice, or AI, or any other singing show you have to perform each week, in different styles, from diff periods, diff generes etc.

On this show you can squack out 4 songs in your comfort zone, with ZERO showmanship, and make it to the finals and win.

But - dancing and performance acts have to 'step it up' each week and do something over the top to keep moving on

What a joke

covenant

I counted at least 10 country acts in the top 100. I may have missed some because I couldn't tell right away if they were country or not without listening to them. And not counting Taylor Swift, is she still considered country?

Deftones

so there is a separate chart for country music, but there are also the "crossover" artists like Taylor Swift, who is played on pop stations and is on the pop charts.

flashburn

There's a seperate chart for every genre of music, isn't there? The "popular" chart is just that, the most popular stuff.

flashburn

I've only watched these last two seasons, but have there actually been any singers that have won AGT? I don't think any of the singers this season have a chance in hell in winning.

CPA-ESQ.

I just started watching when Stern joined too.

There were a couple of singers to win in the early seasons - but the most famous was Jackie Evancho from 2010 who came in 2nd place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Evancho

stopgap

Catapult should have went through. But whatever...

chowderhead

There have been 7 winners of AGT since it started. I count 6 of the 7 winners as singers. The dogs won last year but it has been 6 singers previously. Terry Fator is a ventriloquist but he mostly does singing impressions and tells jokes. I would still put him in the singers category.

Maxflier

How did he get the times on the watches to match up?

whotony

Slight of hand. He set the time very quickly when he picked up the watch out of the bag or just before.

flashburn

Oh damn, okay, I'll stop then. Kind of lame, since there are already enough singing competition shows.

Michael Corvin

Wow, Catapult & Kristef went home? Wow.

Brian Gentz

Forte will win... and never be heard from again.

Charlie Goose

The only act that did well tonight was Williamson. He was totally on his game for both sets.

All of the singers bore me. The coal miner is a mediocre country singer, the blond is super cute but boring and her songs all sound the same, and Forte is strong but overblown and not my type of music.

Collins Key outright sucks. That shitty card trick just died. How the hell can you even think to put something like that on stage at Radio City? OMG, the two cards became ONE!! GTFO. I did like the visual of two hot chicks using their mouths though. And more plants on stage for his second trick.

I appreciate Kenichi's work and creativity, but wasn't blow away by his new act.