After showing footage of the contestants mingling with the judges, last year’s winner Michael Grimm performed. It was a good performance but he still can’t sing with his eyes opened, and when he sang the more powerful notes, he seemed to be in excruciating pain! He is the type of singer that we should see live in concert and not during a TV performance where the cameras focus on his face and facial expressions. Michael is currently touring with Stevie Nicks and will be performing in Vegas in December.
Miami All Stars, dancers: Even before Piers Xed Miami All Stars, I knew they had made a big mistake. The football/cheerleading theme made them look a tad childish and wasn’t as impressive as their previous performances, especially the Top 24 one. Sadly for them, their red and white uniforms mixed with the red lighting made their moves a bit more difficult to see and didn’t make them pop at all. Piers explained his X by saying that they went from an explosive Latin dance act to a silly one, with a silly chicken mascot. Sharon agreed but worded it better than Piers by saying that she was not in love with the theme and that the routine was not sophisticated enough. Howie, after pointing out that it is NFL Kickoff Week at NBC, claimed that they took the “Miami” out of the “All Stars.” The Miami All Stars made a bad choice that may cost them a spot in the Top 4.
Lys Agnès, opera singer: Lys made not only a bad song choice this week but she also decided to sing it in a lower register, which made her sound like a fake Cher. One upside to her choice? We got way less high notes, so less never-ending tremolo in her voice. Her low notes sounded weird while her higher notes were off key. That was her worst performance on the show and it will surely cost her a spot in the Top 4 even though the crowd loved it. Sharon said that it wasn’t pleasant nor beautiful in the lower range, and that her last note bummed and was off key. Howie questioned if it was too risky for Lys to sing a song in a register that we haven’t heard before from her. I don’t know what Piers was doing while Lys performed but he was surely not paying attention as he claimed that she was off key in the lower notes but not during the higher notes!!! Say what?! She was terrible in the higher notes, no? See for yourself in the clip below.
Landon Swank, magician: The magic trick he offered us this week might not have been as flashy as previous performances, but it was efficient and impressive. Piers questioned Landon as to if the trick went according to plan and if water was supposed to come out of the aquarium. No matter if it was meant to happen or not, the water leaking from the aquarium added a realistic element to the trick. Howie, once again this week, told Landon that he never saw something like that. Sharon mentioned that Landon’s tricks are modern, not serious, and that he makes magic more contemporary. Oh, and for those wondering, the fish is still alive!
Anna Graceman, singer: Anna took a risk this week by not playing the piano. However, thanks to a fantastic voice and a great song choice (Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors”), she shined as usual. Sadly, production limited her movements on stage by having her stand on a small hill in the middle of the stage. It would have been best if she could have moved around and show us if she was improving in that area. Piers said that she has an extraordinary voice but that she missed a few lower notes and that it was a bit flat. However, when she got to the bigger notes, it was amazing. Sharon loved the song choice. Howie claimed it was brilliant but that he wasn’t sure that it was as good a performance as her previous one.
Silhouettes, dancers: And yet another impressive performance from Silhouettes. However, I must admit that some forms were not as easy to make out as the ones in previous performances. Yet, it was an inspiring performance that made the crowd and three judges get on their feet for a standing ovation. Sharon said it was exquisite. Howie said that they watched an act that is going to the finals. Piers announced that it was the best performance tonight thus far and that it showed what the “America” in the show’s title is all about.
Smage Bros. Riding Shows, motorcycle acrobatic act: This act went down a notch this week compared to last week as their act was a tad bit less daring and flamboyant than the one with their grandmother. Nonetheless, they offered us a fun and colorful routine where they performed skateboard-inspired tricks on their motorcycles. Surprisingly, Piers didn’t X them despite the several mistakes that they made — they even touched their assistant twice; once on the head and the other time on a leg.
POPLYFE, band: The band made another spot-on song choice this week: a tribute to the Jackson 5. The only downside to their entertaining performance: the backup singers were a tad off key in the beginning of the show. Despite this, they showed once again that they are great entertainers and versatile. Even if they don’t win AGT, they have a bright future in the music industry. At first, Howie, Sharon, and the crowd, gave Poplyfe a standing ovation. But after some encouragement from Nick, Piers joined in. Howie said that viewers are idiots if they don’t vote for Poplyfe.
West Springfield Dance Team, dancers: Sharon was right when saying in her comments that their routines have become too predictable. Piers was too when saying that they should have stepped out of the horror. Why I agree with both? This is their fourth performance on the show and they are already going back to a theme they’ve tackle before: vampires! (If you recall, their first performance was kind of Matrix meets vampires.) However, if they had stepped out of horror and risked doing something different, Piers would have probably told them that “it’s not why we voted you through” as he did for Sandou Russian Bar Trio. Damn if you do, damn if you don’t! This week’s routine was well executed and there were some cool moves, but nothing spectacular. It was definitely a step down compared to their three previous performances which is why Piers Xed them. None of the judges were impressed with their routine this week.
Landau Eugene Murphy Jr, singer: This week, Landau sang a Dean Martin song. It was a perfect choice for his voice and style. We could notice that he tried to move a bit more on stage but it’s not much still. The three judges and the crowd offered him a standing ovation, and he deserved it. Piers said that he would actually pay to see Landau in Vegas. See for yourself in the clip below.
Team iLuminate, dancers: Another extremely impressive and entertaining routine. The backflip over someone else was amazing considering that they are doing this in the dark. As Howie mentioned, this might be the type of act we have to see live on stage. On TV, the lighting of their suits is sometimes not bright enough to fully see them. Piers said that it was original and fresh. Sharon claimed that she can’t believe they are not world famous yet. Howie said they were spectacular and should be in the finals.
Only four will survive. My picks: Landon Swank, Team iLuminate, Silhouettes, Poplyfe. Yes, no solo singers! I doubt it’ll happen, but a girl can dream, no? It’s so difficult this year as so many fantastic acts made it through to the Top 10. Despite if I would prefer no singers in the finale this year, I would still love for the finale to be a Top 5 to include Landau Eugene Murphy Jr or Anna Graceman too! I won’t be surprised if Landon doesn’t make it as there is not much love for magicians on AGT.
What are your picks? Vote in the poll below!
Clacked by Isabelle Carreau 
on Sep 07, 2011 @ 07:52 EST5EDT
