33 replies to this topic

[TWoP Gadget]

TOP 5 ACTS PERFORM LIVE - The top five acts perform live for a chance to win a one million dollar prize and become the most talented person in America. Viewers vote for their favorites. Jerry Springer hosts and David Hasselhoff, Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne are the celebrity judges.

Please remember that even though this thread is "open", posting is not allowed during the show.

Edited by TWoP Gadget, Sep 24, 2008 @ 8:25 PM.

[foultemptress]

That was really good; I'm hard-pressed to make a prediction at this point. I do like Nuttin' But Stringz and Eli the best, but they're all good performers. And was Piers on happy juice tonight? Love all around!

Side note--how did they end the show in time after starting late? Cut out the fluff? Imagine that!

[chesslover]

Stringz still haven't wowed me since top 40 night. But I won't be upset if they win. Braswell on the other hand...

I voted for Eli even though his look was creepy tonight. Neal and Emily did give me slight pause though.

[McPoyle]

I don't even know if I can be kind enough to say that Donald Braswell could do Broadway. I absolutely HATE when he sings that tool Josh Groban. His over-acting when he sings just sends me over the edge. I can barely watch him. For me, the winners should be Nuttin' But Stringz. Eli Mattson should get a record deal regardless of the outcome of this show. He's too good not to get a deal. I'm just glad we only have one more show so I never have to see Donald Braswell again.

[footinmouth]

I can't believe they did that 1 hour show in 40 minutes. There must have been a whole lot of filler that we were blessedly spared seeing. At least I can be thankful to President Bush for something. I hope Strings manages to pull out the win. I find them refreshing.

[Eire75]

Braswell reminds me of an extra in Dark Shadows. I've been calling him the singing vampire for weeks now. Why in the hell did he sing the same damn song he already did once? Neil did the same thing. The pickins can't be that slim can they? I put all my votes on Eli tonight. I like strings, but they're already on some kid's show and they have a CD or two out. Eli doesn't have either and I really love him to bits. Glad he ditched the hat though. He's my Cas of the year which means he won't win. My husband is beginning to feel a bit threatened by all the Eli love around here.

Whoever it was that said they were tired of singers yelling at them and calling it singing, thanks. I couldn't get that out of my head while Queen Emily was singing. She irked me something awful tonight. If Neil gets it, I move the show be sponsored by Puffs. See the singing, blubbering guy live in Vegas brought to you by Puff's Plus!

[AmyGal]

Braswell reminds me of an extra in Dark Shadows.

YES!! That's TOTALLY it! Thank you!

Tonight was boring. If I wanted to watch a buttload of singers, I'd have watched American Idol.

Nuttin But Strings, for the win!

[E C0li]

Braswell reminds me of an extra in Dark Shadows.

To me, he looks like someone who got trapped in a booth at "Sunset Tan." The man is ORANGE. He's also incredibly boring, as are the rest of the singers. At this point, I wouldn't go see any of the acts except for Nuttin' but Stringz, and that's only because they are slightly more innovative than the spray-tanned sappy love song guy, the opera singer in a Kangol hat, the guy who arranges other songs to fit his low range, and the woman who screams at me and tries to convince me it's singing.

[Vermicious Knid]

So, is it over tomorrow?

[magathia]

So, is it over tomorrow?

Yes.

Some really underwhelming acts tonight. A performance repeat from blubbering opera boy. I guess that cuts down on the rehearsal time. How did someone this sensitive last in a sales job?

Mr. I-put-out-my-comeback CD-in '07 is just poor man's Josh Groban. Off to Broadway is probably his best move.

Queen Emily just does nothng for me when the volume is set to blast out my eardrums. I can't imagine she will win. I still think it is between Eli and NBS.

I voted for Nuttin' But Strings because this Top 5 was w-a-a-y-y too singer heavy for my taste. If a singer is to win, please let it be Eli. Anyone other than these two acts and I will be forced to pursue unhealthy habits like drinking and eating high fat foods while vigorously cursing about the stupidity of American voters.

[babymama]

- I've given Donald Braswell a ration of shit all season, and he's still not my cup of tea, but I will grudgingly admit that he belonged in the top 5. His voice was really good, and I can see him having a decent career. He does lose major points however by singing that morbid Josh Grobin song. C'mon on man...... If he had even a speck of a personality, he might have a shot of winning.

- Queen Emily did sing well last night, but unless she wins, I think that her more than any other top 5 act will not go on to have a good mainstream singing career. There is just something about her that turns me off, which is probably her over the top histronics, especially during the Vegas call back week. With her singing last, I think she might have the best shot at beating Stringz, but here's hoping not.

- I was majorily surprised when the golden boy, Neal Boyd didn't sing last. He was good, but it seems like he peaked too early and Eli and Stringz have passed him by. Like Emily, I don't really see Neal having a big mainstream career if he doesn't win.

- Eli, out of all the competitors probably needs this win the least. He will probably enjoy a successful career even without the win. Although that is no guarantee. I still haven't heard of Cas Haley since last year, and I thought he awesome.

- Nuttin but Stringz should win. They might not make it as mainstream artists per se', but I think they would be really successful as a Vegas act, due to offering something different.

- What separates Stingz and Eli is that they are diversified. Donald, yep same old sappy love ballads, Neal, over the top Opera style tunes, Queen Emily, yep you guessed it, Diva tunes. At least Eli can masterfully play the piano and writes his own songs, while all of Stringz material is original.

[Alexa]

So, is it over tomorrow?

I am not seeing it on the tv listings for tonight, but I do see it on for next Weds.....did they say they changed the time to be for tonight instead?

[rileyjo]

Apparently UO, but I love Josh Groban (yes, my son makes fun of me) and I love Donald Braswell, too. I guess I just like that type of voice. I also saw Phantom of the Opera five times in Toronto. I think Donald could do well on Broadway, and I really hope he gets a career from this show. I also like Eli alot; I prefer that kind of music overall, and I love the singer/piano player guys. He's another one that better get some sort of record deal when this is over. I'm also the mom who made both her kids play the violin, so Nuttin but Stringz is also a big favorite. My son went from classical to blue grass on his violin and then got an electric violin and played in rock bands, ala Dave Matthews. The violin is such a versatile instrument and I love what these guys do with it. I didn't realize they were on a tv show and had cds out already. Aren't these people supposed to be amateurs, or is that just American Idol? I would be happy with any of those three winning. Hate hate hate the diva woman who screams at me, that's just not my cup of tea. And crying opera guy has a fantastic voice, so maybe he'll get something from this show, but hopefully not be the winner.

[Adamtroycastro]

I think Queen Emily edged out everybody else last night, by a hair, even if
she does make silly facial expressions when shooting for the high notes. There's
a reason why singers tend to close their eyes at such moments; keeping your
eyes wide open while going for that sustained high note runs the risk of looking
like you're being buggered. She crosses her eyes. However, that could be fixed
with a little coaching. She does have a great voice, and she is now the favorite
to win.

Piers is heavily agitating for Nuttin' But Stringz, who frankly impress me now
as a pair that has a limited number of tricks and keeps returning to them again
and again. How many times will we see that one brother fall on his back and
play fast?

Neil E. Boyd is better at finishing songs than starting them, I think, but his
reprise of "Nessun Dorma" was better than his remarkable audition.

Donald Braswell's reprise of "You Raise Me Up" was also better than his audition,
and I agree that he belongs in musical theatre; he also has a very limited repertoire
of gestures, mostly looking at the sky and reaching for some shiny object. (He does
not bore me at all; that IS a Broadway-quality voice, and I love Broadway.) I
like him PERSONALLY more than I like anyone else in the competition, and I would
be delighted if he won. I don't think he will, especially with the judges pretty
much telling the voters (as they have for several stages now) that he has gone
as far as he deserves.

Eli Mattson was also as good as we have come to expect from him, even if he
did not blow the place away as intensely as he needed to to give himself a lock.
But where the hell does this pre-performance rhetoric come from, this sudden
self-pity that winning this contest is his "last chance"? He has been seen,
now, by millions of people, millions of whom love him; if he cannot get a recording
contract out of that, he isn't trying. Commercially, his prospects are better
than just about anybody out of the top five (with the exception of Queen Emily).
I also think he should put that cap back on. Not that there's anything wrong
with his hair, but it was a nice visual signature.


So: if the judges get their way, Nuttin But Stringz.


Based on last night's show, Queen Emily.


Based on overall impact, Eli Mattson.


Based on my own inclination...dammit, I'm sentimental...Braswell.


I think it will be Queen Emily.

[CRFTony]

So when are the results announced? It's not on NBC's schedule tonight. Are they waiting until next week? If so, color me disinterested.

[JenMD]

The results show is next Wednesday.

I threw all my votes Eli's way. I've just adored him through this whole thing. Love both his singing and his playing. I don't think he'll win, I think it'll be NBS which is fine because I really enjoy them, too and I think they'll do great in Vegas.

[guhlenho]

I still haven't heard of Cas Haley since last year, and I thought he awesome.

He has a CD out - I found it at Best Buy. It's pretty good, but loses a little bit of impact from his performance on AGT.

My ranking from last night - Stringz, Eli, Neal, Donald, Queen.

Stringz seems to have the uniqueness factor and I truly enjoy watching them emote while they play. Eli is definitely the only one of the singers from whom I would buy a CD. Neal is very good at opera and should be able to find a career there. Donald should be able to find a theater career of some sort. Queen Emily just doesn't do much for me at all. I thought she was horrendously screechy on some of her notes last night.

[tall1az]

NBS got all my votes.

Eli didn't sound as good as last week, Neal was good but I'd rather hear Paul Potts sing that, one more Josh Groban from Donald Braswell would send me running from the room, even if he does have a nice voice, and I actually dozed off just as Queen Emily was singing the first couple of bars. I think Eli will find a career without this show, and maybe the others will get something out of this, but if I'm going to Vegas to see a show, NBS is the choice.

[Paul Servo]

There is no show tonight. They've been promoting one hour EARL and OFFICE premiers and the start of the final ER season for a while. Finale is next Wednesday.

As for what was on last night.

Nuttin But Strings: I'm glad that they're being pushed to win this thing. These guys and Eli are the only humble people in the finals. They were able to make fun of themselves by saying that they wrote too many original songs.

Donald: Now I never really heard of Josh Groban until this show started. I realized the other day he did a version of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" that had soliders giving well wishes from over in Iraq. Then I was shown the clip of him at the Emmys and frankly, I started to think the guy was cool from that. However, as already pointed out Donald did that song already. He was also asked if he could do a lighter song to show his range. Repeating yourself doesn't do that. My guess is that he wanted to do that song without getting booed.

Neil: How bad is your self esteem if Hoff saying you did good makes you cry?

Queen Em: Still eh. She showed range by doing a different sort of song. She did it well, but she's too diva for my taste (and I use that term in the sense that she has an ego).

Eli: Very well done. As I said above, dude is humble.


[i]edited because I didn't read the weecap before posting and I made a song title comment error[i]

Edited by Paul Servo, Sep 25, 2008 @ 5:11 PM.

[steviethecat]

In answer to your question: So, is it over tomorrow?

No, it's over on October 1st, next week.

I don't know.....I absolutely LOVE Stringz but every song they do sounds the same to me. Their performances are electrifying and I really enjoy them, but their songs all sound the same. But that's not unpleasant either. They have a great sound.

I threw all my votes to Eli. I got 60 votes in....2 cell phones, a landline, my two email addresses and my husband's email address.

I will be very pleased if either Stringz or Eli wins. I am so glad I will no longer have to watch Queen Emily cry and we're stuck seeing her saliva strings in her mouth or her runny eyes and nose. It was so gross. And Neal needs to become a man someday. All this crying is pitiful. Geeze.

One thing I loved about Eli was he was the ONLY one who didn't hold up how many fingers equalled his dial in number when it was not only being displayed on screen but Jerry was repeating it a thousand times at the same time. Eli is a class act. Love him!

[JanLevinsonScot]

I dont know if any of you noticed, but NBS also repeated their audition song lst night, their signature song "Thunder", only it was amazingly better yesterday. this song gives me the chills. If you go to youtube and search for them, you can see their beautiful music video to this song. they are awesome.

[Uncle Chuck]

I can't believe they did that 1 hour show in 40 minutes. There must have been a whole lot of filler that we were blessedly spared seeing. At least I can be thankful to President Bush for something.

So that's a vote for viewing a genuine idiot rather than merely idiotic filler?

I suppose we had to skip the recap of the recap we saw last week which was a recap of the entire season.

[bling bling]

Although I feel NBS will win this thing (and they may be better suited to a Vegas act), I gave all my votes to Eli. I think he is plenty talented, even if he is derivative of Elton John and Billy Joel. I still feel his best performance was his first "Walking in Memphis." I did like seeing his hair last night, but the silly suit they put him in and the violins were a little out of place. I would have loved him standing at his keyboard and singing this Billy Joel song (Everybody Loves Me Now). Eli appropriately calls it a "warning" song.

http://vids.myspace....f0-ac85b8c16e32

He did fine with this song and with "Walking in Memphis" while simply standing at his keyboard. With his other songs at the regular piano all his words don't quite make it into the microphone. I'm sure that's something he could correct.

[steviethecat]

Eli Mattson was also as good as we have come to expect from him, even if he
did not blow the place away as intensely as he needed to to give himself a lock.
But where the hell does this pre-performance rhetoric come from, this sudden
self-pity that winning this contest is his "last chance"?

At least he wasn't crying like the others do. LOL

[Paul Servo]

Wanted to slightly alter something I said above about Neil crying because Hoff complimented him. There is a compliment that Hoff would give me that would make me cry, "You remind me of a young me."

That said, just going by what I read here it seems like Eli might win. I've seen a lot of "I think NBS will win, but I used all my votes for Eli" type comments. No complaints here. They are the only two people I'd be happy to see win.

[Eire75]

To me, he looks like someone who got trapped in a booth at "Sunset Tan." The man is ORANGE.

Now, when I see him, I'm going to see this weird combination of George Hamilton and Barnabas.

[themadman]

So... the final turned out to be mostly a steaming pile of crap.

Opera boy was terrible. Paul Potts sang this a few times better than him, and he can't come anywhere close to other greats that have done this. He seemed to completely run out of steam by the final "vincero".

Donald Braswell, dear fellow, Sharon told you two weeks ago to "sing something up-tempo" and you said you'd do it. And what do you do? You sing "Music of the Night" in the top 10, and then you go and sing "You raise me up" again in the finals. Yeah, real up-tempo those are, Donald. I was rooting for you in the beginning, but your blank face rapidly turned the tide for me.

Queen Emily, another Whitney wannabe who screams. A singing competition cliche. Nothing more to say, really.

Eli, some people say they love you putting your own spin on songs. I say that while your voice is good, missing out on words at the end while singing in a very narrow range isn't all that awesome. Pleasant enough, but no Vegas act for sure.

NBS, your top 40 act moved me, and I'm rooting for you to win (heck, I even ordered your CD on your web site) but try to go easy on the theatrics. We can do without the brother arching his back and playing too. But you were the best of the lot. I'd pay money to see you work those violins.

[junemeatcleaver]

Opera guy and Queen Emily: Whatever.

Eli: Don't get the appeal, he sounds like almost every other white guy with a guitar or piano.

Nuttin' But Strings: Should win, but may lose to Queen Emily.

Braswell: Okay, but nothing I'd pay to see.

[Vermicious Knid]

I get entertainment bulletins from the Review-Journal and I saw that AGT was listed for the MGM Grand Garden Arena. I'm thinking this is the big reward show.

AMERICA'S GOT TALENT

October 17th, 2008 : Grand Garden Arena
"America's Got Talent," NBC's hit summer series from "American Idol" producers FremantleMedia North America and Simon Cowell's SYCO Television, returns this summer with the hottest performers from across the country ready to compete in the blockbuster reality show's third season. With the talent search open to acts of all ages, "America's Got Talent," hosted by Jerry Springer and presided over by celebrity judges David Hasselhoff, Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne, has brought the variety format back to the forefront of American culture by showcasing performers from across the country. Showtime: 8pm
$99.50, $57.50, $49.50 & $39.50 Not including applicable service charges & taxes

Not one of these performers, not even NBS, is worth $99.50.

[newboy12]

Is singing the only talent in America?

I don't like that every year singers dominate the finals. Why don't they enter American Idol?

3 years and 3 singers take the top prize? I hope the violinists take it this year.