America’s Got Talent Goes to the Dogs

By Adam at August 12th, 2009.

Now, for a pop culture break. Tonight, the results of America’s Got Talent Quarter Finals were announced.  We begin with the Judge’s Choice. Four of the twelve acts that performed on Tuesday went through the next round, and six were sent home based on America’s vote. The 5th and 6th place finishers faced the judges.

If you had a choice between a promising young musician and a dog who could catch frisbees if not for the fact that his owner’s erratic throws, what would you do? If you’d choose the young musician, congratulations, you’ve got more taste than 2/3 of the judges on America’s Got Talent.

Singer/Keyboardist Charles DeWayne may have had a weak song Tuesday Night, and Roary the Dog is pretty good at catching frisbees but his owner is not very good at throwing them. (Poor Dog.) Judge Piers Morgan said in the midst of the vote after hearing fellow Judge David Hasselhoff endorse sending Tony and Roary on to the next round that if Charles DeWayne didn’t move on, it would be the biggest scandal in America’s Got Talent History.  And he’s not far off from the truth.

I felt sorry for DeWayne who was keeping his composure despite an expression that practically screamed, “I can’t believe I lost to a dog.”

Hasselhoff and fellow Judge Sharon Osbourne were out of touch and showed the type of poor judgment one only usually associates with members of Congress.  A round-up of the rest of the acts follows below:

Moving on to the top 20 Semi-Finals:

The Fab Five: This group of five moms who are Sisters from Morgan, Utah put on a good dance routine to lead off the Quarter Final last night. They’re the closest thing to an Idaho connection in the contest.  I was worried they might not get a fair shake because by the end of the show, the first acts may not be as clear in people’s minds. Fortunately, they’ll make a very wholesome addition to the Semis.

The Voices of Glory: This trio of young sibling singers faltered early on with their harmonies, but picked up towards the end. I think their song choice was a big part of their problem. They sang, “You Will Never Walk Alone.”  The song was too big, but they managed to pull it out against last night’s competition.

The Texas Tenors: They sang, “God Bless the USA.”  I disagree with Piers Morgan about the song being cheesy, but based on the judges’ reaction, they may want to save their next rendition for the 2012 Republican Convention. I think Hoff was right that a sweeping Western ballad would be appropriate for the top 20 and that they do need to step it up in the next round.

Paradizo Dance: I wasn’t terribly impressed by their audition except for the fact that the 120 pound wife managed to support the 250 pound husband.  Their routine on Tuesday Night showed a lot of grace. They have very good relationship on stage that shines through.

Going Home:

Pete Peterkin: I really was hopign this act would go on. Peterkin does a great Barack Obama, along with other characters.  Peterkin deserves a spot on Saturday Night Live as an Obama impersonator. His act didn’t suffer from poor talent, but from poor writing at the beginning when impersonating Obama. Then he impersonated Obama impersonating Jamie Foxx impersonating Ray Charles. The judges found it hard to follow, but Peterkin’s performance of “Georgia on My Mind” was mind-blowing.

SQ Entertainment: For those who haven’t been following the series, after the top 40 were chosen, Simon Cowell stepped to allow eight eliminated acts back into the competition. So far, none have disproved the judges’ original decision to remove them by making the top 20, but SQ Entertainment came closest with a brilliant dance routine that, if anything, just seemed a bit too dark for America’s Got Talent.

The Beale Street Flippers: Well, they flipped. They flipped good. They flipped some more. And some more. And some more. And they flipped. And flipped. And for some reason, Judge Piers Morgan thought it was boring.

Eleisha Miller: Eleisha unfairly became the target of many fans ire when a better child singer was eliminated. Miller won the audition and made it into the top 40 on the power of pure charisma. In the Quarter Finals, she showed some promise as a dancer and my wife says that Eleisha has “star quality.” I tend to agree. However, her vocals aren’t there yet, though I think Piers Morgan telling her that singing wasn’t going to be her route seemed a tad presumptuous. The girl is nine years old. Her voice could develop over that time.  She had a nice touching scene with “The Voices of Glory” after she learned that she’d been eliminated and they were going on.

Carol Loo: Absolutely destroyed her chances. The 60+ year old had a very appealing audition with a somewhat quirky routine. However, this time she added back-up dancers which distracted from her dancing, and she wore a costume that led Sharon Osbourne to compare her to Madonna. I didn’t really want to see a 60 year old grandmother do Madonna.

Alizma: This group of blonde identical triplets had a good audition with their rendention of, “The Devil Comes Down to Georgia.” The judges agreed their violin playing was great, but their vocals weren’t that hot. So did they come out on stage with an instrumental piece that showcased their violin playing? No, that would have made sense. Instead, they all but ditched the violins, put on skimpy costumes and sang, “Natural Woman.” They deserved and got three Xs from the judges.

Tags: America's Got Talent, David Hasselhoff, Paradizo Dance, Piers Morgan, Rockin' Roary, Texas Tenors, The Fab Five, Voices of Glory

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