AMERICAS GOT TALENT-Landon Swank

FOR BRITISH VIEWERS, THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Americas Got  Talent's Semifinals start tonight, and one of the top 24 is magician Landon Swank. As the only magician left out of 4 who made the liveshows (Having beaten one of them, Seth Grabel, in the wildcard round) Landon is under great pressure to deliver and follow in Michael Grasso's footsteps and make the top 10 against several talented and/or inventive acts. Landon won't perform until next week, so he has plenty of
things to consider when preparing his performance

1. The trick itself- Landon's tricks have been very traditional so far. It is often the case on Americas got Talent that traditional tricks, no matter how impressive, fail to win over the voters (Despite making a whole choir disappear and reappear, Scott Alexander didn't even make the judges choice in his heat). Therefore, Landon needs to create illusions which stand out for more than just presentation
2. The Presentation- it is Landon's presentation of these traditional tricks though, that makes him stand out. Whether levitating a box with balloons or folding a woman's shadow, Landon has added new and innovative twists to his old tricks. Furthermore, his version of the Aquarian Illusion in the wildcard round was probably one of the best I have seen- He milked the escape aspect of the trick skillfully, and the nature of the switch was different from most versions. That performance also showcased major improvements from Landon's previous ones in terms of excitement levels. The performance (and music) was faster-paced and the water added some real risk. Landon needs to keep up the good work
3. The judges (Well, two of them) -  Landon was picked as a wildcard by Piers. However, this means that Howie and Sharon, who've spent the whole year insulting or annoying Piers, may be inclined to criticize him for this association with the mean brit. In fact, when Landon was put through, Howie told him "I hate that you're [Piers'] choice". Furthermore, the two's critisim of Landon's Quarterfinal performance contributed to his inital failiure to make it through. Having said that, they praised Landon's wildcard performance, despite the fact Howie himself chose Seth Grabel to compete against him. If Landon keeps up the form he showed in the Wild Card round, then the two won't have any critism of Landon's performances themselves, which matters far more then the juvenile feuds between the judges.
4. The competition- Many of the favourites (such as POPLYFE, Team ILuminate, Zuma Zuma and Lys Agnes) will compete this week, but Landon still has plenty of competition in his quest to make the top 10. There's the talented young fellow Alaskan Anna Graceman, and Americas own equivalent to Susan Boyle, Landau Eugene Murphy jr. There are also two great dance acts, Snap Boogie and Fatally Unique, as well as the amazing Gymkana and the beautiful Shilouettes. Then ther's the inventive Knetic King, The dangerous Professor Splash, The excitng Summerwind Skippers, the Pole-tastic Steven Retchless and the exciting Smage Brothers. With the exception of Daniel Joseph Baker, all the acts that beat Landon in his heat will be there, so Landon will need to give 110% to prove that he is as good, or better then them, as well as other rivals far tougher than those Landon faced in his quarter Final
5. Magic's history- Magicians have a history of flopping on this show, so, to avoid continuing this tradition, Landon needs to avoid playing it safe (Which cost Kevin James in Series 2), Being sentimental (Which cost Drew thomas in Series 4 and Murray Sawchuck last year) or leaving sections where nothing happens (Which cost Brett Daniels this year). Hopefully, due to his initial elimination, Landon will be out to avoid these pitfalls. He has shown several times that he is the sort of performer not to make mistakes or get complacent.

All in all, Landon's chances depend on his next performance. If it's a hit, Then Landon has a great chance of doing as well, or better than, the great Michael Grasso. Hopefully, he will deliver on the high expectations we all have of him.