Americas Got Talent 8- Three magicians compete

FOR BRITISH VIEWERS, THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.

This year, a record three magic acts competed in the first live show. They were: Colins Key, Special Head and Alexanderia the Great. But how did they fare?

What Did Special Head Do?

In his intro video, Special Head promised that he would "Physically alter the matter of [his] body". Based on this claim, I assumed his performance would incorporate some sort of transformation. What we got instead was a modified version of his audition, albeit with a few twists. As in his audition, Special Head levitated into the air in a lotus posture (Although he didn't use a stick to support his body this time) whilst throat singing. He then vanished in a puff of smoke, reappearing on the roof of Radio City Music Hall. I was disappointed by the performance, as I would have liked to see him do something different. Furthermore, the trick was not executed perfectly- We can briefly see his head after he "Disappears". In short, Special Head failed to shake off his image as a novelty act, and gave easily the weakest of his three performances.

What Did Colins Key Do?

As I hoped, Colins Key came up with a trick that "Played big", but stayed within his comfort zone. For it, he had each of the judges tweet a word or name on AGT's Twitter account. Howie Mandel was asked to choose an activity, Mel B was asked to name a city, Heidi Klum was asked to name a celebrity who wasn't  present in the room, and Howard Stern was asked to choose a body part. After the judges had tweeted their selections, Colins took down a box that had been hanging in view of the audience throughout and opened it, revealing a scroll. This scroll outlined a dream which incorporated all the chosen elements. As with his previous performances, Colins updated a popular old trick, and did so in a creative and original way. In his intro video, Colins stated that he wanted to be the first magician to win AGT. If he keeps up the momentum, he might just fulfill that aim.

What Did Alexanderia The Great Do?

                                           
In her intro video, Alexanderia the Great claimed that "Houdini himself" would not have attempted the escape she was about to do. Unfortunately, she failed to surpass the master of escapology. For her performance, Alexanderia was placed in a straitjacket, bound in chain, and locked inside a tank of water, getting out of the tank after seventy seconds. However, her escape seemed to be far too easy. She was out of the chains within twenty seconds, and didn't take very long to get out of the straitjacket either. I think that the escape was difficult, but it didn't appear that way on screen, which is why Alexanderia's husband did a running commentary throughout,. Spencer Horsman did a similar escape in Vegas last year, and his was far more exciting and professional. I don't think that Alexanderia had done enough to win over AGT's viewers.


What was the Competition Like?

Out of all the nine other acts, only two received unreserved praise from all four judges. The two standouts were The KriStef Brothers, whose comedy balancing was silly but surprisingly graceful, and Branden James, who sang "You Raise Me Up" with the power of someone twice his age. Hype are good dancers, but failed to up their game enough.   American Hitmen were very good, but younger viewers may struggle to appreciate  them and vote for flashier acts instead. Anna Christine has a great voice, but made a number of mistakes. Four acts are guaranteed to be going home: Fresh Faces were bland and forgettable. TellAVision were more creative, but they were technically weak, and their routine lacked energy. Kevin Downey Jr. was too vulgar and annoying for my tastes, and Aaralyn and Izzy did a death metal song about stepping in dog poo. Yes, really.

What are their chances?

Special Head's chances of making it through are very slim. He has talent, but his Live performance was a disappointment, and his act is too quirky to gain votes.

Colins Key has an incredibly high chance of making the next round. Most viewers regard him as one of the star performers of the night, and the weak competition makes it even easier for him.

Alexanderia the Great has little chance of getting through. Spenser Horsman didn't make it out of the first round last year, and he was easily better than Alexanderia.

Americas Got Talent 8 - The First Live Show- Preview

FOR BRITISH VIEWERS, THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

The Americas Got Talent live shows are about to begin in New York's iconic Radio City Music Hall, and the first live show includes not one, not two, but three magic acts: Alexanderia the Great, Colins Key and Special Head.

What should Alexanderia do?

The comments I made about Spenser Horsman last year also apply to Alexanderia the Great. As Spencer did in his audition, Vegas performance and Wild Card performance (but not his quarterfinal performance), Alexanderia should assure the audience that her feats are for real. Furthermore, she should come up with an original and exciting escape-There are only so many times she can escape from a pool (or tank) of water before viewers get bored. Finally, she needs to up her game and come up with more elaborate escapes and more memorable traps for her to escape from.

What should Special Head Do?

                                          


Special Head's selling point is his novelty value (Which is why he wasn't sorted among the rest of the magicians in Vegas). How many magicians have incorporated throat singing and Far Eastern spirituality into their act before? However, this novelty value will also turn off viewers who will not see him as a serious contender. Special Head should aim to emphasise his unique nature, but make himself accessible to viewers. He should also play on the unpredictablity that made his audition great, but he should also get to the point a lot sooner (He cannot afford to get an X, even if the judges take it back). To put it simply, Special Head is caught between a number of extremes, and has to strike a balance between them to succeed.

What Should Colin's Key Do?

Colins Key, like Special Head, is caught in a dilemma. Should he up the scale of  his tricks for the live shows and risk compromising his niche, or should he stick to close-up and alienate the thousands of people in at the back of the Radio City Music Hall? Colins' best bet is to come up with a close-up trick that is so good that it "plays big" and wows everyone in the audience. However, Colins has one advantage. The majority of the audience will be watching him on TV, and are more likely to appreciate his tricks because of the focus of the cameras. Even with that in mind, Colins still needs to come up with something spectacular, as it can be very hard for magic acts to impress the viewers, especially if their tricks are too familiar.

The Competition

This looks like a very competitive heat. Of the other nine acts, four are serious contenders, and most of the other acts are also talented. Unless a large number of the acts flop, shock eliminations are inevitable.

1. Anna Christine- A 10- year old singer with a brilliant voice, Anna Christine is likely to get very far in the competition, but, because of her age, viewers may be reluctant to vote for her. However, that will not really be an issue until later on in the competition
2. Branden James- Branden is undoubtedly talented, but there are a number of very similar opera singers in the live shows, including Johnathan Allen and Forte, both of whom are probably better and have more enthusiastic support.
3. Hype- Hype are aiming to be the first dance act to win Americas Got Talent, and certainly have the talent and creativity needed to do so. However, they may struggle to up their game as the competition progresses.
4. American Hitmen- A rock group made up of former marines, American Hitmen are another highly talented act, but may struggle to stand out against their flashier and more original rivals unless they put on a brilliant performance. However, the judges, particularly Howard Stern, have been very vocal in their support of the group, which will give them an advantage, particularly if the require the judges vote to move on .
5. KriStef Brothers- The KriStef Brothers mix of hand balancing and comedy is entertaining and unique, but acrobatics acts have never done as well as they deserve to on AGT. Unless they convince the judges and viewers that they are serious contenders, the KriStef Brothers will be going home.
6. Fresh Faces- Out of all the acts in the first heat, child dance troupe Fresh Faces have recieved probably the least exposure so far. Their live performance is absolutely critical, but in such a competitive heat, their best might not be enough.
7. TellAvision- A Dance Troupe who use flat screen moniters to tell stories, TellAvision have a strong gimmick, but lack the talent needed to elevate their act to the standards required in this heat.
8. Kevin Downey Jr. - It's strange that Kevin was passed through automatically whilst better comedians such as Taylor Williamson and John Wing had to compete for their place in the live shows. Kevin's material was mildly amusing, but the main problem with his performance was his hyperactive manner. Kevin's frequent twitches and shrieks before and after he told his jokes  probably put a lot of viewers off him. Furthermore, his lack of screen time wil prevent viewers from getting to know him, which will damage his chances of increasing his fan base.
9. Aaralyn and Izzy- The least talented and least popular act in the heat, Aaralyn and Izzy were included in the top 60 solely for novelty value.Seeing two kids "performing" death metal (Aaralyn screams and Izzy Drums) is mildly amusing the first time, but once is enough, and Aaralyn and Izzy should not have advanced over the numerous better acts in Las Vegas. 

Predictions

I hate to admit it, but Alexanderia the Great's chances of advancing are pretty slim. Last year, Spencer Horsman failed to make it through a weak Wild Card round despite a faultless performance. Unless she does a one-in-a-million performance, she won't be able to better Horsman's results.

Special Head's chances of advancing aren't much better. He probably won't be able to top the shock value of this audition, his tricks are not as impressive as his rivals, and he seems like a goofy novelty.

Colins Key has the best chance of advancing, but it all hinges on his performance. If he performs an amazing trick, he will probably make it through. If he flops, however, he may lose a substantial amount of support.

One thing is for sure, we should expect to see at least one of these magicians in the Wild Card round, and hopefully, we will see at least one in the Semi Finals.

Americas Got Talent 8 - Vegas Week

FOR BRITISH VIEWERS, THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.

This year, a record 60 Acts passed through Vegas Week and into the Live shows (There are no Youtube heats this year). Among the acts competing for those spots in the live shows (Now held in New York's iconic Radio City Music Hall) were a large number of magicians. How did they fare?

Automatic Decision.

This year, the judges put through half of the top 60 automatically, without waiting for another performance. One of these acts was Alexanderia the Great, the female escapologist. I'm pleased she got to bypass Vegas week and can't wait to see what she will do in the live shows.

Magic Category

Due to the fact that a large number of acts were advanced (And sometimes eliminated) automatically, there was no need to split the remaining acts into "Judges Favorites"  and "Standbys" as in previous series. Therefore, all the magicians competed in one group (Except for one who we will get to later).

R.J Cantu, whose audition was not televised, went first, and performed a standard levitation trick. It was only notable for the poor lighting, which presumably hid the method. I would have liked to have seen a more creative and original performance.

Naathan Phan was next, and performed a set of tricks which were mostly unseen, culminating in him making a bird cage with four birds inside vanish. The final trick was not executed perfectly (We can see a moving feather poking out of the table as he makes the cage vanish). Furthermore, his story line (about him hosting a cooking show) had promise, but the joke we saw, about not being able to use Samuel L. Jackson as a guest, was too vague to work. In short, it was a disappointment, and Phan didn't get a second trick in which to redeem himself.

After two underwhelming performances, it was time for a magician to knock it out of the park, and that magician was Colins Key. He used judge Howie Mandel's autobiography for his trick. Having the judges choose a page from it and memorize the first word on it, he made the page vanish from the book and appear in a sealed envelope, with the memorized word written across it. It's not difficult to figure out how he did it, but the presentation was great, and he made the trick seem unique and original.

Following Key's performance, there was a battle between two conventional illusionists- Ariann Black and Leon Etienne (Whose assistant, Romy Low, was credited as an official partner). Ariann went first, and performed a version of the Interlude illusion, where an assistant passed through her body. I was rooting for Ariann, but she botched her delivery and confused the judges. It was a pity, as I would have loved to have seen a female magician make the live shows.

Leon Etienne was the last magician in the category to perform.He did a trick in which he levitated Romy from the top of a metal pole. He then removed one of the two supports beneath the platform on which he did the trick, making the levitation seem even more impossible. It's a very old trick (In the film "Hugo", this is one of the tricks George Melies performed before he became a filmmaker) , but I liked Etienne's modern presentation.

Variety Category

The most unusual magician passed by the judges, Special Head was sorted into the variety category with other novelty acts, and was easily the best of them. He performed a trick in which he appeared to bend his body over backwards with out falling on the row of candles beneath him. While it is possible to doubt whether or not it was really a magic trick (Did he do it for real or did he lock himself into place?), it was still a very impressive feat.

So who advanced?

Four magicians have made the live shows this year. They are.

1. Alexanderia The Great
2. Colins Key
3. Leon Etienne (And Romy Low)
4. Special Head

Americas Got Talent 8- This Year's Magicians

FOR BRITISH VIEWERS, THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.

With two new judges (Heidi Klum and Mel B replacing Sharon Osbourne), Americas Got Talent has returned for an eighth season. After Olate Dogs' surprise win last year, this series has been dominated by unusual and unconventional talent. The focus on the unusual extends to the magic acts. Of the five shown passing the auditions, only one was a conventional illusionist. Other magic acts may have passed through the auditions as well, but none of the Magic Acts introduced in Vegas  during previous seasons has made the Live Shows, so the five shown below have the best chance of making the live shows. They are, listed in order of appearance.

1. Special Head

Out of all this years magic acts, Special Head was the most surprising. After a terrible start, which consisted of him sitting down on the floor and "Throat Singing" (A strange variety of singing that always gets rejected at the auditions) . Then he levitated into the air, with one hand propped up on a stick, and the rest of his body, still in a sitting lotus posture, horizontal to the top of the stick. It was an impressive, if not completely original trick, but Special Head will be under a lot of pressure to top it. Furthermore, with audiences now knowing what to expect of him, he may lose the surprise value that made his audition so memorable.

2. Collins Key

In the past, close-up magic has never impressed on Americas Got Talent. In series 5, eventual finalist Michael Grasso was initially rejected at Vegas for performing sleight of hand tricks there. But it is a lot harder to figure out then grand illusions, and can be just as, if not more, impressive when performed by a magician like David Blaine or Dynamo. Key's trick, to make a dollar bill vanish and reappear in a sealed bag of popcorn, was very good indeed, but if he wants to compete with the rest, he has to rival the greats of close-up magic with a trick that is both original and amazing.

3.. Alexanderia The Great

Like Spencer Horsman from last year, Alexanderia the Great is an escapologist rather than a magician, but, given that the most famous magician ever is Houdini, best remembered for his escapology, she will be counted among the magicians as Spencer was. Whilst Spencer sold himself on his youth, Alexanderia is a middle-aged mother and wife. That could make her relateable and appealing (Personality counts as much as talent on this show) and give her an edge, but danger acts have never fared as well as they deserved to. Spencer missed out on the Semifinals despite a faultless wildcard performance, and, although her audition was excellent, Alexanderia may fail to get far due to the fact that audiences are uncomfortable with acts who risk their life. (Last year, other dangerous acts such as Ben Blaque and Donovan and Rebecca failed to get as far as they should have, even though they were among the best acts of the season). For this reason, Alexanderia is under extra pressure, as her best might not be good enough.

4. Leon Etienne 

Leon Etienne, the only conventional illusionist whose audition was shown, was seen only in a montage. His main rivals all received far more screen time, putting them at an advantage. However, Etienne made a strong impression during his brief  appearance, performing a number of good, if unoriginal tricks, with flair and energy. To make it far, his tricks need to be more creative. In the series 6 live shows, Scott Alexander teleported an entire choir during his heat, but audiences were unimpressed with the generic nature of the trick, and he finished behind an act that had gained 2 X's. Bigger isn't always better, so Etienne will have to combine the spectacle that has helped him stand out with originality.

5. Nathan Phan

Nathan Phan, like Special Head, initially appeared to be an odd novelty in the vein of the rejected magicians who were shown immediately before him. Escaping from a straitjacket whilst singing Queen's "I Want to Break Free", he initially received 2 X's. Like Special Head, he eventually won the judges and viewers over, in this case with a creative "Sleight-of-mouth" trick performed unrehearsed on the spot. Phan has talent, but from here, there are no second chances. He has to do a clever and creative trick like the one that got him through, or he goes out. Furthermore, he has to up his game. His card trick was good, but it was a lot less impressive then the tricks performed by his rivals. Phan will have to upstage the likes of Colins Key if he wants to succeed.

These are the five magic acts that viewers were introduced to during the audition phase. Next week, we will reveal how they fared in Vegas.