Americas Got Talent 8 Semifinals- Colins Key

FOR BRITISH VIEWERS, THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Of the four magic acts to make it into the live shows this year, close-up magician Colins Key was the only one to make the Semifinals. But did he continue to impress?

How Did Colins Key Do?

Colins Key did another mentalism trick, utilising the whole audience this time. First, he had them tweet the name of a New York location, then he asked a woman chosen from the audience to come down onto the stage. Before she arrived on stage, Colins had the judges choose Fashion items at random by drawing a ball out of a bag. Howie chose a hairstyle, Mel B chose a dress, Heidi chose shoes, and Howard chose a miscellaneous item (A "Wildcard") . The woman finally came down onto the stage, and Colins revealed that the clothes she was wearing matched those chosen by the judges (The "Wildcard"  chosen by Howard, Polka Dots, were on the Woman's iPhone). He then finished by revealing the location chosen by the audience (Central Park) correctly predicted on his arm. As the above description indicates, it was a pretty elaborate trick. However, there were two big problems. The first of these was pacing. As Leon Etienne and Romy Low found out to their cost a few weeks ago, A magician must not lose the attention of the audience. Colins struggled to keep the audience under control, and took too long to get to the point. The second, equally major, problem is apparent from a quick look at the "Comments" section of the video of the performance on Youtube. A large number of viewers believe that the trick was "fake" and that the girl was an actor. Colins did prove some theories wrong (The balls in the bags were all different), but failed to completely invalidate most of the Skeptic's claims. This will likely cost Colins a lot of votes. In short, his trick was actually very strong, but Colins' lacked the polish and showmanship needed to amaze the viewers and silence the critics. It was not his best performance.

What Did the Judges Say?

As usual, Howie and Heidi were highly positive, with Heidi in particular praising the use of the audience. Mel B was also impressed, but noted that she was torn between believing in the magic and trying to figure it out. Howard, however, was critical, saying that Colins squeezed too much into a small time frame. Personally, I think that Howard has a point. Colins would have been better off removing the choice of location and the red slips that helped him choose a woman in the audience, using the extra time to make the trick more convincing.

What was the Competition like?

On paper, the first semifinal looked highly competitive, but turned out to be a disappointment. One act can be ruled out instantly though- Tone The Chiefrocca sang "B-Double-O-T-Y" again and proved to be a total and utter waste of a wildcard spot. Red Panda, drafted in during the morning as a last-minute replacement for the KriStef Brothers, did OK with her rice bowl juggling act, especially with the little time she was given, but she made mistakes. Balancing Duo Duo Resonance had some good tricks, but they are a little boring. Innovative Force, another acrobatics act, lack the edge needed to compete. I personally found Angela Hoover very funny, but she doesn't seem like she can go much further. Taylor Williamson seems to be more popular, but I dislike his blend of awkwardness and blue humour. Catapult  Entertainment, a Silhouette performance act, are excellent, but their underwater-themed performance was not their best. The singers have a better chance of getting through: Dave Fenley had an unusual song choice ("Say You'll be There" by the Spice Girls), but did a decent job. Cami Bradley has a nice voice, but is a bit bland. Johnathan Allen has talent, but was probably overshadowed by his rivals Forte, another act who performed below capacity. Only two acts (Taylor and Forte) received complete and unconditional praise from all four judges.

What are Colins' Chances?

Fortunately for Colins (And also many of the other competitors), Six acts are going through. Colins wasn't at his best, but, due to his large teen fanbase and the weak opposition, he has a good chance of making it to at least the judge's vote by default.

Americas Got Talent 8-Live Show 3: Leon Etienne and Romy Low

FOR BRITISH VIEWERS, THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

How Did Leon and Romy Do?

       

Leon Etienne and Romy Low disappointed with their live performance. Contrary to the rumours on Twitter,  there were no sharks in sight  (Leon and Romy probably lacked the time and money to bring one in), and instead we got a less spectacular trick. Leon and Romy performed the "Backstage" illusion, a classic Lance Burton trick. Leon got into a box which had a large number of canes inserted into it. The twist here was that we saw the trick from behind. That meant that we saw Leon get out of the box through a trap door as the first canes were put through the box, and secretly climb under a covered table. However, by the time all the canes had been removed, Leon was back in the box, and AGT host Nick Cannon had appeared under the table. "Backstage" is a great trick, but it was confusing for both the AGT judges and the viewers at home. One problem was that Leon and Romy used a moniter to show the audience and judges appearing to watch the trick from "The Front". This was a problem, as it was not certain whether we were seeing the same things as the audience and judges were. Furthermore, because this was a performance dependant almost entirely on the twist at the end, the build-up felt too slow. Pacing issues have ruined a number of magicians on AGT before (Such as Brett Daniels from Series 6 and Rudy Coby from Series 7), and Leon and Romy lacked the showmanship to make up for this, despite the modern clothing and upbeat music.

In fact, Leon and Romy were the only act of the night to gain an X, from Howard. He said that the performance bored him and criticised the delivery. Mel B shared his opinion, claiming that the only reason she didn't buzz too was because she enjoyed the final reveal. Howie and Heidi, however, found the trick creative and suprising.  Both arguments are valid, but at the end of the day, Leon and Romy needed to give a knockout performance if they wanted to get through, and they didn't.

What was the competition like?

The third live show was just as competitive as I anticipated, with six or seven acts deserving a place in the next round. Apart from Leon and Romy, only a couple of performers failed to impress. They were: Dog act Kelsey and Bailey, whose tricks were generic and unexciting, and Dave "The Cobra Kid" Weathers, who brought a 15-foot Cobra on stage but did little with it. AeroSphere added more movement to their act, but it was too short and unfocused, whilst Brandon and Savannah did another cover, and were good but not exceptional. This leaves us with the seven top contenders, who would have easily made it through if they had performed on the last two live shows. Mitisi Dance School were precise and unique, but focused on precision rather than excitement. Chicago Boyz made a few mistakes, but overall, their routine was excellent. Jim Meskimen united his improvised impressions under a common theme and did a very good job. Deanna DellaCioppa gave a very strong performance, as did Johnathan Allen, but the two singers could be overshadowed by their more unique opposition. Meanwhile, American Military Spouses Choir are polarising among AGT viewers, but have an obsessive fan base, which, as we saw with Marty Brown last week, can be all that really matters.
Best of all, however, was Kenchini Ebina, who was singled out as a potential winner by Howie for his exciting and creative video game-themed dance routine.

What are Leon and Romy's chances?

Due to their weak performance and their many superior rivals, Leon and Romy's chances essentially amount to almost Zero. They could come back as a wildcard, but otherwise, they're already out.

Americas Got Talent 8; Live Show 3 preview-Leon Etienne and Romy Low

,FOR BRITISH VIEWERS, THIS ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Americas Got Talent is halfway through the first round, and already magician Colins Key has made it into the semi finals. Can Leon Etienne and Romy Low join them?

What should Leon and Romy do?

Over the eight seasons AGT has been on the air, dozens of magic acts have failed because they forgot to heed a simple rule; All the showmanship in the world won't help you if you do a trick we've all seen before. As I noted in an earlier post, Scott Alexander did one of the most lavish tricks ever seen on AGT in Series 6 (Vanishing an entire gospel choir and making them reappear on the balcony), but finished behind an act who had gained 2 X's. Viewers were too familiar with the method behind his trick to be impressed. Leon and Romy have a similar problem- The tricks they used to make it this far have been generic in nature. For their live performance, Leon and Romy need to come up with, and perform, a trick most viewers haven't seen before. I accept that most magicians on AGT have budget constraints, but all you need to succeed is a little creativity. In the same year that Scott Alexander failed so spectacularly, Landon Swank became AGT's most successful magician to date. He constructed all his props at home, but the tricks he did with them were creative and exciting. Leon and Romy (As well as all future magicians on AGT) should keep this in mind when planning and preparing for a performance.

On Twitter, Leon has implied that his performance could be themed around "Shark week" . This certainly sounds promising, but can Leon make a truly amazing illusion from this creative theme?

What is the Competition Like?

Last week, the quality of the acts was so low that annoying "one-hit wonder" Tone the Chiefrocca made the judges choice. This week, however, looks far more competitive. At least seven acts look like serious contenders, and the others are also good:

• American Military Spouses Choir - Viewers tend to be very supportive of acts connected to the military, but American Military Spouses Choir may be seen as bland, despite their talent.  Their live performance is absolutely critical.
• AeroSphere - AGT was created to showcase acts like Areosphere, an act centred around a performer doing acrobatics tethered to a giant balloon. It's certainly impressive, but it is limited in range. Furthermore, the novelty of the act could wear off very quickly.
• Brandon and Savannah - Brandon and Savannah owe their place in the live shows to the judges bias towards bands. In Vegas Week, they chose to sing a cover instead of the original song that got them through the auditions. They got through, whilst Paul Thomas Mitchell, a more talented singer and songwriter who compromised his niche in the same way, was eliminated. Don't get me wrong, Brandon and Savannah are talented, and I have no objection towards them, But they are caught between a rock and a hard place. Should they do an original song and limit their appeal, or do a cover and lose their edge?
• Chicago Boyz - An acrobatics group specialising in jump rope, Chicago Boyz certainly have talent and appeal, but how can they up their game?
• Dave "The Cobra Kid" Weathers- Snake handling is very dangerous and impressive, but as an act, it is limited. Dave "The Cobra Kid" Weathers is the first snake handler on AGT to make the live shows. He has personality and some unique tricks, but can he convince an audience that has rarely voted for danger acts?
• Deanna DellaCioppa - Deanna DellaCioppa is a great singer, but critics will likely feel that they have seen others like her before. she needs to pulls off a spectacular performance if she is to win them over.
• Jim Meskimen- This year, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the fact that several acts (in particular Marty Brown and Forte) have had professional careers in the past. For that reason, impressionist Jim Meskimen could be in trouble. Meskimen has easily the most prolific career of anyone in AGT's live shows this year,  having appeared on TV shows such as Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Friends and lent his voice to a number of animated shows and video games. He is a very talented impressionist, but his audition was great because of his energy and accuracy, and there was little to it beyond the impressions themselves. Can Meskimen turn his talent into an act?
• Johnathan Allen- Johnathan Allen is a talented opera singer, but he has one problem outside his control. His immediate rival, Branden James, is already through to the Semifinals. Many viewers are sick of the opera singers, or rooting for Branden. To win them over, Johnathan will need to give the performance of a lifetime.
• Kelsey and Bailey- Olate Dogs were controversial winners last year, so it's odd that we should see another dog act this year.  Kelsey and Bailey are above average, but they won't be able to top Olate Dogs, and viewers are already sick of dog acts.
• Kenchini Ebina - Since Series 4, there has been one solo dancer every year that has wowed America. Kenchini Ebina looks set to follow that trend. Of his predesessors, Kenchini is most similar to Haspop from Series 5, due to his use of mime and his creative routines. But he needs to keep up the momentum in order to get further than all the acts of his type before him.
• Mitisi School of Dance- A Chinese Folk-dance act, Mitisi School of Dance are precise and unique, but their appeal is limited, especially against more energetic rivals.

What are Leon and Romy's Chances?

Leon Etienne and Romy Low have a small chance of making it through, but it largely depends on how good their trick is. If it is great, then they could be right up there with the favourites. But in such a tough heat, their best may not be enough.