Americas Got Talent 10 Live Shows - Week 3 Preview: Oz Pearlman and Stevie Starr

(For British Viewers, This Article May Contain Spoilers)

Last week, Derek Hughes managed to join Piff the Magic Dragon in the Semifinals of America's Got Talent. Tonight, two more magic acts, Mentalist Oz Pearlman and "Professional Regurgitator" Stevie Starr, will be among the 12 acts competing in the third and final heat before the Semifinals.

What Should Oz Pearlman Do?

Oz Pearlman is not the first mentalist to appear on AGT. In Series 7, Eric Dittelman amazed the public with his mindreading tricks, and was the most successful of six magicians who competed in the Live Shows that year. Oz Pearlman is probably even better than Dittelman, as his tricks rely on a more impressive build up and a stronger climax.  However. Oz lacks Dittelman's likeability, with an overly confident persona that contrasts sharply with Dittelman's geekier approach. Oz needs to tone down his style if he wants to appeal to viewers, and it is possible to do this without diminishing the power of his tricks. Dittelman made it through to the Semifinals as a Judges Choice, which sounds disappointing until you find out that the three acts above him all made the Final that year. With a less impressive set of opponents and seven places in the next round instead of four, Oz should make it through easily.

What Should Stevie Starr Do?

As I have stated before, I'm not sure if Stevie Starr should be considered a magic act. "Professional Regurgitation", which involves swallowing and regurgitating a wide variety of edible and non-edible items, has more in common with sideshow stunts like Sword Swallowing than magic. However, regurgitation is a skill frequently used by escapologists, and Stevie's act shares enough similarity with magic acts for me to include him on this blog. The reason why I liken Stevie to sword swallowers is because, like them, his act requires years of practise and the ability to control the muscles of the oesophagus. Unfortunately, Stevie suffers from the main problem that defines sword swallowing acts on AGT - his act is not pleasant to watch. A handful of sword-swallowers have competed on AGT's live shows, but none of them have made it through to the Semifinals because no-one was willing to vote for them. Furthermore, Stevie's act is very limited. In both his audition and his Judges Cuts performance, he did tricks which involved swallowing five coins and regurgitating them in an order chosen by the judges. Both tricks were different enough for the second to feel like an improvement, but this recycling of ideas highlights the fact that there are only so many items which can be swallowed and regurgitated. None of these criticisms should detract from the fact that Stevie's act is totally unique and requires a considerable amount of time, effort and skill. However, fans should not be surprised if Stevie does not make it through. Stevie Starr's appearances on numerous international versions of AGT, such as Britian's Got Talent and Incroyable Talent, indicate that he is the sort of act the Got Talent producers want the viewers to see, but that does not necessarily mean that an American audience want to see him on AGT.

What Is The Competition Like?

The other ten acts competing tonight are: 

Alicia Michilli (Soul Singer) - Two other female soul singers, Samantha Johnson and Sharon Irving, have already made it through to the Semifinals in the last two weeks, and both were better than Alicia Michilli. Alicia is still a good singer in her own right, with a wonderfully sultry voice, but her vocals turn screechy at higher notes, and she seems to place too much emphasis on those instead of playing to her strengths. Furthermore, her song choices have been very conventional so far. Alicia needs to change her strategy if she wants to be able to match her rivals.

Benjamin Yonnatan (Blind, Teenage Contemporary Dancer) - Like Stuttering Comedian Drew Lynch, Benjamin Yonnatan is performing his craft in spite of suffering from a condition that should render it impossible to do so. Benjamin is 98% blind, and as judge Mel B noticed in the Judges Cuts, this makes it far harder for him to pull off traditional ballet moves such as spins and jumps. Therefore, the fact that he is even on the AGT stage at all is remarkable. However, superior dancers have already been eliminated, and in spite of his ability at expressing emotions through his performance. Benjamin might not be skilled enough to compete for victory.

Chaplin Dance Family (Dance Crew) - After DM Nation were eliminated last week, Chapkis Dance Family are the only Dance Crew still competing on AGT. They are fast and precise, and in contrast to DM Nation (who were criticised for using the same style and moves over and over again) provided two distinctly different performances during the Auditions and Judges Cuts, However, DM Nation were probably the better of the two Dance Crews, as they had a more appealing approach and more creative moves. DM Nation's failure to make it through ensures that I'm not enthusiastic about Chapkis Dance Family's chances of making it any further.

DADitude! (Middle-aged Dance Quintet) - DADitude! were initially eliminated at the Judges Cuts, but were chosen as a wildcard when Trapeze artists Duo Volta dropped out. Though DADitude! are just about good enough to deserve a place in the Live Shows, there are still several acts eliminated at Judges Cuts who were superior to them. They are entertaining to watch, but it is hard to overlook the fact that there are three better dance acts in this heat alone.

Daniella Mass (Opera Singer) - Opera Singers always fare well on AGT, and two female opera singers (Barabara Padilla from Series 4 and Lys Agnes from Series 6) have made the finals. This ensures that Daniella Mass is likely to make it far in the competition, and she is a technically gifted singer who can hold a high note for a very long amount of time. However, Daniella's voice is very high pitched, and this means that she is not always pleasant to listen to. Daniella is the sort of act that AGT viewers expect to  make it far on the show, but that will mean nothing if she cannot prove that she deserves to do so.

Freelusion Dance Company (Videomapping Dance Trio) - After Freckled Sky's shock exit last week, their rivals, Freelusion Dance Company, are under considerable pressure to prove that ballet-inspired Videmapping acts can win over the viewers. The members of Freelusion are excellent dancers, and some of their effects are incredible, but the focus on storytelling that has defined the act so far could be a problem if it detracts from the performance (In fact, Freckled Sky's elimination was partly due to their desicion to prioritise their story over their dance moves). Therefore, they need to prove that they can provide a coherent narrative without reducing the emphasis on the dance, which is probably the most important part of the act

Gary Vider (Stand-Up Comedian) - Stand-Up Comedians rarely make me laugh, so Gary Vider deserves credit for winning me over at the Judges Cuts with a genuinely funny bit about asking his parents for money through a ransom note. However, Gary's style of comedy seems to be more dry and observational than laugh-out-loud funny. as Myq Kaplan found out to his cost last week, Comedians on AGT can only succeed if they make the audience at Radio City Music Hall laugh throughout their performance. Therefore, Gary needs to elicit a greater reaction from the audience whilst maintaining his signature truthful approach.

Metal Mulisha Fitz's Army (Motorcross Stunt Bikers) - There have been a number of Stunt Bikers on the AGT Live Shows in the past, with the most successful (such as Jeremy VanSchoonhoven from Series 5 and The Smage Brothers from Series 6) performing a wide range of tricks. Bikers who have relied solely on jumps (such as Yellow Design Stunt Team from Series 6) have never made it to the Semifinals, with the limited nature of their acts and the high risk of mistakes putting viewers off. Therefore, I doubt that Metal Mulisha will make it very far. They are very skilled, doing a number of terrifying stunts during some very long jumps , but their stunts are probably not as impressive to watch on TV, and I doubt that they can sustain the hour-long show that AGT's winners are expected to provide.

Mountain Faith Band (Bluegrass Band) - I enjoyed Mountain Faith Band's performance at the Judges Cuts, but in hindsight, I'm not sure if their song choice (A bluegrass version of the Rock Anthem "I Believe in a Thing Called Love") was a wise one. As AGT's male judges have been quick to point out. bluegrass is not the most appealing genre of music, so Mountain Faith Band need a more serious and contemporary song choice if they want to appeal to AGT viewers. 

Selected of God Choir (Gospel Choir) - The last Gospel Choir to make the Live Shows on AGT were VSU Gospel Chorale from Series 8. In spite of featuring some incredible lead vocalists, they didn't make the Semifinals, probably because the Gospel genre is not mainstream enough. However, Selected of God Choir have worked very hard to make their act appeal to a wide audience, relying on songs that are both familiar to most viewers and suit the gospel style very well. Furthermore, they are very powerful singers and are great at working the crowd. That said, I think Selected of God Choir are better when singing as a group than they are when they sing individually, so they need to focus on their harmonies if they want to continue use winning over the viewers.

Predictions 

As mentioned above, Oz Pearlman is all but garunteed a place in the next round, provided his Live Show performance goes to plan. Stevie Starr has a moderate chance of making it through, given the high number of spots in the next round and the mediocre line-up, but I think he will probably go through as a Judges Choice or Dunkin' Save

Impossible - A Review

(The Following Will Contain Spoilers, So Don’t Read If You Haven’t Seen the Show Yet and Are Going To)

This week, I saw Impossible, the new magic show playing at London’s Noel Coward Theatre until the end of the month. It features an all-star line-up of magicians consisting of: Killer Magic’s Ben Hart, escapologist and daredevil Johnathan Goodwin*, Luis De Matos, star of 2011’s hit TV Show The Magicians, Illusionist Ali Cook, Mentalist Chris Cox (Also from Killer Magic), and “Digital Marvel” Jamie Allan. In spite of the fact that Street Magician Damien O’ Brien (Another magician from Killer Magic) and Katherine Mills were heavily featured on promotional material, they did not appear on the show (Although Damien apparently performed tricks in the stalls during the interval), which was a real shame. Indeed, most reviews of Impossible have criticised Katherine’s absence, claiming that the show placed too much emphasis on male “Machismo” (With Ali providing the majority of the show’s Women-in-boxes tricks)

(*At the end of this week, Johnathan will leave Impossible, and be replaced by mentalist and former Britain’s’ Got Talent Competitor Aaron Crow for the remainder of the show’s run.)

Between them, the magicians performed 16 routines, not counting the opening and closing tricks.

PART ONE

Opening

The show began by introducing a basic framing story involving a boy trying to learn basic magic, before coming across a box and making Chris, Johnathan, Jamie, Ali and Luis appear from it. The opening was well staged, and I like the concept of teaching children about how incredible the art of magic is, but only three of the routines actually involved the child and the theme he represented.  

The First Eight Routines

• ·         Ben was the first magician to perform, telling the child from the opening about a magic trick his grandfather saw during the monsoon season in India. He did a routine with a deck of cards in which he diminished them to increasingly small sizes (with an unaltered card in his pocket to provide a convenient reference), before finally making them vanish. I think that the best aspect of this routine was not the trick itself, but Ben’s skill at storytelling.

• ·         Johnathan followed this kid-friendly routine with one that was probably far too intense for the children in the audience. In fact, even older viewers such as myself found it uncomfortable to watch. Johnathan was restrained in a black straitjacket (That had been tried out by a random audience member before the show begun) and hung upside down. A fuse was lit next to him, and he had thirty seconds to escape from the straitjacket before the spark set his legs on fire. Johnathan didn’t make the initial deadline, and his trousers were set alight, but he was still able to get out of the straitjacket and reach a nearby fire extinguisher, which he used to put out the flames before he could get seriously injured. It was utterly terrifying, but also incredibly memorable. In short, it was a routine I couldn’t wait to tell people about.

• ·         Luis then did a simple card routine involving four aces. He used sleight-of-hand to turn them all face-down, then made the backs of the cards change colour from blue to red, before finally transforming them into kings. It was a relatively simple routine compared to most of the others performed on the show, but it was done very well.

• ·         After two close-up routines and some escapology, it was time for the first stage illusions of the evening. Ali performed three large-scale box tricks to an energetic rock soundtrack. He begun by doing the Sword Basket illusion, as he placed an assistant inside a small box and thrust seven flaming spears into it.  He removed the spears and not only made the first assistant reappear unharmed, but made a second assistant appear from within the box. He followed this with the Suspended Animation trick, in which he switched places with an assistant from within a clear glass box. Ali finished his routine by combining two illusions into one. He made an assistant vanish from a chair, then reappear inside the Suspended Animation box a few seconds later. Overall, it was an enjoyable routine, even if I’ve seen the tricks he performed a dozen times before.

• ·         Chris then wowed the audience with a comedic mentalism routine themed around clothing. After showing a photograph of himself in an “I Love Frozen” T-Shirt (He already demonstrated his love of the Disney hit with a memorable routine on Killer Magic), Chris decided to let a volunteer dictate his fashion choices. He told a random audience member to join him on stage, come up with a one-word name for a fictional clothing brand, write it on a sheet of paper, and put the paper in her pocket. He then introduced the volunteer to two dressing rooms, one (which was covered by a curtain) for her and an open one for him. Both contained six pieces of headwear, six shirts and six pairs of shoes. Asking the volunteer a set of seemingly trivial questions, he used them to choose a piece of headwear, a shirt, and a pair of shoes, whilst the volunteer simultaneously made her own choices in private. When the volunteer removed the curtain, Chris’ chosen clothing completely matched hers, including a wig he chose as his headwear at the last second. Chris finished the routine by asking the volunteer to reveal her chosen brand name (“Dog”), and showing that it was printed on the tag of his chosen shirt. This was a very enjoyable routine, and demonstrated that Chris was able to transfer from TV to the stage.

• ·         Jamie then introduced the audience to his digital style of magic with a routine centred on digital screens. He used four digital screens to do a number of effects which involved making objects shown on the screens come to life, including a light, a ball, feathers, confetti and finally a rose. He then made a newspaper appear from an iPad before abandoning the technology for a comedic version of the Torn and Restored Newspaper trick. I felt that this routine provided Jamie an opportunity to demonstrate his style and personality, and he did this very well.

• ·         Johnathan’s second routine was themed around “Pain Tolerance”. He began this performance by telling stories of performers who had themselves crucified or locked inside incredibly hot ovens (another reason why his act isn’t really suitable for children). Compared to them, his performance initially appeared rather conventional, as he showed off a bed of a thousand steel nails and told a volunteer to lie down on it. She did this and suffered no harm, leading the audience to expect that it would be a safe stunt. However, Johnathan then explained the science behind the Bed of Nails stunt, and decided that the stunt would be too easy with 1000 nails, so he chose to lie down on a single nail. If that wasn’t enough, he told the volunteer to place a cinder block over his chest and shatter it with a sledgehammer. Johnathan managed to pull this stunt off without being injured, but it seemed more of a test of strength and balance as opposed to pain toleration, although that is probably a positive thing, given how dangerous it looked.

• ·         Luis performed the last routine before the interval. He begun with two box illusions similar to those performed by Ali. The first of these was the Origami illusion, in which he put his assistant inside a box, folded it into a tiny cube, and put swords through it to demonstrate that she had vanished, before reversing the process and making her reappear. After a brief effect in which he passed a scarf through his assistant’s neck, he put her inside a small box that was suspended in the top half of a giant frame. He then divided the box into fifths, and moved these pieces to the bottom of the frame, before opening the box to reveal the assistant inside. Following these tricks, Luis then did a smaller one with the child from the opening sequence, in which he taught him how to make a white silk change into a red one, then made the red silk vanish and reappear in his mouth. Though the silk sequence was a bit too slow and not impressive enough (I was still able to appreciate though, because it was one of the few sections of the show to emphasise the theme of the opening sequence), Luis finished the routine with an incredible trick in which he made a sports car containing the child vanish, even though it was completely surrounded by not only a curtain, but a chain of volunteers. It was the perfect way of ending the first half of the show.

 PART TWO

• ·         During the interval, Chris invited those sitting in the stalls to “Control Chris Cox” by writing down an activity they wanted him to do during his routine and putting their request in a box placed on the stage.  When it was time for the second half of the show to begin, Chris started by correctly predicting the activities written down by three random volunteers after getting them to project their thoughts to him in a number of ways (In one instance, Chris told a volunteer to drink from a bottle of water and spit some of it back in. Chris took the remaining water and drank it himself, receiving the thoughts through the volunteer’s spit). When he had done this, he got four volunteers (randomly chosen through golden envelopes with golden tickets inside) to join him on stage. They were each instructed to name an activity and a place in London, and as they did so, Chris appeared to read the minds of his volunteers by correctly guessing key facts about them (e.g. when their birthday was, what the names of their pets were). He then took out a postcard and revealed that it contained correct predictions of all the chosen activities and locations. In order to eliminate the possibility that he had written the predictions down after the volunteers had provided them, Chris then unveiled a video clip of him in London doing all the predicted activities in the predicted locations. It was an amusing routine, with Chris providing some great lines, but I wonder if the final reveal was one too many.

• ·         After his technological tricks in the first half of the show, Jamie chose to apply his distinctive style to two of the most popular (and overused) Stage Illusions of all time. First of all, he provided a variation on Sawing a Lady in Half called Clearly Impossible. In Clearly Impossible the assistants’ limbs are visible throughout the time she is in the box, and when she is bisected, the two halves are pulled pretty far away from each other. The most notable twist Jamie put on Clearly Impossible was the use of a laser to cut the assistant in half. Following this illusion, Jamie performed a short trick with Laser beams, in which he appeared to transform them into solid rods. This was impressive, but more suitable for stage than TV, as it is far more spectacular when the laser beams are being projected above the audience’s heads (This also helps them feel far more involved in the performance). Jamie than performed a levitation sequence where he appeared to levitate his assistant with light waves, covered her with a cloth, made her levitate a second time, levitated himself briefly, and finally made her vanish. I liked the way Jamie was able to blend the three most popular levitation routines into one sequence, and add his own unique touches, but I preferred the more unusual “Digital Magic” from his first routine.

• ·         Jamie’s Grand Illusions were followed by a close-up routine from Ben, who performed from within the circles above the stalls, with the TV screens that showed most of the close-up tricks in great detail conveying his performance to the rest of the audience. Inside the circles, he did a number of small tricks. The first of these saw him make a butter knife pass through a box of cards, before opening it to reveal a steel block inside, completely undamaged by the knife. This was followed by a sequence in which he did a tricks with a rope for two kids in the audience. He cut it and joined the two halves by magic, then made the rope appear to cut itself in two again without the use of visible scissors. Ben made the two unequal halves equal size before restoring them to one piece. He finally collected all the pieces of rope he had cut away during the trick, placed them in his closed fist, then made them vanish and re-join the rope. As with his first performance on the show, Ben was aiming his performance towards children, but chose to forgo the mystery of the Diminishing Cards routine, instead taking a sillier, but still amusing approach.

• ·         Johnathan’s third and final routine saw him perform a number of stunts with a crossbow, using his wife Katie as an assistant. He began by firing at a balloon held in Katie’s mouth, then managed to hit a rose and a sheet of paper. Johnathan then put on a steel blindfold and aimed at a balloon, relying on the sound of a bell held by Katie to tell him when and where he should fire. After his first shot missed the balloon, Johnathan managed to hit it on the second go. However, the remarkable part came when he removed the board behind all the items he items he had hit. There was an assistant behind it, and she was totally unharmed, even with Johnathan’s miss. I wasn’t crazy about the routine, because I’ve seen most of those Crossbow tricks before (It must be hard to come up with new ones), but Johnathan was a skilled archer and the final twist was memorable.

• ·         Having performed Illusions In the first half of the show, Ali aimed to demonstrate his close-up skills. He began with a trick involving four credit cards, as he made a coin vanish from his fist and reappear under each card one at a time, before making nine coins, including one giant one, appear beneath the cards. Ali followed this with a card trick inspired by the great magician Dai Vernon, who famously managed to fool Harry Houdini himself. He got a volunteer to sign a card with Houdini’s name, pushed it into the centre of the deck, and made it appear on top of the deck. He then added a red-backed card, and made it appear on top of the deck face first, before turning all the cards from blue-backed ones to red-backed ones. Sticking to the Houdini theme, Ali then performed the Aquarian Illusion, a trick based on two of Houdini’s most iconic Illusions: The Water Torture Escape and the Metamorphosis. He was handcuffed and shackled inside a tank full of water, and an assistant placed a curtain over it. After a few seconds, the curtain was removed to reveal that Ali had escaped from the box and the assistant was inside. I personally thought that the close-up magic was more unique and impressive, but the Aquarian Illusion was fun to watch as well.

• ·         For his final routine of the night, Luis chose to perform a trick utilising everyone in the audience. Every audience member (myself Included) had an envelope containing four postcards with a different famous magician (Carter, Thurston, Alexander and Houdini) on each one. Luis instructed everyone in the audience to tear all the postcards in half and shuffle them in a number of ways. He then got them to choose one of the eight pieces and put it in their pocket. After shuffling the pieces some more, the audience members were told to discard six of the seven pieces they had in their hands, leaving one piece in their hand to go with the piece in their pocket. The audience members were then told to look at the piece in their hand, and this turned out to match the half of the postcard in their pocket. I’m generally not a big fan of interactive tricks. They are far too simple and it is fairly obvious that they are directing the audience towards a single outcome. However, the elaborate nature of this routine and the fact it worked for everyone regardless of the half which they selected made it very impressive.

• ·         Ben then performed a routine inspired by silent movies, in which he did a couple of tricks with cigarettes, then went into the Multiplying Balls trick, in which he made several small white balls appear between his fingers. The manipulations were performed very well, but this was evidently a slower and smaller routine designed to lead into the spectacle of the climax.

• ·         The final performance was given by Ali, who provided a version of the Bo-Staff illusion. He put a female assistant inside a box, then compressed the interior to reveal that she had vanished. Ali then restored the box to its original state, and produced not the assistant, but the child who had vanished during Luis’ Disappearing car trick. It was probably Ali’s least impressive routine out of the three he performed, but I liked the way he finished by returning to the theme of the show, which had been neglected throughout the second half.

Closing

For the final trick of the show, the six magicians made a giant helicopter appear from beneath a giant sheet on the stage. It was a short routine, but the climax was truly spectacular. The Helicopter Production is a trick that gets performed a little too often, but it is incredible to watch in person, and ensured that the show finished on a high note.

VERDICT

Overall, this was an enjoyable magic show. I thought that Chris, Luis and Ali provided the best performances, but all six of the magicians were good. There were a wonderful range of tricks, with the smaller ones being performed very well and the larger ones proving utterly breath-taking when seen in the flesh. However, the main problem with the show (even more damaging than Katherine’s absence), was the framing story. I loved the idea behind it, but it was not properly integrated into the show, and should have either been used more often or scrapped entirely. In spite of this, I think the show should be judged based on the quality of the magic, and that was generally amazing.

Americas Got Talent 10 Live Shows - Week 2: Derek Hughes

(For British Viewers, This Article May Contain Spoilers)

This week, twelve more acts performed in the second week of Live Shows at Radio City Music Hall, competing to win seven more spots in the Semifinals. This group of acts included Comedic Magician Derek Hughes.

How Did Derek Fare?

For the Live Shows, Derek promised to "break the magician's code" with a card routine in which he used judge Mel B as a volunteer. He told her to choose a card and sign it, before explaining that he would demonstrate how to cheat at cards. He then asked Mel B to name a card game, and she chose the popular children's game Snap. Derek then revealed how to cheat at Snap. He used a riffle to distract Mel B, before making the signed card appear in his pocket. He then did the trick in slow motion, showing the card to the audience as he placed it in his pocket. After these two versions of the trick, Derek appeared to repeat it, but as he did so, showed that he wasn't palming any of the cards. In spite of this, the signed card appeared in his pocket yet again. For the climax of the routine, Derek told Mel B to push the chosen card into the deck and riffle the side of it as he had done. However, instead of the signed card appearing in Derek's pocket and the other cards remaining in his hands, all of the cards in the deck appeared in his pocket except for the signed card, which remained in his hand. Generally, Derek's performance was better than his last two. He had some funny lines, such as saying he became a magician because "I suck at sports" and doing a decent impression of Mel B's accent, More importantly, the magic itself was pretty good, with a polished delivery and a strong climax However, the main issue with Derek remains. He specialises in the card tricks also performed by last year's winner Mat Franco and this year's favourite Piff the Magic Dragon, and has to be judged in comparison with those two acts. Whilst Derek's Live Show performance was probably better than Piff's, I still think that Piff is the superior magician overall, and Derek may get overshadowed by other acts as the competition gets increasingly competitive.

What Did The Judges Say?

The Judges did not have a bad word to say about Derek's performance. Howie claimed that he "fired on every cylinder". Howard likened Derek's routine to close-up magic performed by the iconic Illusionist Doug Henning, and said that Derek had improved with every performance. Both of them said that Derek should make it through to the next round. The female judges were also full of praise. Heidi called Derek "complex" for his blend of magic and comedy. Mel B said Derek hadn't "wowed" her in earlier rounds, but managed to win her over with this routine.

What Was The Competition Like?

Overall, this was a show full of surprises. Many acts expected to do well struggled, and acts who I was not initially keen on won me over. The first act to perform was Dance Crew DM Nation. Their performance was very impressive, but I'm worried that they are overusing their signature moves. Rock Band 3 Shades of Blue made use of a good song choice ("Chains" by Nick Jonas), but I doubt they will convince their critics. Dance Quintet Animation Crew were the big disappointments of the night, relying on a videogame theme that has already been used by better dance acts in the past. Preteen Opera Singer Arielle Baril sang well, but failed to step out of Jackie Evancho's shadow. Ladder Acrobat Uzeyer Novruzov made some mistakes early on, but was generally incredible to watch, especially when standing on top of an 18-foot ladder. Puppet Act Ira was fun to watch, but cemented their status as a novelty act rather than a genuine contender. Flyboarder Damone Rippy emphasised his performance skills, but his act feels more suited to a theme park stunt show than the AGT stage. Stand-Up Comedian Myq Kaplan had some amusing lines, but his routine failed to gain a strong reaction from the crowd at Radio City. RnB Vocal Duo The CraigLewis Band were probably the most improved act of the night. "Try A Little Tenderness" was the perfect song choice for them, and they sang it very well. Videomapping Dance Duo Freckled Sky are very expressive dancers and used some great visuals, but I disliked the decision to keep them apart for the entire routine, because they are better when dancing as a couple. Finally, Sharon Irving honoured her grandfather (Who had participated in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's) by singing "Glory", which featured in the soundtrack to the Martin Luther King biopic Selma.

What Are Derek's Chances?

In my preview, I said that Derek only had a Moderate chance of advancing, but a good performance would change that. On the whole, Derek's routine was generally strong enough to stand out. Combined with the praise he received from the Judges and the disappointing performances of some of his rivals (Especially Animation Crew and Myq Kaplan), Derek's successful performance ensures that he now has a Good chance of advancing, but I would not be surprised if he has to go through via the Dunkin' Save, an online vote that chooses the final act to go through automatically.

Americas Got Talent 10 Live Shows - Week 2 Preview: Derek Hughes

(For British Viewers, The Following May Contain Spoilers)

Last week, Piff the Magic Dragon made it through to the Semifinals with ease, in spite of the criticism he received from the judges. This week, Comedic Magician Derek Hughes will compete to join him in the Semifinals.

What Does Derek Hughes Need To Do?

The main problem with Derek Hughes is the fact that his personality is better than his magic. He is a likeable performer with an appealing backstory, his energetic delivery makes him very fun to watch, and he manages to avoid conspicuous mistakes. However, Derek's main problem is the fact that the tricks he performs are not that impressive. His audition saw him make a chosen card appear between his butt-cheeks, a trick that had been performed in the auditions the previous year by a magician who did not make it any further. Although Derek's version was better by some distance, the lack of originality made his performance seem less interesting. His Judges Cuts routine, in which he managed to correctly predict items thought of by the four regular judges, was more impressive, but by doing mentalism, he invited comparisons to his competitor Oz Pearlman, who is probably superior. Derek made it through the Judges Cuts in spite of the fact that Guest Judge Piers Morgan was unimpressed by his routine. After Derek received his verdict, Piers told him "Many people have done very well by trying to prove me wrong" . In fact, one of the most memorable acts to prove Piers wrong on AGT was magician Nathan Burton, who competed in Series One. Piers initially dismissed him as "a One-gag act", but later described his Live Show performance as "the most incredible thing I've ever seen". Hopefully, Derek should be be aware of why Nathan was able to win Piers over - In his Live Show performance, he provided more spectacular and creative tricks whilst maintaining his signature style. If Derek can do this, he will fully establish himself as a great magician, but if he doesn't, he could become the first magic act on AGT since Series 7 to miss out on a Semifinal spot.

What Is The Competition Like?

The other eleven acts competing this week are:

• 3 Shades of Blue (Rock Band) - The judges, Howard especially, have been keen to see a great rock band compete on AGT, but I'm not sure if 3 Shades of Blue are that band. I like their unique style, but the vocals of the lead singer are too rough and screechy at times. Their unusual song choice at the Judges Cuts was criticised, leaving 3 Shades of Blue in a dilemma experienced by many bands on AGT. If they go with a conventional song choice, they risk losing everything that makes them stand out, but if they choose another unfamiliar song, they could easily alienate the judges or viewers. Hopefully, they can strike a balance with a that fits their style.

• Animation Crew (Dance Quintet)- Animation Crew's audition routine was interesting enough, but at the Judges Cuts stage, they transformed from a good act into a great one with a spectacular "Robotic Band" routine. Their creativity, speed and precision are remarkable, and as long as they continue giving us unique and energetic performances, they will be in the competition for a while.

• Arielle Baril (11 Year-Old Opera Singer) - Arielle Baril is a great singer, especially for her age, but there she has one problem. One of the most iconic acts of Series 5 was runner-up Jackie Evancho, another child opera singer with the voice of an adult three times her age. It is very hard to say which of the two is better, but some viewers may dismiss Arielle as a copy (After all, she auditioned with "O Mio Babino Caro", the song Jackie performed in her first Live Show appearance) and this could prevent her from doing as well as she deserves to.

• Damone Rippy (Flyboarder) - In the ten years AGT has been on the air, there has not been a single act like Damone Rippy. His "Flyboarding" involves him doing stunts with a device that uses jets of water to propel him high into the air. It is unquestionably impressive to watch, but you can only do so many tricks with a Flyboard, and viewers may wonder if the act's appeal is based on the equipment involved as opposed to Damone's skill using it.

• DM Nation (All-Female Dance Crew) - DM Nation are probably the best dance crew to appear on AGT since Academy of Villains from Series 7. They are skilled dancers, and have provided a number of creative moves during their performances. However, they need to provide that special performance that transforms them from yet another good dance crew into potential finalists.

• Freckled Sky (Videomapping Dance Duo) - Freckled Sky are not as unique as the judges claimed at their audition (Last year's finalists Blue Journey provided a similar blend of ballet and videomapping, as do Freelusion Dance Company, another act in the Top 36) but they are certainly great dancers making use of incredible effects. Out of the twelve acts competing this week, they are likely of going the furtherest, but they will need to maintain the high standards set by their audition if they want to win.

• Ira (Comedic Puppet Act)- Ira is an act centred around the puppet character Ira Fennelbloom, an overly excitable singer with a crush on judge Mel B and an overbearing mother named Miriam (who is also a puppet). The focus of the act is not Ira's singing, which is merely up to standard, but the comedy he and Miriam provide before, during and after his performance. Any act inspired by The Muppets is bound to be enjoyable, and Ira and Miriam have provided some funny lines, but the jokes about Ira's interactions with Mel B will eventually become repetitive, and the act could easily be dismissed as a mere novelty.

• Myq Kaplan (Stand-Up Comedian) - Myq Kaplan is a good comedian, and I like his quick-fire style of comedy, but I personally find him amusing rather than outright funny. There is a risk that he could be overshadowed by more memorable acts, and I wonder if he relies too heavily on jokes about his girlfriend, which were featured in both his audition and his Judges Cuts performance.

• Sharon Irving (RnB/Gospel Singer) - Sharon Irving is unquestionably a talented singer, but there is a risk that the public won't appreciate her. Last week, another powerful female singer, Samantha Johnson, only made it through as a "Dunkin' Donuts Save", in spite of performing last and providing one of the best performances of the evening. Making it through to the Live Shows as Mel B's Golden Buzzer act does not necessarily mean that Sharon is guaranteed to fare better. Therefore, she needs to provide a spectacular performance if she wants to impress the viewers.

• The CraigLewis Band (RnB Vocal Duo) - Out of the eight acts to receive Golden Buzzers in the auditions and Judges Cuts, The CraigLewis Band are probably the weakest. Their harmonies are very strong, and I like their animated performance style, but their individual vocals are an acquired taste. They need to play to their strengths if they want to stand out, especially with three other Golden Buzzer acts competing against them.

• Uzeyer Novruzov (Ladder Acrobat) - Uzeyer Novruzov has the energy and agility that has defined AGT's best acrobats, and his stunts he does are very fun to watch. However, I'm not sure how far he can take his act, and the high risk of injury could be a real problem.

Predictions

Based on his first two performances, Derek Hughes only has a moderate chance of making the Semifinals. He is an enjoyable performer, but his tricks are not up to the standard of those done by his competitors. However, if he provides a memorable routine this week, he could easily surprise the competition.

Americas Got Talent 10 Live Shows - Week 1: Piff the Magic Dragon

(For British Viewers, This Article May Contain Spoilers)

(P.S: Sorry for not providing a preview as I promised. I've been very busy lately)

The Americas Got Talent Live Shows have finally begun, with four magicians (counting Professional Regurgitator Stevie Starr) among the 36 acts competing at New York's iconic Radio City Music Hall. This Week, Comedic Magician Piff the Magic Dragon competed against 11 other acts to impress the four judges (Howard, Heidi, Mel B and Howie) and win one of seven spots in the Semifinals.

How Did Piff the Magic Dragon Fare?

After doing card tricks for his previous two performances, Piff the Magic Dragon provided a more spectacular, if less creative, routine for the Live Shows. After beginning with a Game Of Thrones-style intro and getting up from a giant throne modelled after the one seen in that popular fantasy drama, Piff performed a routine in which he put the life of his pet chihuahua Mr Piffles, his "only friend and sole source of income", on the line. Before the performance started, he placed Mr. Piffles in one of four boxes suspended above the stage. He then got Howie onto the stage as his volunteer, then told him to pick two boxes that he didn't think the dog was in. These boxes were dropped onto the floor and destroyed by a female assistant, who stomped on the first box and crushed the second with a baseball bat. This left Howie with two boxes, one of which contained Mr. Piffles inside it. Howie was instructed to choose which of the remaining boxes the dog was in. A woodchipper was placed beneath the box that Howie didn't choose. It was turned on with his (reluctant) help and the rejected box was dropped into it. Fortunately, Mr. Piffles wasn't inside it, and Piff finished his routine by taking down the last box to reveal his pet dog safe and sound inside. Though Piff provided some amusingly dark jokes and the presentation was enjoyable (in spite of the questionable subject matter), he is the SEVENTH act (After Frank Miles, Landon Swank, Colins Key, Rogue, David and Leeman and Wayne Hoffman) to provide a Russian Roulette-type magic routine on AGT. Although he only used cards in his first two performances, the tricks he did with them were far more unique. Given that he has such an original approach to magic, it seems a shame that Piff used the Radio City stage to perform a comparatively generic trick. Furthermore, there was a minor problem when Howie appeared to notice something moving in one of the boxes early on, and that box turned out to be the one containing Mr. Piffles. This may have been just a coincidence, but it makes the trick seem less impressive, particularly if it affected Howie's decisions. Overall, it was a decent routine, but not quite up to the standard that Piff has set so far in the competition.

What Did The Judges Say?

The judges generally felt that Piff's performance was inferior to his previous two. Heidi was disappointed by it, saying that it was "more like Game of Groans" than Game of Thrones and arguing that Piff did not need to provide such ostentatious staging.  Mel B felt that only "half" of the routine worked, and Piff's personality was funnier than the performance . Howie was the most positive judge, saying he had nothing to do with the trick and describing it as "amazing", but Howard felt that Piff did not provide enough comedy. As Mel B was making her comments, a man provided Piff with a Chinese Takeaway meal, and Piff continued his habit of eating on stage after his performance. It's a funny running joke, but I'm not sure how far he can take it before it gets too silly.

How Did The Other Acts Fare?

This season has been full of unusual and unique acts, and many of them shone this week. Videomapping Dance Troupe Siro-A were full of energy and creativity, whilst 13 year-old Latino Singer Alondra Santos delivered a solid performance. Contortionist Vita Radionova is very skilled, but her performance felt a bit repetitive. Vocal Trio Triple Threat were the big disappointments of the night, ending up with 3 X's due to the fact their singing was not up to their usual standard. Preteen Dance Duo The Gentlemen were energetic and engaging, but are not as impressive as other dancers still in the competition. Country/Rock Singer Benton Blount struggled at first but got better as his performance progressed, whilst Acrobatic Dance Duo Craig and Micheline showed off their strength but lacked the beauty and grace they needed to truly impress. Stuttering Comedian Drew Lynch is amusing but not always comfortable to watch, whilst Gymnastics Troupe Showproject were interesting, but not as smooth as they should have been. British Ventriloquist Paul Zerdin was one of the standouts of the night due to his skill at bringing his puppets to life. Finally, Singer  Samantha Johnson finished the evening with a powerful rendition of "California Dreamin'", but she can turn screechy when going for the higher notes.

What Are Piff's Chances?

Fortunately for Piff, Seven acts go through tonight. Although this wasn't his best performance, it was good enough for him to deserve a spot in the Semifinals, and I think that the quality of his previous routines will cement an automatic spot. Piff has a Very Good chance of making it through, but he needs to provide a far better performance next time.

Americas Got Talent 10 Judges Cuts - Week 4: Derek Hughes, Xavier Mortimer and Stevie Starr

(For British Viewers, The Following May Contain Spoilers)

This week saw the last round of Judges Cuts on America's Got Talent, with the last group of 20 acts competing for the final seven spots in the Live Shows. The line-up included two of the most memorable magicians from the audition stages, Derek Hughes and Xavier Mortimer, as well as "The Professional Regurgitator", Stevie Starr. Furthermore, former AGT judge Piers Morgan, noted for his highly critical judging style, joined Howard, Heidi, Mel B and Howie on the panel as the "Guest Judge", so the competitors had to pull out all the stops in order to impress him.

How Did Derek Highes Fare?

Amsong the numerous changes that have occurred to AGT since Piers left the show in 2011 (after serving as judge for the first Six Series) has been the shift from the conventional Illusionists, who dominated during the early seasons and nearly always relied on big boxes and ostentatious illusions, to magicians such as Mat Franco and Smoothini who rely on smaller-scale tricks. As a magician specialising in the newer approach, Derek Hughes had to prove to Piers that a trick done with a dictionary and a few sheets of paper could be just as impressive as the grand illusions performed by the likes of Michael Grasso and Landon Swank. Derek did a trick themed around telepathy, and began by getting Howie to think of a city. He wrote down a prediction, but then discarded it after Howie revealed his chosen city. Derek then told Mel B to think of a guy's name, but after writing his prediction down, he claimed that he had accidentally read Heidi's mind and written down her chosen name. He asked Mel B to think of her chosen male again, and after writing another predicted name beneath Heidi's, he discarded the second prediction in the same way that he had discarded the first. Derek then got Howard to join him on stage for the second half of the trick. He told Howard to hold a mini dictionary in his hands, and wrote down the word he thought Howard would choose ("morbid") in full view of the audience. Howard was then instructed to choose a random page of the dictionary, and "morbid" was the first word on the chosen page. After noticing that Piers was not impressed by this trick, Derek returned to the two discarded predictions he had made earlier and opened them up to reveal that he had correctly predicted Howie's chosen city, and the names chosen by both Heidi and Mel B. Derek is enjoyable to watch and this routine was an improvement on his audition, but I still get the sense that his personality is far more interesting than the tricks themselves, which are done well but still relatively conventional. Derek's performance was praised by the regular judges, with Howard saying that he provided "great energy". Unfortunately, Piers remained unconvinced, claiming that he enjoyed the delivery but saying that the performance lacked a "wow factor". However, Derek made it through, with Piers telling him shortly after the verdict that "Many people have done very well by trying to prove me wrong." Iconic AGT magician Nathan Burton was one of the acts who managed to win over Piers on this show, so Derek has someone he can learn from if he wants to be able to compete with Oz Pearlman or Piff the Magic Dragon.

How Did Xavier Mortimer Fare?

Throughout the Judges' Cuts stage, the four regular Judges have been able to give an X to acts they disliked, with any act who got 4 X's going home immediately. For the most part, the panel have used their buzzers sensibly, with only a handful of particularly bad acts being eliminated. However, there will always be instances of the Judges abusing the buzzer to punish a talented act for a single mistake. This is what happened to Xavier Mortimer. The former Incroyable Talent finalist began his performance by juggling four glass balls. However, he dropped one of them, and all four judges pressed their buzzers almost immediately, eliminating Xavier from the Judges' Cuts before he could properly begin his routine. The Judges were far too harsh towards Xavier. Whilst his initial mistake meant that he probably would not have made it through even if he had finished the performance, the X's should only be used if an act is really bad or has made numerous errors. Xavier was merely unlucky, and the fact he was X'ed out so quickly, whilst far worse acts such as Leroy Patterson (whose act consisted of throwing himself onto mousetraps until he bled) were allowed to finish their performance, demonstrates that the judges treated him unfairly. However, America's Got Talent is not the only stage for magic acts. Xavier should not dwell on his failure, but instead take to heart advice Howard gave to another act who failed to finish their performance at the Judges Cuts - keep performing and, within a year or two, this setback will no longer seem significant. Anyone who has seen Xavier on Incroyable Talent or Penn and Teller : Fool Us will know that his performances on AGT did not reflect what he is truly capable of. Hopefully, in the future, he will get another opportunity to demonstrate what a talented and innovative magician he really is.

How Did Stevie Starr Fare?

 
 Stevie Starr has previously made it to the Live Shows of Britians Got Talent in 2010 (When Piers was also a judge on that show) and the finals of Incroyable Talent, but has never had to go through anything like the Judges' Cuts. Furthermore, he was the last act of the day to perform, meaning he was under even more pressure to deliver an impressive performance. However, he managed to do this, providing a set of tricks that were disgusting and dangerous, but still fascinating to watch. Stevie begun by swallowing a small plum tomato whole, then swallowed a sharp razor blade to go with it. He then regurgitated the razor blade, before regurgitating the tomato, which had been cut in half inside his stomach. Stevie then performed a new variation on the coin regurgitation routine he had performed in his audition. He swallowed five coins with different letters written on them (A "T", an "S", a "O" an "P" and an "A"), before asking the judges to write down the five letters and make a four-letter word from them. Piers chose the word "Pots", so Stevie regurgitated the coins with the "P", "O","T" and "S" written on them, in that order. He then swallowed a large clip, before regurgitating it with the "A" coin clipped inside it. This is unquestionably a unique and interesting act, but it is not comfortable to watch, and that could put a lot of viewers off. However, the judges reacted positively to Stevie's performance. Heidi was a particularly enthusiastic fan, saying that she was "blown away" by the act. Therefore, it was not a surprise when Stevie was put through to the Live Shows.

Who Else Made The Live Shows?

In addition to Derek Hughes and Stevie Starr, the following acts made it through:

Singer Alicia Michilli
Trapeze Artists Duo Volta
Stand-Up Comedian Gary Vider
Videomapping Dance Troupe Siro-A
Preteen Dance Duo The Gentlemen

I wish them all the best of luck in the Live Shows.

Next Week: The Live Shows begin, with Piff the Magic Dragon being the first of four magicians to compete in the Top 36. Visit this blog soon for a preview of the Live Shows.