Auditions:
The Final Countdown
July 22
The auditions have brought out the best
and the craziest that America has to offer. And now we've reached the
heady climax in our final audition show. Have we saved the best for
last? Plus, we go deep inside the making of an internet sensation with
Britain's Got Talent runner-up Susan Boyle.
First up, from Indiana, six friends who
take roller skates and turn it into dancing. They're called Breaksk8.
They'll be roller-discoing to "Low" by Flo Rida. And they have great
choreography and they're in sync with each other masterfully. But
Piers... is not impressed. The Fourth Judge is, giving a standing O.
David says that they have a lot of great dancers on this show. He has to
think about it. Piers has one problem... the skates. Sharon thinks it's
part of the charm. She says yes. Piers says no. The Hoff... cuts them a
break. They're going to Vegas, 2-1.
The same fate falls upon Mosaic (yes, the
same vocal group that won MTV's Top Pop Group), who sing "Shining
Star"... The Lollipop Girls, a burlesque troupe... Recycled Percussion,
who turn ladders, trash cans, and drumsticks into music... Jeffrey Ou,
who wails on the piano... SQ Entertainment, who dance on chairs...
Koshka Raenelle, who sings "Natural Woman"...
Next is 8-year-old Ciana Pelekai from
Honolulu, HI, who will sing. Her sister is the one who led her to her
voice back when she was 4. She's a little nervous, but she's going to
try her best. She'll be singing "At Last". She's got the swagger... I
don't think the voice is up to snuff QUITE yet, but it's getting there.
Piers says he's never heard something like that come from an 8-year-old.
Sharon called it amazing. David says that there's nowhere to go but up.
C'mon, you're not going to say no to an 8-year-old... She's through!
Next is Joseph James d/b/a JoJo, a choir
director from Rialto, CA. He says he's been singing his whole life. He
says that God gave him this gift, and he wants to use it for His work.
He says he's going to sing like he's never sung in his life. He'll sing
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow". Well... he definitely sung that like he's
never sung in his life... That. Was. Excruciating. "Oh why... " indeed.
David thought it sounded like a balloon being deflated.
And after that... we need an SOS... Brian
& Anthony Lockard are dueling on the same piano... And the judges kill
both of them. Inara Darko is a classically-trained singer... and she and
her guitarist friend need to go back to training. Scott Renkes and his
comedy circus... Not funny... at all. Dr. Franklin Ruehl, a former
all-star on America's Team (that Trivial Pursuit for you folks at home),
sticks straws in potatoes... Well, at least he can say he was on TV...
AGAIN.
Which leads us to the VERY LAST AND FINAL
act hoping to take their act from Memphis to Vegas. They are the Beale
Street Flippers, who dance and flip on the street. They say that this
keeps them out of trouble and hopefully out of the hood. They're going
to flip out to "Billie Jean" by the late great Michael Jackson... and
the Fourth Judge is eating this up. So are David and Sharon. Piers...
stands for no one. Heh. They're the best flippers they've had on this
show. Piers has two words... "Flipping. Incredible." They're on their
way to Vegas. In fact, Piers' vote is the biggest flipping yes they've
ever heard in their life.
And with that, the America's Got Talent
auditions have come to an end. Lives have been changed all over this
great country of ours. We've seen people do the impossible and their
fellow man cheer them on. At the same time, we've seen people who
probably shouldn't have even bothered. But they ALL deserve our praise
for giving it their best shot.
So what do these people have to look
forward to? Ask Susan Boyle. She's been down this road before on the
British version of this series and wowed an unsuspecting crowd enough to
come in second. Ultimately, the YouTube clip of her audition would
attract 300 million views, spanning the globe quicker than anything ever
has. Still, she has a bright future ahead of her, as is evidenced by her
sit-down with "Today" host Meredith Vieira...
"It's just been unbelievable... I just
popped from obscurity. I really don't want it to end."
Susan spent her entire adult life caring
for her mother, and when she died two years ago, it left her distraught
to the point of not singing ever again. But then she realized that the
best way she can honor her mother's memory is with her voice.
It wasn't all roses and firecrackers, as
the pressure of becoming an overnight sensation began to take its toll.
A stint in a hospital for exhaustion for what she described as "feeling
like a demolition ball". But she pressed forward to the tour performance
and the resulting courage that followed. Meanwhile, she's working on her
first album, due to come out in the fall.
But all roads have led up to this
moment as the top acts in the nation are pared down to the final 40...
VIVA LAS VEGAS, next time!
For more information on tonight's
acts, including never before seen footage, go to
www.nbc.com/gottalent.
|