(C-Note: some of the acts that you are
about to read involve real danger in front of a live television audience. They were
designed, practiced, and supervised by professionals, taking the
contestants' safety into full account. They are extremely dangerous and
should NEVER be attempted anywhere, by anyone, at any time.)
We're staying close to
home as the search for America's next great million
dollar talent stays in Hollywood.
LOS ANGELES
Dolby Theatre
First up tonight are Rob Williams & Casey
Martin, the Kamikaze Fireflies. They do "a real old vaudeville show"
that plays Renaissance faires, mostly. The dream is to work indoors away
from elves and orcs. Helping them out in the act... Mr. Renaissance
himself. They're going to juggle torches. Casey will be in a shopping
cart, while Rob will balance on... Nick Cannon. "I really loved you in
Drumline, by the way." I'm sure he did. I would've buzzed by now. This
act was taking way too long to set up. Howard wants more. Mel B enjoyed
it. Heidi liked it as well, but she wants to see what they can do
without Nick. It's four yeses.
Hannah & Savannah, dancers from Santa
Clarita, CA, are part of a troupe called Hart Dance Team. They're going
away to college in a few months, and they can't think of a better way to
say goodbye than to win AGT on a jazz routine... with a twist. Their
twist... a black-and-white camouflaged box. With multiple like-dressed
dancers. It was mesmerizing. Mel B says that the choreography was on
point. Howie thought it was a great visual. Howard says it's a brilliant
concept. Three yeses is all they need. They are joined by Extreme Dance
Company, The Team, and Stylish Talent... a professional twerker. #butts.
Jodi Miller is a comedian who has been
embarrassing herself (and other people) since she was a kid. She was
performing in bars and clubs, but she would like to make a living out of
this instead of delivering groceries. Her set includes men as cats
(aloof and emotionally unavailable) and women as dogs (eager... and in
love with shoes). The material was on point and snappily delivered.
Heidi doesn't remember laughing this much as a comedian. Howie can't
believe she doesn't make a fulltime living off of this. It's a sweep of
the panel.
Bob Markworth is a 77-year-old archer who
was struck with Cupid's arrow when he met his assistant Mayana.
Actually... they've never dated, but if they win the show, maybe she'll
change her mind. Maybe. She's getting her balloon in place, and Bob ends
up hitting.... a balloon. She gets another ball in place, and this time
takes out her skirt. Okay, one more shot with the ball.... And off comes
the top. ONE MORE TIME WITH THE BALL... PERFECT! Howard points out the
potential for disaster. Mel asked if there was an accident. "Three
previous wives." Ha HA. He's in.
Next up, the singer portion of the show.
We start with Anna Clendening, a 20 year old guitarist who's in between
jobs right now. She suffers from anxiety & depression disorder. She
hadn't left her house in a couple of months, so this is actually a big
step she's taking. Howie, being OCD himself, can relate to her plight,
so she says that she's undertaking a great step here. She'll be
performing Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah", bringing the crowd to their
feet. Or at least bringing Howie to his feet and to the stage. The
judges can see that this meant a lot to her, with her emotion tapped.
The vote is an easy yes.
Time to bring on the animals, including,
a dog, a pig, and a tarantula. But first, a horde of cats. That don't
want to do much. See Miller, Jodi. Dogstars Inc. gets Xed off the stage,
and this show goes to the dogs. Next up, Top Hogs, which is one pig and
his master John Vincent. When he's not training pigs, he's a rocket
scientist for NASA. He starts by raising the flag, hitting some golf
balls, and then it gets weird. It's a smart pig, even does a bit of
Beckham. See what I did there? Ham? Mel's in love with little
Mudslinger. Howard thinks America will like this. Heidi... kisses the
pig. And once she gets her wardrobe together, she joins the judges in a
rousing chorus of "Yes".
As we kick off the second half, here's
Howie in a bad hairpiece. Next up, Atlanta Professional Dance Academy,
which blends traditional ballet with Korean fan-dancing. It's hard to
get everyone in step together. But they're going to give it their best
on a ballet called "Jasmine Flowers". It's tight. It's together. It's
hypnotic. Mel thought it was amazing to watch. Howie thought it was fan-tastic.
Tee hee. It's a yes.
As we prep for the next act, Mel B has to
unplug her buzzer so she can plug in her phone. Eddie & Zach are
Diverse, a "boy band". They both work for the same airline. What will
they have to work with? They're going to sing "I Gotta Feeling" by the
BEP for the ladies... and the ladies are turning to another network.
And, remember when I said that Mel B was plugging in her phone? Well,
apparently her phone is still plugged in, because the buzzers do not
work. The onstage PA gets the hint as the judges frantically hit their
buzzers to no avail, immediately halting the act. Once they finally get
the buzzers plugged back in, the judges make their feelings toward
Diverse known.
Next up, we have The Bigger Cheese,
Pressing the Limits, and Aaron J. Field (singing "Midnight Train to
Georgia" in a baby getup... admittedly to stand out). Two of these acts
fail to make it through. Congratulations to Aaron. #babycansing
Sons of Serendip take us "Somewhere Only
We Know" on a classical tip. They sweep the panel with this different
arrangement. Fun fact: they met at Howard's alma mater, Boston
University.
Andrey Moraru (26; LA) is a
hand-balancing artist. He grew up in the former Soviet Union, having
grown up in the Ukraine when it split from the USSR. Right now, he's
living in the US (and has been for 9 years), but it's hard to live here
and think about his family still in Ukraine will all the unrest still
going on. He just wants to share his art with the people. His art:
standing on his hands whilst dancing interpretatively. The judges are
spellbound by his moves and his strength. Howie says that he can win
this thing. The ladies think it's fluid, while Howard says "perfection."
Four yeses.
Magic time! A couple of big time acts
pass through. What about Smoothini, the Ghetto Houdini? He got started
as an early age, and admittedly sucked at it. All he has is a salt
shaker and a deck of cards. He is also a former Marine who calls himself
"a bar musician". His trick: multiple card tricks and a ball trick
involving Mel B holding two balls (C-Note: write your own jokes,
people). And a pile of salt. And some Snapple. Really. Salty. Snapple.
It's a nice progression from one trick to another, and the judges are
amazed. Four yeses there too.
We are down to the final act of the
night, Justin Rhodes, a singer/pianist. His parents loved that he played
music, but they wanted him to have another career path. He's a
recovering addict who is looking to music to get back on the right path.
He's hoping that somehow his father, whom he believes is disappointed,
is watching him sing our closer tonight, "Wake Me Up" by Avicii with his
father in the audience. The Fifth Judge is brought to their feet. His
father is moved to tears. I think we can skip to the end and say YES!
So we end on a high note. Literally. What
will we see next time? Stay tuned...
To see tonight's episode in its entirety,
or to apply to be a contestant on the next season, go to
www.nbc.com/gottalent.
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