America’s Got Talent 2016 – Auditions #3 – Live Blog and Videos
Simon Cowell joins Mel B., Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel for season 11 of America’s Got Talent–your favorite summer guilty pleasure. Nick Cannon returns as host. We’ll be live blogging Week 3 of the auditions right here.
Good Girl – Girl Group – Their dream is to be the American Spice Girls. They LOVE MEL B. She’s their favorite. The girls claim to be as close as siblings, and when they hit the stage, they’ll be bringing GIRL POWER. One of the girls admits she’s the boss of the group. The others agree! Simon asks if they are ambitious. Hells ya! They sing En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go.” The vocal ability is there, but the act needs to be updated stat. Still, they sing gorgeous, tight a’cappella harmonies. Mel B. calls it “flawless” to the delight of the girls. Heidi loves their outfits and their attitudes. Howie thinks Simon should sign them now. Simon calls them “copycat.” Yeah, he’s right. But he sees potential, so he says yes. 4 yeses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwSK8MxO54Q
After the break, it’s a montage of powerful dance acts bracketing a trio of senior citizens getting ready to take the stage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVL6q4GlSMg
John Rothman – Choreographer – A 79 year old man has been dancing and choreographing his whole life. A montage of old photos depict him in action. Now, he works with senior senior citizens and has brought along a quartet of older ladies who are part of his dance troupe. Simon asks John if he’s got a little something something going on with one of the ladies. Uh. I seriously doubt it, if you know what I mean. The ladies do a very slow shuffle to “In The Mood.” While John pirouettes around them. He manages a half cartwheel. But I guess that’s impressive considering his age? The audience eats it up. He’s cute. Heidi enjoyed it. Simon says it reminds him of the movie Cocoon. Mel B’s heart feels warm. She jokes that Howie could join the group in 10 years. He appreciates the effort, but it’s a no for Howie. Heidi, surprisingly says yes. She’s usually the one to pour cold water on the joke acts. Simon also says yes. He jokes that John might want to hurry back to the room with the girls. Hm. I’m Team Howie on this one. Other than a couple of cute moments, there was nothing to see there. – Howie says no, the rest say yes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbOCJJtagBY
Diane Bernard – Hula Hooper – She auditioned in season 9. Stage fright got in her way back then, she claims. Or maybe that she sucked. Howie kind of remembers her. Mel B TOTALLY remembers her. Simon holds his head in his hand. That’s not an act. She swings a single hula hoop around her neck and waist while dancing around the stage like a lunatic. Simon calls the act boring and pointless. Nick and Heidi both take the stage to show off their Hula hoop skills. Neither should leave their day jobs.
Russian Bar Trio – Russian Bar Acrobats – They audition in Season 3. Christina got hurt and the group had to drop out. She was injured badly at one point. I remember these guys! They were good. I was sad when they dropped out. Christina takes all the risk, as her male partners toss her higher and higher in the air off a slim bar. If she doesn’t land, it’s bad news. They’re still really good. You could literally call this a danger act as she sails close to the top of the stage, executing flips and twists before she lands. Heidi calls it “incredible.” Mel B says her heart was pounding out of her chest. Simple, yet suspenseful, Simon says, adding that it’s not a comeback for the trio, it’s a triumph. 4 yeses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeeTuB6MCBg
Kaydie Lynn Roberson – Singer – She’s from a tiny Texas town with one stoplight. And she’s only 12. I’m sensing a pattern. There are lots of kid acts this season. Her parents were in their 50’s when they adopted Kaydie Lynn, and she could not be happier. The family travels to gigs together in their motor home. Guitar in hand, the young singer performs Merle Haggard’s “Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Star” with a rootsy authoritative maturity. I still think 12 is too young to pursue a singing career. Kaydie Lynn reminds me of an even younger Leann Rimes, and we know how that turned out. Mel B calls the performance a home run. Howie is amazed at her ability to embody grown up emotions. Heidi couldn’t imagine her twelve year old doing the same. Simon calls her a “little diamond.” He loves her real, mature voice. He’s sure they’ve discovered something special. 4 yeses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvdFyAI3FEk
Duo Guerrero – High Wire Act – This Spanish couple got married after knowing each other 3 days, and have been married ever since–over 30 years. Wardrobe malfunction! The wife loses her skirt after hubby steps on it as they walk out on stage. So now she’s in front of the judges wearing a sparkly top, and shorts. The husband explains they need to go outside to demonstrate a “big dangerous act.” Ominously, he reveals his very own brother is in a wheelchair due to dare-devily stunts. OK. They are tightrope walkers. She performs a split after walking half way across the rope. That’s impressive. They’re both in their 50s, mind you. The husband leaps over her, landing on the other side. Oops. She almost falls off. She stands on a chair balanced on the wire. If the performers were younger, none of that would be overly impressive. Cliffhanger! After the commercial break, hubby is standing on his wife’s shoulders, as she takes a few steps. He jumps off and almost falls. The audience is gasping, probably thinking: THESE OLD PEOPLE ARE GONNA DIE. That’s pretty much the act. Howie was more terrified than EVER! Simon notes their age. Mel B. calls the act breathtaking. 4 yeses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRnjXGOoF50
One Voice – a cappella group – A 12 member high school a’cappella group from Memphis Tennessee includes athletes, theater kids and everybody! They swear there are no romantic relationships in the group because they’re like brothers and sisters. Hm. They sing “Half a Man” by Rozzi Crane. There are some decent solo voices, but there’s some pitchy stuff, too dawg. Simon pulls that whole…I didn’t like it…I loved it fake out. Zzz. The Sing-Off spoiled me, I guess. I’m not overly impressed. One of the dudes, a football player, asks the lead singer to the prom with a teapot and a cute note (The Office!). “You make me happier than pretzel day.” PROMPOSAL. She says yes. 4 yeses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhM1YlWF2zw
Lori Mae Hernandez – Comedian – She’s only 13. She’s been doing her act for 3 years. So, she has a sob story about her dad’s Bell’s Palsy–a disease that causes facial paralysis–and her crippling shyness. Her goal was to make Dad smile. One time she told him a joke and he smiled! It was like a miracle! The music swells. And in the meantime, she found confidence. She tells babysitter jokes. And even works in a Trump reference! Her jokes are cute. And her delivery is pretty good! I will say yet again–too young. Let these kids grow up first before sticking them on TV. Simon loves it. She could be the next Tina Fey, he says. Howie empathises, because he was shy too, as a kid. 4 yeses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnBkIstNk4I
Next, it’s a montage of terrible acts, including a singing chihuahua and a dude in a chicken suit singing “I Will Survive.” Simon says, “It was actually worse than I thought it was going to be.” A father and wife who use “ordinary objects as musical instruments,” are next. This bit is just an excuse for Simon Cowell to drop a few bon mots. A really terrible belly dancer/singer invites Simon on stage so she can literally shake her boobs in his face and kiss him right on the mouth. The rest of the panel loved Simon’s humiliation so much, they all say yes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm6cs5R07wY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lm-l9kQvJo
Viktor Kee – Juggler – Originally from the Ukraine, Viktor’s costume is a creepy looking nudie leotard. But the act is pretty terrific. The 45 year old incorporates balletic moves as he gracefully grabs balls from the air and tosses them all around. This is different. I have never seen a juggling act so elegant and artistic. Heidi thought it was a treat to watch. “An alien figure come to life,” says Mel B. “Flawless.” Simon admits he usually hates jugglers, but felt he’d just watched an Olympic sport. Howie calls him a star. – 4 yeses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNzbQODdWrU
A young girl was kinda butchering “Creep” by Radiohead as Victor was being introduced. I wonder if she got any yesses?
One more act. It’s gotta be Heidi’s “Golden Buzzer.”
Sal Valentinetti – OH REMEMBER HIM FROM AMERICAN IDOL 14 YEAH. He didn’t even make it out of Hollywood. So. He claims that he “barely” sang until a few years ago. IF YOU SAY SO SAL. Remember the “charm?” He’s turning it on here. He sings “My Way” by Frank Sinatra. Sal pours the Italian schtick on thick and I am CRINGING. He’s ticking off all the stereotypes, and as an Italian American myself, I am embarrassed on his behalf. I don’t remember him being this cheesy on Idol. He’s got a good voice, but the presentation is damn corny. Simon Cowell on Idol would have compared him to a drunk uncle at a wedding. But that was then and this is now. Instead, Sal gets Heidi’s golden buzzer, which means he moves straight to the live shows.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGyKg2fWehU
