America’s Got Talent Live Final Top 10 acts perform for YOUR VOTES tonight! Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, acts will perform on the Universal studios lot. Unfortunately, Simon Cowell broke his back and is recovering at home. In the house, however, are Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara and Heidi Klum. Hosted by Terry Crews.
Top 10 finalists include: Alan Silva, Archie Williams, BAD Salsa, Bello Sisters, Brandon Leake, Broken Roots, Cristina Rae, Daneliya Tuleshova, Kenadi Dodds and Roberta Battaglia.
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By the end of tomorrow night’s results show, a WINNER will be crowned.
Roberta Battaglia – Kid singer – She’s Sofia Vergara’s Golden Buzzer. “She’s still a kid, but she’s an old soul,” Roberta’s father says in her video package. Dad sings as well. Roberta takes on Alessia Cara’s “Scars to Your Beautiful.” Hm. Roberta is pitchy tonight. The song arrangement isn’t doing her any favors, either. She hits a big note at the end. But at 11, she doesn’t possess the maturity needed to bring depth and vulnerability to her performance. Her young age is showing tonight. Sofia begs America to vote for her. “You were born to sing,” says Heidi. “You are absolutely incredible.” Howie feels pride for her “You’re a baby on our show.” He says she is the one to beat, and reminds viewers that she’s from Canada, like he is.
Bad Salsa – Dance duo – These two are amazing dancers, but they didn’t really step it up this week? OK. I take that back. The girl just balanced on one foot, with her leg high in the air, while standing on top of her partner’s head. LITERALLY BALANCING ON HIS HEAD. He could kill her tonight, seriously. So much TOSSING. And so fast. Oh! The kids flew to Los Angeles from India. Heidi compliments their creativity. She’s so happy they came to the States. Howie calls them “dynamic” and “scary.” You check every box, he says. Sofia calls it “breathtaking.”
Now…it’s time for a season recap! Hello Simon. Speaking of Simon, he tweeted good luck to the acts earlier today.
It’s the #AGT finals tonight. Good luck to all the contestants and thank you all for tuning in. I wish I was there.
— Simon Cowell (@SimonCowell) September 22, 2020
Kenadi Dodds – Teen singer – She’s the only member of her family who doesn’t suffer from a congenital disease that eventually results in blindness. Kenadi performs in studio for the first time since her audition. And instead of her usual original, she covers Carrie Underwood’s “Love Wins.” It’s a solid performance. At this crucial point, it’s smart to cover a familiar song. It’s remarkable she’s made it so far–she’s not the best of the kid singers. And the judges have tried their best to downplay her talent. Sofia is glad she’s playing guitar tonight, “You stepped it up tonight.” Heidi sees Kenadi as a country star, like a young Taylor Swift. Howie wasn’t a fan of her original songs, and he liked that she ended the performance not “hiding” behind an instrument.
Brandon Leake – Spoken word poet – He’s Howie Mandel’s Golden Buzzer. And for the first time, he’s performing in the first half of the show. I’m a little surprised, actually. His video package features poetry from fans. This time, he recites a piece dedicated to his baby daughter. Hm. I still think spoken word poetry is a very weird thing to promote on AGT. Sticking him fourth means, I think, the show doesn’t want him to win. Brandon Leake headlining a show at the Luxor in Las Vegas. That would be a stretch. Also, they stuck him out in the lot, rather than perform in the studio. “You leave me speechless,” says Howie. “You move people, you move the world…you take us on a journey.” Oh. Howie says he auditioned in 2017, but was turned down. The performance was Sofia’s favorite. She calls it “hopeful.” Heidi says, “You truly deserve a show in Las Vegas.”
Broken Roots – Singing duo – The two perform Phil Collins “In The Air” from the back of a flatbed truck outfitted as a stage. Here’s the deal. Neither are really good singers. It actually took me a minute to recognize this classic Phil Collins song. They turn the song into a dirge, removing the urgency, and slow build that makes the original so compelling. Neither has the vocal chops to pull this off. Sofia says, “Everytime I see you, I love you more, I hope America votes for you.” Heidi notes that they were sent home at the judge cuts, initially. “You showed us wrong,” she says. Howie calls it his favorite performance of the duo’s so far.
Bello Sisters – Hand balancers – The 3 sisters are once again performing remotely from Germany. The trio were turned down by circus schools initially, because of the strength required to hand balance, Once again, the ladies display feats of strength as they twist themselves into pretzels. Holy cow! Their dad used a high powered bow to shoot a flower out of one of the girl’s mouths as they posed in an incredibly scary formation. Howie thought it was slow and shaky. Sofia doesn’t agree. Actually, the act had a few shaky spots. However, the trio earn points for taking the act to an even higher level of danger and difficulty. Embarrassingly, Heidi accuses Howie of “drooling” over the girls. The youngest is only 14. Yikes. Howie looked a little flustered. Also. Terry notes that the 14 year old is never present for the critiques due to German labor laws that forbid children from working late (it’s the middle of the night in Germany right now.)
Archie Williams – Singer – In his video package, Archie reads letters from other wrongfully convicted prisoners such as himself. He spent 37 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Last time, Archie did not have a good performance and was nearly eliminated, This time he sings The Beatles’ “Blackbird,” and it’s a much better performance. He still has pitchy moments, but it’s his connection and phrasing that make the performance compelling. Fun fact: Paul McCartney wrote “Blackbird” in honor of the civil rights movement in America. The judges give Archie a standing ovation. Howie says, “I already feel like you’re a winner.” Sofia calls it “moving and beautiful” and his best performance. The judges love his shiny suit! Heidi says he makes the song brand new. “You’re soaring,” she says.
Daneliya Tuleshova – Teen singer – She sings “Alive” by Sia. This is arguably her best performance. It allows her to show off her lower and upper register. She can hit big notes, but her burnished alto sounds good on the lower notes as well. Sofia calls her “amazing” and “flawless.” Heidi calls her a “class act” and “you hit every note.” Howie calls her the most seasoned of the young singers. Compared to Roberta, for instance, Daneliya has a very mature sounding voice.
Alan Silva – Arealist – Being a little person made it difficult to follow his dreams, Alan says in his video package. He recounts meeting his wife, who isn’t a little person. He never imagined that she’d love him, but she did. Aw. His wife surprises him. They had been separated during the competition. He’s outside, performing as water pours on top of him. It’s very dramatic! The act ends with PYRO AND FIREWORKS! it was pretty great, but maybe not his very best. Heidi hopes that all the people who bullied him are watching him. Sofia calls it artistic and dangerous. Howie calls what he did dangerous. “This is ultimately upping your game,” he says.
Cristina Rae – Singer – She’s Heidi Klum’s Golden Buzzer. Out on the lot, standing on a lit runway, Cristina sings a powerful rendition of Imagine Dragon’s “Demons.” It’s a terrific song choice. Her whistle register sounds a little shaky this time. But she can’t be faulted for taking risks. She doesn’t hold back in her performances. She goes for the big notes. “You sparkle and shine…I wish nothing more than for you to get a million dollars,” Heidi gushes. Sofia loves her outfits. And her big notes too. Howie calls her “the queen” and “the one to beat.”
