From NBC Universal Media Village

AMERICA'S GOT TALENT
304
07-08-2008 9:00PM

Jerry Springer hosts week four of this variety competition series which features a colorful array of hopeful future stars as they compete for a chance to win a one million dollar prize and become the most talented act in America. Celebrity judge panel, David Hasselhoff ("Baywatch"), U.K. TV personality Piers Morgan (“Celebrity Apprentice”) and the queen of rock 'n roll management Sharon Osbourne ("The Osbournes") determine which contestants advance to the “Vegas Callbacks.”

hi guys im new and i was watching 2nites show and im sorry to say this but i dont think the girl who pole danced should have went through i mean i know alot of young kids my self included (16) watch this show like my cousins who are 8 and 10 what is putting a pole dancer through teaching them i know it most likely takes alot of skill and strength but still its not putting a good out look on life to alot of younger veiwers....tell me how you feel about this???

does anybody know the songs they used in the episode tonight? not the ones people sang, the ones NBC played with the show.

only 1-hour tonight? i feel cheated.

my favorite act was the 4 gents from new york because they seemed genuinely entertaining without being too over-the-top or tradional.

and i will continue to defend the pole dancer girl fro being so insanely hot! more lovely young women need to take up the fine art of pole dancing.

Wow!! This is the first time I've seen this show, and I'm really glad I did! The James Gang was really awsome!! They turned me on to something I never really paid attention to. (big band, swing?) I like how they incorporate it with "hip hop". I guess there's still hope for music after all! These guys are TRUE performers / entertainers!!!

yes, those were the guys. i pretty much despise any/all top 40 modern hip hop but the james gang is good stuff.


sure beats the crap out of hearing "you raise me up" sung for the 800th time.

This episode wasn't bad. There were a number of talented people who went through tonight and they deserved it and I'm happy their dreams are one step closer to coming true. The great part is that even if they don't win they've still gotten national exposure.

However, I have a couple of major issues with today's episode.

1. The girl who showed up with her dad and did that weird fight scene. Ok, fine, I fully recognize martial arts for what it is, but that was just dumb. People aren't going to pay money to see that as a Vegas show night after night. I'm willing to bet money she's leaving in the next round. I understand not wanting to break the kid's heart, but come on! People are participating in this competition for ONE MILLION dollars AND their own Vegas show! It wasn't all that great. What really dropped my faith in people was how the audience just ate it up and loved the fighting. I half-expected some of the people to start chanting "FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT".

2. That was almost insulting that the pole dancer got through. It's a bad habit that I've noticed these judges have. For those of you who saw the first season, you'll remember something similar that happened and the one judge who disagreed with the stripper going through is now replaced with Sharon Osbourne. It's gotten to the point that I find myself not even caring if they've got talent; if they pole dance, strip, or anything resembling it, I'm not interested in watching them on this show. Once again, these people are participating for their very own Las Vegas show. You can't honestly believe that a stripper or pole dancer is going to win.

Positive points:

1. Now in terms of an actual Vegas show, there is no better candidate than the James Gang. That is what a show is about. Holy crap! There are no words to describe how great that act was.

2. That contortionist girl is actually not bad. Do I think she'll win? No. Do I think she could make money off of her talent later in her life? Yes.

3. As long as that wedding singer can show that he can continue doing a great job, he can be one of the most phenomenal acts on this show. He was amazing.

4. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with what the show has done, but I'm glad to see that the audience is toning(sp?) it down a bit. I don't care if they're "the fourth judge", you don't boo people off the stage like they did in the first couple episodes. It's just degrading and makes me feel embarrassed for them. There were a couple acts where they completely screwed it up, but they do seem to be improving.

Decent episode.
I got a kick out of the dad/daughter fight scene. Totally unexpected and quite fun.
James Gang was excellent. Looking forward to seeing more of them. Nice rap/swing music hybrid. Good stage presence too.

There's been a lot of complaints about the pole dancer (who only got about 10 seconds) and maybe its not a great talent but MY GOD she is gorgeous! Whats her name? I need to google images of her immediately!

Other stuff- I wasn't as blown away by that last singer as the producers want me to be. Not bad but definitely not the best.
I would have liked to seen more of the flame throwing guy but he's probably not finals material.
The editing annoys me as well. I hope they are listening to us and fix things soon.

Recap is up here: Pop Culture Kitty



I believe the pole dancer's name was Nichole Romana. It really does get annoying when they breeze through a bunch of good acts and instead make us watch things like "Polka Today". They weren't even funny-bad.

I would love to take you up on that bet. I thought she did a great job showcasing self defense for young people. Anyone could tell by the way she started the routine by saying "NO PASSWORD, NO GO!" that is was about someone trying to abduct her. I also believe that she will step it up and do well in Las Vegas if the audience has anything to do with it.

So.. how much is the bet? I'm putting my money on the fighter.

BTW.. overall I think you had a pretty good post. Just kinda off on this one.

Peace

Hello-

I am a music teacher and studied classical voice in college. I was upset last night when I watched "America's Got Talent" when a classically trained countertenor [male who has the singing voice that would overlap that of an alto (lower female voice)] was told to sing like a man when he was singing Carmen's song from the opera Carmen. To be fair, he was off pitch in some sections, but he was nervous. There's already a stigma in mainstream audiences about opera being about fat women with horns, and it was compounded because the guy has an unusual voice. But, this guy can't sing as low as many men can. I think he perhaps sang this song that was written to be sang for a woman instead of a more suitable Handel song because this song was more recognizable.

I think the comments that he received were deplorable and reflected the ignorance of the judges and the audience. I am not all knowing, but happen to have studied voice. The guy was singing in a legitimate singing voice, perhaps not as entertaining as a girl grinding sparks off of her butt or breasts, but it is a form of talent.

If you are interested to learn more about this kind of singing voice please listen to a recording of the choral group Chanticleer. They have countertenors in that group that sing very well.

I am very disappointed also that the lady who came up dressed silly as a singing fairy was booed off the stage before she could even sing. It sounded like her voice would have been fine if anyone would have given her a chance.

There was a wonderful child violinist on America's Got Talent last year, and it made me very upset to hear the judges say it was just training. No - according to Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences, musical ability is a form of intelligence. The ability to play well is partly due to an aptitude or "talent". Training is another part.

I hope that the judges have not crushed the hopes of young people who are trying to study classical music.

Mark Wacek

Hi there! How refreshing to find someone who thinks the way I do!

I am not a voice person but I couldn't agree with you more - not just on the countertenor (who I thought was TERRIFIC) but on the "fairy" gal as well - with her I guess most people couldn't get past the getup she had on (sort of can't blame them on that, though) - but I closed my eyes and heard a relatively decent voice, which was hard to hear given the noise from everyone else.

I also agree that talent has to be there in the first place for the training to "take hold."

But I do think (judging from what I see and hear at the college where I work) that more and more "kids" are turning to classical training if only to use as a solid foundation for non-classical performance... sort of like football players doing ballet as strength and endurance training.


chatangel