We didn't know it, but last night was Part 1 of the finale...or was it the semi-finals and the finale is going to be on next week? Whatever. The bottom line was that the final four were chosen, they competed and in 1 week, we'll know what America thinks about talent.
As hoped "the Leftover Four" were the four acts that I (and the rest of the clan) felt were the least viable as winners. Not bad or untalented, just not worthy of the crown. The Glamazons, Jason Pritchett, Robert Hatcher and (thankfully) SideSwipe were all eliminated. These were definitely the four acts that I was the least bullish on and with the exception of Hatcher, I didn't really think they'd make out of the top 20.
The Final Four:
As hoped "the Leftover Four" were the four acts that I (and the rest of the clan) felt were the least viable as winners. Not bad or untalented, just not worthy of the crown. The Glamazons, Jason Pritchett, Robert Hatcher and (thankfully) SideSwipe were all eliminated. These were definitely the four acts that I was the least bullish on and with the exception of Hatcher, I didn't really think they'd make out of the top 20.
The Final Four:
- Julienne Irwin - 14-year old singer
My personal opinion is that she won't win. Not that she couldn't, she has a lot of what would make her the winner. She is talented. She's cute. She appears to be naturally
comfortable in front of an audience. She's just 14. They challenged her with some Rascal Flatts song (never heard it before) and she did a competent job and then she followed it up with a very non-traditional arrangement of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". Again, well done and competent, but maybe not enough to win. Her victory is that good old Piers admitted he was wrong and that she was actually good enough to win. I still say that if it weren't left completely up to the public that she wouldn't have a chance due to her similarity to last year's winner. But that may be how and why she could win. If she does win, I'll hardly be disappointed, but I will be the most surprised compared to the other three. - Butterscotch - beatboxer/singer
She was given the Marvin Gaye song "What's Going On" as a "challenge"...and did a nice job. It was done just straight blues/jazz/torch style and while she sings nice, it wasn't particularily amazing. She followed it up with a nifty version of "Dance to the Music". It w
as really the first time that I saw her cut loose and it worked well. It was funny, because she had 4 "dancers" jumping around while she performed. Allison made a hysterical observation that it was probably those dorks from SideSwipe... I originally said she would win and there's nothing that I saw that could make me think it couldn't happen. - Cas Haley - singer/guitarist
He did "Can't Help Falling In Love" reggae style ala UB40 for his challenge. I thought it was fine, if not a little "flat" in energy (let's face it, this guys "flat" performances are still
very strong). I thought that they had too much supporting orchestra on this song and his follow-up, a very tasty version of "Sir Duke" was also heavily orchestrated. Kristie and I went back and watched him do "Walking on the Moon" from his first audition: just him and a guitar and it was awesome. If he wins, it'll be great. The nice thing about all four finalists are their apparent humility, and this guy just exudes that quality. One thing's for certain: when his stuff hits iTunes, I'm buying. - Terry Fator - ventriloquist/impressionist/singer
He didn't disappoint. Based solely on last night's performance, he was the best. His "challenge" was to do country, and he performed a terrific version of Garth Brooks. Of the final four, his challenge performance was by far and away the best, and his choice
performance was having his turtle do Roy Orbison's "Crying". This song is tough to do in your voice, tougher to do as an impression of Roy, and I'd guess impossible to do as an impression of Roy ventriloquist style. It was amazing really. If America is going to go against the grain and choose a truly unique talent, this guy's got it wrapped up. Again, if he wins, that's great. I suspect he's got gigs lined up for quite a while.
