America's Got Talent: Season 5 - YouTube Special

Before I get to this week's YouTube Special, here's a recap of last week's results:

• Doogie Horner, Mary Ellen & Murray are up first:
• Murray - Advancing to Semifinals [Prediction: 1/1]
• Doogie Horner - Eliminated
• Mary Ellen - Eliminated
• Video: This week's contestants go to a private screening of The Other Guys
• Taio Cruz performs "Dynamite"
• Taylor Matthews, Da Maniacs & Lindsey Stirling are up next:
• Taylor Matthews - Advancing to Semifinals [1/2]
• D Maniacs - Eiminated
• Lindsey Stirling - Eliminated
• Strikers All Stars, NU Covenant & Prince Poppycock are the next three acts to find out their fate:
• Prince Poppycock - Advancing to Semifinals [2/3]
• Strikers All Stars - Eliminated
• NU Covenant - Eliminated
• Bret Michaels performs "Every Rose Has Its Thorn"
• Rudi Macaggi, ArcAttack (I misspelled the name last week) and Anna & Patryk are the final three acts:
• Rudi Macaggi - Eliminated
• Judge's Choice:
• Piers - Anna & Patryk
• Howie - ArcAttack
• Sharon - ArcAttack
• ArcAttack - Advancing to Semifinals [3/4]
• My Predictions: I got three out of four correct

America's Got Talent Season 5: YouTube Special

Airdate: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 [9-11pm]

1. PLUtonic [A cappella Group; performed Flo Rida's "Low"]: The opening, while cheesy, was pretty solid (and they sang great). But once the "choir director" started singing (his voice was just okay) and they all went into the rap of Flo Rida's "Low," it went downhill from there while ramping up the cheese factor even more. It was fun to watch, but not good enough for the Top 24.
2. Dylan Plummer [Jump-roper]: On the good side, he is a very talented jump-roper (I would not be able to do any of those moves). But on the bad side, this act is not right for this show; there is not enough in the performance for a Vegas show.
3. Pup [Animal Music Act]: This may have been the worst animal act performance this show has ever seen. The dog stopped playing the accordion only a little into the song, and then just stood there for the rest of the time, leaving us to listen to the terrible voice of the owner. This was a waste of a spot.
4. Cam Hodges [Singer/Guitarist; performed "Break Your Heart"]: Piers said it all: it wasn't perfect. I really have to echo his words here. There were some good moments, and there were some pitchy notes (especially the high notes). I do not think it was good enough for me to vote for him, but America may very well give him another shot.
5. Ryan Rodriguez [Dancer]: About 98%-99% of the time, I am extremely harsh on the dancers, and this time is no different. His dance moves were some of the most simple, basic, and amateurish moves a dancer could ever make. He even ended with one or two somersaults. I mean, come on! Is he in elementary school?
6. Austin Anderson [Comedian]: He was not funny at all; I did not laugh once. And the audience barely made a noise of laughter. He's confident on stage, but don't make an excuse that it was the wrong topic, as Howie, Austin & Sharon did, because a good comedian should know what works and what doesn't.
7. Booker Forte [Dancer]: Is anyone tired of seeing dance acts on this show? Most of his moves were pointless, because, as Piers said, he only stayed in a small area on the stage. And again, I didn't see anything original.
8. Pizza Patt [Pizza Dough Twirler]: When I found out in the intro video what his act is, I knew were were in for another bad act. Here's the deal: he's very good at twirling pizza dough, but it is not a talent in terms of what the show is looking for. He tried to up the ante by having one be lit on fire, but it didn't change my mind.
9. Kristina Young [Singer; performed Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats"]: Seeing as how she sang a Carrie Underwood song, I'm going to have to be extra tough. It was completely the wrong song choice, because the song just swallowed her up, whereas Carrie owned the song. She was pitchy many times throughout. And at the end, I think she tried to change it up a little to make it her own, but by then it was too late for any sort of recover.
10. Maestro Alexander Bui [Pianist]: At this point, I almost just want to give a thumbs down to every act, no matter if they are good or bad, because this has turned into a waste of an episode. But this guy is a really talented pianist and the only talented act of the night so far. My only criticism is that as the song kept going on, it sounded like the same thing over and over. So, he needs to step it up more if he makes it to the next round because it does need to be more exciting. But he definitely is really talented.
11. Dan Sperry [Magician]: Initial Comments: This guy is kind of disturbing, from his mysterious personality to the floss through his neck. And you could tell he was not happy when the judges were focusing on and laughing at Howie being grossed out by the floss getting near him instead of actually commenting on his act. I have said before that I'm a huge fan of magic, but I don't know whether I liked it or not. It was just so strange. / Updated Comments: Even though it was a little disturbing, he is no doubt very talented and deserves to advance to the next round.
12. Jackie Evancho [10-year-old Opera Singer]: She is by far the most talented child to come on to the stage in the history of the show, let along being the best of the night. At first, I thought they were just playing the song on the speakers and she was lip syncing, but I am just blown away that that is her voice. My jaw was on the floor from start to finish. I could keep going, but there really aren't any words to describe the brilliance we just witnessed. It's no wonder she was the YouTube winner (and won a trip to Universal Studios Orlando). I almost decided not to vote at all, but then along came Jackie.

Favorite Performance: Jackie Evancho

My Votes: Jackie Evancho [10 votes by phone; 10 votes online]

Predictions to Advance: Cam Hodges / Maestro Alexander Bui / Dan Sperry / Jackie Evancho

My Season 5 Vote Tracker:

Fighting Gravity: 20 votes

Harmonica Pierre: 20 votes [eliminated]

Jackie Evancho: 20 votes

Michael Grimm: 10 votes

Alice Tan Ridley: 10 votes

Prince Poppycock: 10 votes

Murray: 10 votes

Total: 100 votes cast so far

For the most part, this was a disaster of a show. I seriously hope the producers decide not to do a YouTube Special ever again, because most of them were terrible. Fortunately, the final three acts were great.

Before I get to my predictions, I have to make this comment: Before tonight, I would have said that Fighting Gravity is the odd on favorite act to win, but after hearing Jackie Evancho's voice, I think they have some competition for the crown now.

There are three acts that should and need to advance: Maestro Alexander Bui, Dan Sperry, and Jackie Evancho. If I were the sole decider, I would only put those three acts through and not even have a fourth spot. But, alas, that's not the case. So, this fourth spot is a little tricky. It could be any number of people. I could see it being Cam Hodges, Pizza Patt, or even Pup (only because Sharon and Howie were giving him a pass because the dog didn't cooperate; if they are up for the Judge's Choice, Pup may have a shot). But I'm ultimately going with Cam Hodges, because after the three good acts I mentioned, he was the next act on the good to bad list; he wasn't anywhere near perfect, but the judges like him, and he did have some good moments.

Tonight, four of these YouTube acts will advance into the Semifinals. And we will see guest performances by YouTube sensations Judson Laipply ("Evolution of Dance") and Lin Yu Chun (Taiwan's "Super Star Avenue"), as well as former AGT act Quick Change. See ya then...