The first act to really catch my attention was when sisters Christina and Ali performed about twenty minutes into the show. The judges, especially Sharon and Howie, tend to be easy on the girls because of their “inspirational story” – they both suffer from Cystic Fibrosis. The girls aren’t the best singers, but they have a knack for choosing songs that suit them and they sound best when singing together. Inspirational story aside, they’re likable performers and though I don’t think they can win, I do like them.
Airpocalypse has never been my favorite act, but I did find their performance mildly entertaining. I still don’t believe that I could watch a whole show of a bunch of guys pretending to play instruments, but it wasn’t awful.
One of my favorite acts of the night was The Hot Shot Tap Dancers. I loved everything, from their set to their song selection to their costumes to their choreography. They were followed by another stand-out performance by Paul Safy Jr. I’m a huge fan of Harry Connick Jr. and Michael Buble, and Paul is right in that vein. His stage presence could use a bit of polish, but he really blew me away considering it was the first night.
Future Funk was a memorable act from earlier in the season because those kids are so damn cute. Add tuxedos to that equation, and you’ve got one really adorable performance.
The woman who whistles with her hands is just not someone I can support. She seems lovely, but come on. That’s a party trick. Was that supposed to be Mariah Carey’s “Hero”? If it was, it was barely recognizable. But I’m not even sure that was the song.
OK, those girls from RNG were intense! “It’s go hard or go home,” one of them said as they struggled to get a flip right. I loved, loved, loved their performance, though. It was unlike anything I’ve seen from kids their age. I disagreed with Howie, I thought it was better than a dance recital.
Sexy painter Maricar added a new element to her act for the quarterfinals by painting underwater. I loved the gratuitous shots of her butt presses up against the glass. Classy. It was better than her original audition, but I still didn’t think it was worthy of national television. The second last act of the night was Defying Gravity, and I had high expectations for the group. They didn’t disappoint – the performance was just as mesmerizing as the first time. I’m interested to see where they can take their act from here.
Nathaniel Kenyon closed out the show, and I wasn’t sure how he’d do based on his first performance. He’s a good looking kid but nerves are a big problem for him. Unfortunately, so was his song choice. Hinder for a baby-faced kid like him? I don’t think so. It also exposed some of his vocal shortcomings. He’s a cute kid, but he needs more experience.
Only four acts out of the twelve that performed (though, frankly, it felt like I saw more than twelve acts) on Tuesday night can make it through to the next round. I’d like to see The Hot Shot Tap Dancers, Paul Safy Jr., RNG and Defying Gravity go through. But I wouldn’t be disappointed if Future Funk squeaked in, just because I want to adopt them, or Nathaniel because I think he has potential. Who do you think deserves to go through to the next round?
