I am SO Stoked for the Semi's & the Top Ten

In this week's last quarterfinals show, just before the judges wrongly sent Aaron Crow to the semifinals, we were shown ten of the acts we'll be seeing in next week's first semifinals show.  I say wrongly, firstly because Mel B shocked me by voting in complete contradiction to her usual demographically based political correctness.  Secondly, Howie shocked me by going against his great little speech about family being that about which the show is supposed to be.  And I was dismayed that the judges' decision flew in the face of the overwhelming Dunkin' Save vote in favor of The Future Kingz.  And I was disgusted that another interloping foreigner is still in contention.  I am no fan of hip hop.  I am no fan of male dancers or all male dance troupes.  And as a past English grammar teacher, I am no fan of anyone who pluralizes nouns by adding the letter 'z'.  But at least Future Kingz are Americans.  And as Jerry Springer always said in the early years of the show when he was hosting,  AGT is supposed to be for finding "the best new talent in America".   There's been a lot of on-line criticism, including from me, concerning so many acts already being professional performers.  I have backed off my stringent stance on that point, as long as the act isn't already an American household name, who is widely known and wildly successful.  Examples would be Glennis Grace, Shim Lin, Us the Duo, Mochi and Zurcaroh.  But I would exempt Glennis, Mochi and Zurcaroh, as they are not American.  Call me a nationalist or a jingoist.  I don't care.  

So let's look ahead to next week's acts and my preferences and predictions.  The first consideration is who will be filling the eleventh spot.  Will it be Aaron Crow or the Wild Card?  If it is Aaron Crow

, I prefer him  NOT.  Though he does offer variety to the show, I can't cast a single vote for him, for the above stated reasons.  I am quite sure that the fans won't vote for him either.  

 If the eleventh act is the Wild Card, which I would think that it wouldn't be, as that would be damned short notice for a performer to prepare.   There has been much on-line fan talk of whom should be brought back.  I just hope that whomever is responsible for choosing shows better taste than they did with the stupid spitters and the morbidly obese belly bumpers.  

 

Names that I've seen often mentioned include The Sacred Riana, Mochi, Flau Jae and Savitsky Cats. 

 

 

Any of the four would offer variety among all of the singers, which a lot of fans are lamenting that there are just too many.  Indonesian Riana is just too creepy to be enjoyably entertaining.  I am a long time Cat Fancier and a lifelong admirer of attractive women and thoroughly enjoyed both short performances of Russian Savitsky Cats.  But I cannot imagine a clowder of cats performing for an hour or more, which would be required for a Las Vegas headline act.   Flau Jae, Golden Buzzerred for reasons of political correctness more than for performance content, is, at least American.  But, I'm sorry, rap is crap and a faux art form for those without the talent to make real music.  As I've written before, she IS a profound poetess and should use her talent in that true art form among the seven fine arts to publish her poems and present them in proper poetry readings.   Of those four, I found Japanese Mochi to be the most endearing and entertaining, but I don't think that he could hold my attention for the length of a featured show.  

I am already seeing a fan following for bringing back Future Kingz and  fake German Australian Hans, though much of the talk about Hans is for him to replace Tyra as host(ess?).  to both, I'd say. "Yo, nahh, sho 'nuff!"  and "NEIN!"   And I think more would join me than wouldn't. 

Hans would probably be more entertaining than Tyra, but he would also be waaaaay too ego maniacal.  And I DO appreciate and admire Tyra, as the only American among the five cast members and for her Golden Buzzer selections.  Future Kingz are just not my taste in entertainment and I don't think that they will garner the votes to move to the Top 10.  For my preferences in performance arts, Hans is just too...campy, shall I say, rather than flamingly flamboyant, much like Prince Poppycock from a few years back.    I would not cast a single vote for any of the six mentioned above. And from their receipt of votes, or lack thereof, I don't think that any of them would be chosen by the voting fans to be in the Top 10 finals show.  Who would I like as the semi finals wild card act? 

 Though it's happened more than once on Britain's Got Talent, I think

that in the show's history, the "freaking hilarious" Francois Raphael Edgar Norbert Celestine Herbert Absalom Correntine Clement Emmanuel Nathaniel Tellus IV is the first AGT act to have two judges take back their X's, giving him three 'yes' votes.  But he never showed up in judge cuts, which is more of a sob story than all of those put forth by so many acts, because he is original, unique, funny and not a singer.  And he's from Wyoming, "obviously".  And he's a better accordionist than Hans.

In looking at the ten acts we were told near the end of this weeks's episode who will be performing in the first semifinals shows, here's my picks of preferences and predictions in alphabetical order.

 Like Flau Jae, Amanda Mena was Golden Buzzerred more for political correctness than for performance content and for her sob story than for talent.  I shan't cast a single vote for her, but I imagine that a lot of people will, probably enough to make her one of the five to advance.

 Though guest judge Dr. Ken said, "It's not America's Got Perfection.   It's America's Got Talent."  That's true enough, I suppose, but in an aerial acrobatic act like Duo Transcend, the husband can't drop his wife from twenty feet up.  Not even once.  They'll get no votes from me and not enough from others to advance. 

 Junior New System is without doubt my least favorite act this week.  I am sick to my stomach with their lying ass sob story.  If we, as voting fans had the option to vote 'no, omg no, bloody 'ell no', they'd get that vote from me.  I shan't cast them a vote and I'm thinking that enough Americans will agree with me that they'll be sent home to The Philippines, where they can enter Pilippina's Got Talent or reenter Asia's Got Talent to see if they can improve upon their Golden Buzzer and third place finish there last year.  

 After Golden Buzzering Makayla Phillips, Heidi Klum proclaimed, "I think I've found the winner!"  Maybe.  AGT fans do have a history of choosing solo singers, but there seems to be a bit of a backlash against that practice this year.  I enjoyed both of her performances, especially Warrior and was okay with her Golden Buzzer.  But I shall not be casting any votes her way and I don't think that enough others will to make her one of this show's five to join the top ten. 

 Michael Ketterer is an outstanding young man of whom his hometown of Knoxville, TN is rightfully proud, even though he doesn't live there anymore.  And he's only the third male vocalist in the history of the show whom I really liked, alongside Sal 'The Voice' Valentinetti and Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.

Ketterer's Golden Buzzer patron, Sir Simon is so enamored with him, that, as the show's boss. he may insist that he be advanced whether he gets the votes or not.  On the other hand, Simon may not want Michael committed to an AGT contract, so that they can immediately produce KettererMusic together, apart from the show.  For me, voting for Michael is going to be  a conflict between my personal talent appreciation and my nationalistic pride.

 I always root for the comedians, because I know what a tough row to hoe stand up comedy is.  If he can keep making me smile, chuckle and guffaw, as he has in his earlier performances, I shall be casting all of the votes that I can for Samuel J. Comroe.  But comedy being the highly subjective art form that it is, I seriously doubt that enough other voting viewers will do so to send him to the finals.

 Shin Lim is a very likable young man and an amazing magician.  As I wrote in response to his mother and manager, if he continues to dazzle and delight, which I have no doubt that he will, he'll be receiving lots of votes from me, as I think that he will from others, advancing him to the finals.

 Us the Duo is perhaps the only act with a truly pure CHEER story.  If they'll select songs that are upbeat and uplifting, as they did for their audition and quarter finals performances, with Carissa beating her drum, they're a shoo-in for my votes, and I think (hope, at least) enough additional votes to advance.

 Guest judge Dr. Ken's Golden Buzzer choice, Voices of Hope Children's Choir gives me such hope for the future.  As Simon said of the other choir, there is something about properly and precisely performed choir music that just washes over you and makes you feel amazing.  VOH does that for me.  Their rotational out front solo singers and their overall choral harmonies are just magnificent, as their effects, costuming and choreography are all simplistically superb and elegant..  I love what Miss Sarah has accomplished with these kids.  But I don't know if there are enough others who see them as a legitimate show to get them into the top ten.

 Beyond Howie's resounding and repeated "WOW!"s, Mel B's echo of that sentiment, and Tyra needing to collect her breath and get some oxygen on her way to press the Golden Buzzer, there are not adjectives enough for me to describe Zurcaroh.  Astounding. astonishing and absolutely breathtaking come to mind.  Better than Cirque du Soleil.  Tyra said that their audition performance has gotten more views than any other in the history of AGT.   At least twenty of those were me.  And every time I've watched, I've been astounded and astonished all over again.  And I can say pretty much the same for their Adam and Eve performance.  This is the only dance act this year worth the electricity it takes to run a television or computer to watch.  For pure entertainment value, Zurcaroh is without doubt the most enjoyable and Vegas worthy act in the competition.   They are, also without doubt, going to be voted through to the final show, with or without my votes.  As much as I love love love this act, I loved them more when I mistakenly assumed that Peterson had fled Brazil and formed this troupe in LA, Houston, Miami or somewhere in the US, rather than in Gotzis, Austria.  It's going to be a dilemma for me to choose between my loves of fine art and great nation.  Maybe after they win, or at least come very very close, they can move to America and become a new, integral part of American Exceptionalism. Then my conflict between love of country and love of creativity would be resolved.  I'd love for such adroit artists to become legal, permanent residents or American citizens.  If they chose that option, I would ask that they leave their Brazilian and European democratic socialism behind.  This is a republican capitalistic country.    Whether they choose that route to be part of US, or decide to be true to the EU in gorgeous Gotzis, they are going to need very extended work visas.  Win or not, they will be in The Final Five, which will allow them to have received enough exposure and created enough excitement that they will be performing on the Vegas Strip, and in other posh casino/resorts, like Harrah's in Atlantic City and Cherokee, as well as touring the country, performing in front of full houses in exquisite, expansive and expensive rooms like Belk Theatre in The Blumenthal Performing Arts Center and DPAC, reaping the rich rewards of capitalism.  It's the same idealistic reason that so many people in general from around the world want to be in America that causes performing artists specifically from everywhere to want to be in
.  

Arizona Can Give America a Great Gift This Year

Like the Phoenix, for which the capital city is named, the voters and the governor of the great state of Arizona can cause the state to rise from the morass of mediocrity that its voters have created in their share of the composition of the United States Senate.  AZ can give us (US), in one year, which is a great historic rarity, two good, Constitutional conservative senators to replace the two Demoncats in Repulsican clothing with whom it has been saddling the Republic for years and decades.   Jeff Flake has always been a flake with his head up the butt of John McCain't Tell The Truth.  And John McCain't Tell The Truth has always been a spoiled brat opportunist, whose great symbolic thumb down gesture to defeat the Obamacare repeal bill was really more of a gesture of giving Arizona voters who reelected his lying arse the finger....much like he did to all of America in 2008, when as a preposterously preposterous, prevaricating presidential candidate, he did all he could to throw the election and saddle the nation with the baseborn bolshevik buffoon, up whose butt John McCain't Tell The Truth stuck his head for eight years.

On Tuesday, Arizona Republicans will vote between Congresswoman Martha McSally, former state senator Kelli Ward, and former Maricopa County sheriff, Joe Arpaio.

At first glance, Col. McSally is just another Repulsican establishment politician. being endorsed by the most repulsive Repulsican, Kentucky senator and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.  

                                                                                              

But Martha McSally is much more than that.  She is a retired USAF colonel, who rose through the ranks through merit and achievement, unlike John McCain't Tell The Truth, who rose through Naval ranks to the same level as Col. McSally through familiar influence from within the Admiralty.  She was a fighter pilot, like my dad was during World World II, with the Army forerunner of the Air Force.  She became a combat pilot and a command level pilot.  As one, who, as a youth aspired to be an Air Force officer, before being declared 4F, I have greatest respect and highest regard for that.    

Though mostly identified as a moderate, Congresswoman McSally has demonstrated conservative convictions in a number of legislative actions and her overall support of the Trump agenda.  And I shall presume that the sense of duty and honor she gained as a very specialized Air Force officer will cause her to continue that course.

Dr. Kelli Ward is the more obviously conservative candidate of the two front running women in this race.  As a Tea Party candidate, she opposed John McCain't Tell The Truth in the 2016 primary, but his ability to manipulate and prevaricate, garnered from decades of incumbency, won out.  She is endorsed by Kentucky's other, GOOD senator, Rand Paul, 

as well as conservative commentators Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Mark Levine.  

 

Perhaps the primary reason we need her in the US Senate is that besides her personal political/ philosophical opinion, as a physician, she has a professional viewpoint on the importance of repealing Obamacare.   

Sheriff Arpaio, I have great respect and regard for you as well, sir.  My desired duty as an Air Force officer would have been in the OIS, or OSI, as it's now named, so I have an allegiance to law enforcement officers, especially ones with your reputational renown.   But sir, you have no prayer for finishing better than third in this race.  You are a very polarizing personalty, and at 87, you are just too old for this.  I wish that there some way that you read this and heed my request to withdraw and throw your support to Dr. Ward.   Otherwise, all you are going to accomplish  is what Teddy Roosevelt and his 'Bull Moose' Progressive Party did in 1912, 

giving us Woodrow Wilson.  

  Governor Doug Ducey will soon have to appoint someone to take the finally dead John McCain't Tell The Truth.  He says that he won't choose himself, which, from what I've read of the man, would be a palatable pick.  My first and fondest choice would be most recent past governor, Jan Brewer.  I absolutely adore this woman, for more than just that famous picture.  She expressed no interest in running for Flake the flake's seat, probably because at age almost 76, she didn't want to take on that kind of six year long commitment.  But to fill McCaint Tell The Truth's seat for two, or maybe even four years would be appealing to her.  And it would put a REAL Republican in that seat for the first time in three bloomin' decades.

Presuming Col. McSally's victory in Tuesday's primary election, the most logical and principled pick would be Dr. Ward.  She gave McCaint Tell The Truth a run for his big money in 2016, and if it weren't for Sheriff Arpaio muddying the waters, splitting the conservative populist vote in this year's primary race, she would be running neck and neck with, or ahead of Col. McSally.  She is obviously well considered by a goodly number of Arizona citizens.

The one monumental mistake that I pray to God, Jesus and Mother Mary that you don't make, Governor, is appointing McCaint Tell The Truth's widow, Cindy McCain to sit in that senatorial seat.    

I haven't placed a serious wager since Super Bowl III, when I KNEW, along with Joe Namath that the Jets were going to win, but I'd consider it a safe bet that if she were put in that position, she would feel betrothedly bound to lengthen his legacy of Demoncatic deception and skulduggery. 

Didn't we get enough of that type of foolishness with Jean Carnahan, and Muriel Humphrey?

   

I'm Looking Forward to the Last Quarterfinal and Beyond

The final quarter final show is coming up in just a few days, and I am anticipating it with great eagerness.  In the past two shows, I have been overall delighted.  Each week, the three acts for whom I voted moved forward, though two of them had to sweat through the dumb mass Dunkin' Save process.  And three of the four acts whom I disliked the most got sent home.

Speaking of the Dunkin' Save, it is a flawed system.  First and foremost, it largely excludes viewers in the western time zones.  That, in and of itself might not be such a bad thing, considering how left coasters tend to vote in public political elections.  Secondly, the system hardware can and does get overloaded, preventing viewers in the eastern half of the country from casting all the votes they might wish to cast.   It's merely a marketing gimmick to give a primary sponsor additional exposure.   As long as the vote count following the live performance show is accurate and truthful, there is no objective reason for having a second, time compressed vote.  If contestants are moved forward and ultimately win because "America has voted", it should be left at that.  If an act garners the sixth or seventh most votes, it advances.  If it finishes eighth, it's finished.  If the Dunkin' Save is designed to give the judges one more say, it hasn't worked well this season's first two quarterfinals.  Revamp it to the Dunkin' Deliberations, wherein they choose a wild card act to join the twenty-one viewer chosen acts, as has been the practice in past seasons, to have an equal number of acts to split between each semifinal show.  That decision would be announced at the beginning of the first semifinal live performance episode, with some video of those deliberations, like they show in the judge cut episodes.  They wouldn't necessarily have to choose an act that finished eighth in the voting in any of the quarterfinal shows.  They could bring back a mysteriously missing since the audition round act like the "freaking hilarious" Francois Raphael Edgar Norbert Celestine Herbert Absalom Correntine Clement Emmanuel Nathaniel Tellus IV, who made AGT history, having two judges withdraw their premature red X's.  More than once, Amanda, Alesha and even Simon have taken back their X's on Britain's Got Talent, but I think that this is the first time it's occurred on AGT.   

Of course, with that, we chance the perverse possibility of acts like the stupid spitters or the obese belly bumpers undeservedly and unwantedly coming back. 
Another related thought:  As we are permitted to vote ten times by myriad methods for any number of acts whom we like, I wish we were allowed to vote no, OMG no, bloody  'ell, no for one act whom we detest and/or despise. 
Let's look ahead to the twelve acts performing in the upcoming, final quarterfinals show..
 Aaron Crow, Belgian daredevil.  It's a no for me.
 Australian entertainer Hans.  Too...campy to be my cup of tea. 
 UDI Dance from Siberia.  They're no Silhouettes.  Could be Russian                                                     spies.  I vote Nyet.
  I was SO pleased when Tyra came out of the wings to award the first Golden Buzzer of the season to Zurcorah.  They received a Golden Buzzer last year, as well, in France's Got Talent.  When the group's director told his story of fleeing Brazil, I mistakenly assumed that he came to America and founded and formed this amazing, astounding, astonishing act with kids from somewhere like LA, Houston or Miami.  Nope.  Gotzis, Austria.  As much as this act thrills me, I'll probably be jingoistic and nationalist and cast them no votes, after all.
 Christina Wells is an astonishing singer.  She tells her sad story of being cut from a show as a teenager, because she was too big for the costuming of that show, despite the fact that everyone agreed that she had great pipes.   She shared a picture of herself at that age and she was a B-U-T-FUL full figured  young woman in the way of Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, et al., but nevertheless, a big girl, but not "a great big fat person", as in the words of Buffalo Bill of Silence of the Lambs, or as she has become, as she refused to take the criticism constructively.  Instead of recognizing and accepting that we no longer see Rubenesque as the ideal and working to slim down, she opted to let completely go to become morbidly obese and raise two sons to be the same.  This career dream she pursues relies on visual appeal, as well as vocal appeal, contrary to Simon's politically correct remarks after her performance.  You can bet dollars to Dunkin' Doughnuts that he would never produce her work.  As I said, she is a wondrous songstress, but as she is, she's only suited to the type of work where she is heard and not seen.
 The Future Kingz are not my taste in any way, much like Flau Jae.      I'm generally not a big fan of dance acts, especially all male dance acts.  And I'm definitely not a fan of their style of dance.  And I have no respect or positive regard for anyone or any group who pluralizes nouns by adding the letter 'z'.  This would be this week's act for whom I would vote no, OMG no, bloody 'ell no.
  Singer/pianist Joseph O'Brien from Columbia, TN is, for me,                                                                  unremarkable and unmemorable.
  The same is true of illusionist Rob Lake.
 Wild card classical/crossover singer Daniel Emmett basically had to                                                        audition unprepared and unrehearsed at Simon's insistence and blew                                                      the roof off the joint.  He definitely deserves consideration and                                                              votes.
   Simon's Golden Buzzer selection, male vocalist Michael Ketterer                                                           spellbound the audience and me with his persona and performance.
Both of these young men are truly gifted music makers and remind me of the only two male vocalists from previous seasons whom I truly remember; 2011 season winner Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. and season 11 fifth place finisher, Sal 'The Voice' Valentinetti.


So who does that leave us about whom to be excited?
 Us the Duo.  I LOVE this pretty pair!  But as the    judges said in the judge cut round, their audition performance was better, mostly based on song  choice with which I agreed.  I hope that they return to that upbeat, uplifting sound this week.
 Brian King Joseph has a happy and hopeful demeanor and disposition which are as inspirational and enjoyable as his electric violin music is electrifying.  He is a violin virtuoso in the same world class with Mairead Nesbitt and Vanessa Mae.  Man alive, wouldn't I LOVE LOVE LOVE to see and hear the three of them perform together, perhaps playing a trio rendition of Dueling Violins and/or Strings of Fire. 

Anyway, watch and vote!  Especially if you agree with me!