I LOVE This Show!

The original mandate for television to broadcast over the public airwaves was, and is to enlighten and entertain.  Though it has always been pretty dumb, like so much else in America, television has been dumbed down to the lowest common denominator, so that there is very little enlightenment to be found on the small screen.   Similarly, the entertainment portion of TV has always been insane,y silly and stupid, but it has delved to new depths of silliness and stupidity over the course of my lifetime, which now transcends seven different decades.  Thank God and goodness for radio.
And yes, there is plenty of silliness and stupidity in this show,  but it also showcases some of the most wildly entertaining talent you'd ever hope to witness, covering a myriad of genres.  That show is
.

Now in it's thirteenth season, the show has undergone many changes in the personnel of judges and hosts.  All in all, I think that each new cast member has been at least as good as the replaced member, if not an improvement.  Among the current panel of judges, only Melanie Brown of Spice Girls fame, is really the only one with whom I have any problem.  Like most lunatic liberal performance types, she is an obvious dumb mass, who quite often, just doesn't get it.  But my primary problem with her is her constant and consistent disrespect for lead judge and show creator/executive producer Simon Cowell, for whom I've developed a great deal of regard and respect.  He is a talented talent scout and ingenious programmer.  Largely no nonsense and brutally honest, he is much like his countryman, Chef Gordon Ramsey.  And like Chef, he does possess a sense of kindness and compassion.
I do miss Nick Cannon, as host.  But Tyra Banks is a beautiful woman to watch and does exhibit good taste and appreciation for a variety of acts in her Golden Buzzer selections.
I have always had one nit picking problem with the show.  The grammatically incorrect title.  It should be America Has Talent.  With that in mind, it brings to mind the one real complaint I have with the show.   Too many non-Americans.  Yeah, sometimes the judges and producers get it wrong.  Like voting through the no talent act, Yumbo Dump and bringing back Human Fountains as the wild card act.  And sometimes America misses the mark, like voting for Micheal Grimm over Jackie Evancho, or Olante Dogs over Tom Cotter.
This year is maybe the apex for non-American acts performing in the live shows.  Though many of them are quite talented and enjoyable, they should be competing in their own countries, as Simon has put this concept all around the world, so that even Burma has talent.  And I believe that there is even a Planet's Got Talent, where winning performers from around the world can compete against the American winner of AGT for the global talent prize.
So let's talk about the remaining competing acts.  Those for whom I shall be casting votes and those for whom I shall not.  The simple, basic criteria I use is "Would I plunk down money and could I watch and/or listen to this for an hour or two?"  Let's start by eliminating the performers who are not American.
  Belgian Aaron Crow, who has already carpetbagged France Got Talent, as well as Britain's Got Talent, I believe I remember reading.
 Courtney Hadwin, Howie Mandel's Golden Buzzer.  I LOVE this little girl.  I would happily plunk down money and watch and listen to her for as long as she was able to perform.  But she's from County Durham, England and was a phenom on The Voice UK Kids, which was the wrong format for her, as so much of her presentation is visual, along with the vocals.  She bypassed BGT for the bigger AGT prize of a Vegas headline show, as opposed to performing for the British royal family. 
  Da Republik, from the Dominican Republic.  I'd have problems with supporting any group of any kind with such a socialist sounding and spelled name.  And I am sick to death of their boo hoo sad sob story of abject poverty and no opportunity in their homeland.  If they're so dirt floor poor, how are they affording passage to and accommodations in the U.S.?
  Hans, from Heidi Klum's native Germany.  Hans is perhaps the consummate entertainer in this season's lineup, much like Prince Poppycock was a few years back.  But he , like Prince Poppycock is just too flamingly flamboyant for my tastes, even if he were American.
  Junior New System, from Manila, Philippines.  Another all male dance group with the gimmick of dancing in stiletto heeled ankle boots.  A tale of woe and worry about basic survival, though they got themselves across the Pacific Ocean, after competing in Asia's Got Talent.  Wonder why they haven't seemed to perform in Pillipinas Got Talent?
 Lord Nil, Italian born European.
  Mochi, from Japan.  I really like this guy and his act with the Diabolo.  But all in all, it's yo yo tricks.  I can't imagine it remaining entertaining for the length of a Vegas headline show.
 The Sacred Riana, from Indonesia.  She is mystical and magical, and she's already won Asia's Got Talent.
  Savitsky Cats, from The Ukraine.  Maybe more amazing than Olante Dogs, but I can't imagine cats performing for an hour or more.
Shin Lim is an aMAZing magician and totally likable fellow.  Ethnically Korean, born in Canada, raised in Singapore but has been in America for the past fifteen years, so I won't disqualify him for being an interloping foreigner.  But I would disqualify him for being an established professional performer, who lives in a Massachusetts mansion, drives a fifty thousand dollar Porshe and has a net worth of a million dollars.  I thought that AGT was supposed to be for undiscovered, new talent, not for people padding their resumes and purses.
 UDI Dance, an all male troupe from Siberia, Russia.  Probably spies.
 And the aforementioned Yumbo Dump, the dumbest bit of dump I think I've ever seen on AGT.
There are three Golden Buzzer selections, selected for reasons of political correctness, for whom I wouldn't cast a single vote, even at the point of a loaded gun.
  Amanda Mena, a gifted singer, no doubt.  But a teen aged girl has no business singing Natural Woman.  Mel B GBed her strictly because she's a poor little Latina who was 'bullied' by classmates after moving to Boston (legally, I'll hopefully assume).  In my day, being bullied meant getting the crap beat out of you, having your head shoved in a toilet or being stuffed into your locker.   Her bullying was being excluded from social groups, primarily because she couldn't speak the language of the land.
 Rapper Flau Jae, GBed by a guest judge who later regretted it when he couldn't award such honor to Glennis Grace, a truly talented singer.  First and foremost, rap s a faux art form for people without the talent to produce actual seven fine arts music.  I will give this girl props for being a profound poetess, but that belongs in a college coffeehouse, not on the biggest talent show on Earth.
 Quin and Misha.  It is remarkable and astonishing to see what this seventy-one year old woman can do.  But if she were her partner's age, this act would have never been Golden Buzzered and probably not even voted through to the next round.
I can only hope that my fellow viewers/voters will be as jingoistic as I'm sure that I'll be labeled for writing all of this and see through the political correctness trumping true talent and not cast a single vote for these acts.
There are two other acts whom I can't consider considering.  I feel that they were both put through by the judges for reasons of political correctness.
 Christina Wells has preposterous pipes and can belt it out.  But in this type of competition, with the prize being what it is, visual is as important as vocals.  Christina is more suited for The Voice and doing work like that of the woman who did the singing for Wendy McKenna in Sister Act.
 I have no respect or positive regard for any one or any group who pluralizes words by adding the letter 'z',  as The Future Kingz do.
Other Golden Buzzer acts are definitely deserving of votes, dependent on viewers' tastes and preferences.  They are all superbly talented and enjoyable and I can imagine sitting through a  Las Vegas stage show with any one of them as the headline act.
Simon's choice was Michael Ketterer, a truly talented, heartfelt singer who emotionally moved the entire room.  As Simon said, he is special.
 Voices of Hope Children's Choir was the good Golden Buzzer selection of guest judge Dr. Ken.  They are inspirational and enjoyable to watch, but their most direct competition is superior.
 Heidi Klum proclaimed that she thinks she found the winner with her Golden Buzzer pick, Makayla Phillips.  I could enjoy sitting through a vocal concert by this wonderful young woman.  Her rendition of Warrior was extremely uplifting.
But for my tastes, the other two Golden Buzzer recipients are better bets for winning the competition.
 Hostess Tyra Banks gasped that she needed to collect her breath and get some oxygen when she came out of the wings to hit the Golden Buzzer for gymnastic/ acrobatic dance group, Zurcorah.  They are truly breathtaking and if they build on what they accomplished in their audition, I shall be voting then through to the finals.
 Guest judge Olivia Munn made maybe the most magical Golden Buzzer moment with her selection of Angel City Chorale.  Though their song selections have been rooted in political correctness, they are astoundingly and astonishingly entertaining and inspirational.
There are two non Golden Buzzer acts for whom I shall be voting to send to the Final Five, as long as they can continue the levels of excellence they exhibited in their previous performances.
 Electric violinist Brian King Joseph is an intensely talented instrumentalist, with great stage presence.  I would LOVE to see and hear him and Mairead Nesbitt doing Dueling Violins and Strings of Fire.
 If she can keep bringing the funny, my pick to win is comedienne Vicki Barbolak.  I always pull for the comics, and as Simon said she is the funniest.  Howie Mandel said that she fills the female comic void created by the passing of Joan Rivers.   I say that she is the 21st century version of trailer park trash, redneck Roseanne, except better.
There are other acts whom I do truly love, but just not quite as much as the aforementioned five.  I would be okay with any or all of them advancing through the remaining rounds.
 Glennis Grace is a beautiful woman and an astounding vocal artist, who should have been guest judge Chris Hardwick's Golden Buzzer.
 Us the Duo is a visually and vocally attractive and appealing  pair of married singers/songwriters.
 We Three is a second generation sibling band who performs their own original moving music.
 Self-deprecating stand-up star Samuel J. Comroe is reminiscent of season ten runner-up Drew Lynch.
I have not inserted any videos of these performers, but I urge any reading this to go to YouTube to check them out.  And I urge you all to watch the live shows over the next few weeks.  And VOTE!