As usual, the America's Got Talent Season Finale'/Results show for 2018, season 13 was an epic episode, a spectacular spectacle and a memorable memory. The opening segment, starting with Kiss was entirely enjoyable and entertaining. And I was never even a particular fan of Kiss.
The judges' consensus was that it was the best Finals ever. Well, it should have been, considering that all ten acts already were professional performers, on one level or another. Shin Lim's mother/ manager informed me in an email exchange that the show insistently invited her son to be on the show, despite the fact that he was already world renowned, having won the World Championship of the International Federation of Magic Societies and managed to fool Penn and Teller on their TV show...twice. Same can be said for Glennis with her platinum and double platinum recordings in Europe and for Ketterer with his iTunes success. And so on and so on, to include acts that didn't quite make the Finals, like sibling band We Three and delightful duet Us the Duo.
If America's Got Talent is going to permanently vacate its original mandate of "finding the best new talent in America" to include not so new talent, I'm actually okay with that. It just can't allow individuals or groups who are so established and successful that they would be common knowledge, household names and known by a wide array of Americans, to include an old dust farter like me. And I must admit that I didn't know any of these performers before they appeared on AGT this season, though evidently thousands and even millions of people did know of them. As I've written before, it's analogous to America allowing NBA and NHL players to compete in The Olympics.
If indeed, the show is no longer America's Got Talent, as you said Tuesday night, Simon and it's America Welcomes Talent, so that AGT becomes, in essence, Anywhere's Got Talent, I'm not really okay with that, unless you officially change the title and start telling the truth about your performers, without all of the bull squeeze and balderdash, boo hoo hoo sob/back stories.
In those veins, I would propose that next season, the show invite my favorite singing group, Celtic Woman to perform and compete. Sure, they've been performing and recording for fifteen years or so. Granted, the personnel has changed several times over the years, so that the only remaining performer from their debut concert is lead percussionist Ray Fean. Sure, they've toured the world several times, including coast to coast appearances in the US, two of which I rapturously attended and have had featured presentations on PBS, which I have spellboundedly watched.. They've won Billboard's World Music Album Artist of the Year like six times. They have sold millions upon millions of CD's and DVD's. I own nine of them. They've even been nominated for a Grammy. But most Americans know nothing of them. Simon, I'm sure that your staff of brilliant writers could pass them off as four poor little Irish women just looking and hoping for that one big break.
With all of that said, I will further say that all ten of the finalists knew that they were going to be finalists before the open auditions were held last Winter and Spring. Every episode was meticulously and minutely scripted, with a very few open ended options for the ending, so as to not provoke too much public suspicion or outcry. Do you really think that they could book super stars and legends like Placido Domingo and Lindsey Sterling to perform with like acts Daniel Emmett and Brian King Joseph on one week's notice? And as greatly gifted as Garth Brooks and his writing partner, John Martin are, could they have composed such a perfect song on two week's notice?
I am by no means saying that Shin and Zurcaroh should not have been the last two standing on stage. I am saying that they were the two acts among the fan favorites whom Simon could not sign to a record deal, send out on tour to perform in expansive, expensive venues, or around whom develop a television show. So, it was an easy decision to lock either or both in contractual commitments with the show, while others, like Michael, Courtney, Glennis, Samuel and Vicki could immediately move forward to new opportunities, which would further enrich Simon. That is evidenced by Michael announcing and Knox News/USA Today reporting that Ketterer will perform with Brooks on October 20th, at Garth's sold out concert at Notre Dame, two weeks before the winner's headline show in Las Vegas, November 2nd, 3rd and 4th. It's further evidenced by Simon's statement to Michael, after he was eliminated that "this relationship will continue".
Again, I thoroughly enjoyed the Finale', with all of its pomp and circumstance, even the goofy fillers like Howie's and Heidi's punnery and Mel B's stand-up, though she sat down. When Sam Comroe sat in her judge's chair, Simon said that it could be permanent. I'm sure that that would make all of the many Mel B haters happy. I really can't imagine a pasty faced white boy Caucasoid replacing one of the two female judges and the only judge of color, though. Then again, he is handicapped/disabled/ whatever the PC term is these days, so maybe it wouldn't be completely politically incorrect.
I enjoyed the tape of Tyra. It reminded me that she is coming into her own in this job, with senses of comedic and compassionate essence, reminiscent of Nick Cannon. Maybe it will help ebb the Banks bashing. As she is noticeably different from previous hosts Regis Philbin, Jerry Springer and Nick Cannon, can we please properly refer to her as our Hostess? Or is that too misogynistically sexist? She definitely would be a 'hostess with the mostest'.
The loop of the X'ed acts was amusing, but would have been SO much better if it had included the best of the X'ed acts, who actually had two of the three red buzzering judges take back their X'es.
Production values, including lighting, sound, special effects and costuming were all top flight and top notch and fastidiously fitting each performance.
As I SO enjoy beautiful women singing beautifully, I was enraptured by Glennis Grace and Bebe Rexha, whoever she is. 
Courtney Hadwin and The Struts, whoever they are, had me smiling and chair dancing their entire performance. Do the Struts make anyone else think of them as a 21st century, louder, more electrified version of The Monkees, right down to their logoed bass drum?
Daniel Emmett and Placido Domingo were simply superlative. And yes, I do know who Placido Domingo is.
Vicki Barbolak and David Spade quipping together was a hoot. Yes, I'm familiar with David Spade. I'm actually a fan. I enjoyed him immensely as the oddball fifth wheel in Rules of Engagement, and as George Segal's foil in Just Shoot Me! He was a big part of why I found Tommy Boy to be such a fun and favorite film. 
Michael Ketterer singing the Garth Brooks' original song Courage to Love, specially and specifically composed for this occasion was perhaps the most emotively moving moment of the entire episode, though the piano was on the verge of being overpowering.
Shin Lim's very involved card trick, though mystical and magical, was probably also the most tedious performance of the night.
Brian King Joseph and Lindsey Sterling fiddling together with Duo Transcend as their backdrop was PHENOMENAL and the definite highlight of the night for me. It still bamfoozles me how the second highest earning performer to come out of AGT didn't get past the quarter finals that year. This was the absolute best instrumental performance I've eye and ear witnessed since Mairead Nesbitt and Cora Smyth performed together in Lord of the Dance the proverbial hundred years ago. 
Then, going straight to Zurcaroh performing a medley of their previous performances was, as always, astounding and astonishing, groundbreaking and grandiose, breathtaking and beautiful.
Then we got to the actual eliminations. The hostess' scripted words of "closest vote", "America has voted" and "win your votes" are just so much b & b, and I do not mean bed and breakfast. Yeah, the vote was close. The winner got ten votes from Simon, the tenth place finisher got one. Reality is 'Simon has chosen' and the acts were vying to 'win Simon's approval', which is, of course, based on what outcome will best benefit him.
I accurately called each face-off correctly. Zurcaroh vs. Duo Transcend, Daniel vs. Shin, and Samuel vs. Vicki were all no-brainers. BKJ vs. Glennis and Michael vs. Courtney took a little more thought, but were figurable before Tyra made the announcements.
The one by one eliminations in The Final Five did surprise me a bit when Ketterer was the first to leave. I suppose that it does make sense, in that by finishing that low, he'd be free from being obligated to be part of the AGT Live traveling show. Comroe went next, which I wholly expected, since he didn't leave first. Though I didn't want him to do so, but wholly knew that he would, Brian King Joseph was next to go. Props to the young man for being SO gracious and grateful, though his thanks would have been more accurate if given to Simon, rather than to America. As Zurcaroh is clearly the most talented, entertainingly enjoyable/enjoyably entertaining act in the show this year, I fully expected them to win. I guess that Simon did pay some heed to the fan furor over all of the foreign acts in the show this year, though he did make plural references to the show being open to all comers from all countries. I imagine that he also feels that America, as a country, should follow America's Got Talent's example by opening our borders to any and every gang banging drug dealer, murdering drunk driver, and Islamo-fascist terrorist who wants to come here. Since Shin is a foreign born, obviously 'ethnic' naturalized American, and not just another God and gun loving, "deplorable" Judeo-Christian, native born Son or Daughter of the American Revolution, he is a safe choice of an American citizen who is a fan favorite. As a visually obvious 'hyphenated-American', he does, at least some degree, serve Simon's leftist, globalist, one world order agenda and mentality. And again, Shin is the least likely of the Top Ten performers to be of any real benefit to Simon, as a music and television producer.
My final thoughts in most likely my final article about America's Got Talent 2018, is a simple and sincere CONGRATULATIONS, SHIN LIM!!!!!
And a heartfelt "Thank You" for coming to our country the correct way and contributing to American Exceptionalism. Beyond being astoundingly, artistically talented, you are a fine young man from a good family and I do appreciate and admire you and them. I salute you.
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