There's a saying that goes something like a break comes along when preperation meets opportunity. Well, Neal E. Boyd had been preparing for years, starting with his high school choir instructor. He then took
advantage of the opportunity to audition for America's Got Talent. As I said before, no one deserves to live his dream more than he does. As for other people supposedly being far more talented, you must remember that except for local appearances, Neal E. Boyd hasn't had much experience performing, in front of a television audience. You need to give him a chance to get his feet wet, & get comfortable in front of the camera. That may
take some time getting use to, since it's all new to him. I have a great amount of admiration & respect for him & his perceverance in not letting anyone or anything stand in the way of his dreams. I actually don't know how he or anyone else in the entertainment industry does it. I tried singing & playing piano in a church talent show once a long time ago. I was so nervous, that I don't even remember the performance mucn at all. Everyone said they enjoyed my effort, however the only thing I remember is that I NEVER wanted to do that EVER again! I just thought it was something I should try, or I'd always wonder what it would be like. So now
I know, it isn't for me. Anyway, all I'm saying is everyone should give Neal E. Boyd the opportunity to settle in & show what he's capable of, before passing judgement on him. Actually, if you think about it, it isn't our place to judge anyone anyway. O. K. I'll get down off my soapbox now, & with that I'll say thanks again for letting me share my thoughts & have a nice day. :)

In general, I do agree with the "Best of America's Got Talent" idea. That seems to be what they're doing in Britain, if the Susan Boyle news coverage is any indication. 99.9% of the people on this show have one good talent. They can make a good living with that particular talent -- with Acrodunk my first thought was Harlem Globetrotters halftime show -- but to have a two hour show in Vegas? I don't think so.

This show let its best ever contestant go to its head, and not in a good way. Yes, Terry Fator was amazing. Can he sustain a 2 hour Vegas show? Without question -- That's why Vegas hired him!!!!! *However*, talents like Fator's are rare, which is why so few people are actually successful as Vegas performers.

The idea that anyone who wins this show can sustain a successful 2 hour act in Vegas is a conceit of the show's producers who think that that kind of talent will just drop into their laps every year. And as we saw from the first *and* third seasons of this show (and so far this year), they are very wrong on that count.

Some acts (like a really inventive illusionist) might have a shot. Some of the singers, properly managed, might be able to launch a successful career after a short run in Vegas (the Texas Tenors have real potential as a singing group). But not everyone is a potential Vegas legend. Give them the $1,000,000 and a venue that fits their act. And that venue might be a tour of the top 10. But Vegas? For anybody? No.

Amen! I'm a classically trained pianist, and I've played with students and faculty members that were leaps and bounds above that. I don't know what it is about this show that causes people to think that mediocre singers (and yes, that includes Susan Boyle, Neil Boyd, and whoever the British guy with the band teeth was, who were much worse singers than this lady was). This isn't a hard aria, and it shouldn't make her win.

We need a tv show "World's Got Classical Talent," and feature top performers from the Classical world. I guarantee it would get very low ratings and nobody would watch. But as soon as someone like this appears on a show like this, everyone loves classical music. It makes no sense!

The fate of smaller opera companies and all the opera singers who are struggling to succeed makes me sad too. As well as all classical musicians. I am a simple opera fan, not a singer or a musician. However, in my ignorant opinion, Barbara Padilla is way better than Potts or Boyd and if there is someone singing opera arias on these popular talent shows I'd rather have someone like her than the guys they had before. I'd leave Susan Boyle from the discussion since her genre is Broadway and not opera. To me - and I am no expert - Barbara Padilla sounds like a competent opera singer. Not a great one, not at the level of the Met but not a bad one either though it's diffult for me to say on the basis of part of one aria - at the same time Boyd and Potts' problems were kind of obvious right away. But I'd like to hear her do other arias - unlike guys they had before her. In all fairness to her, I heard producers routinely tell people what to sing so I am not sure how much choice she has.

Let's face it. We cannot expect a truly great opera singer to come on this type of show. This type of show isn't going to help anybody with a serious opera career, only pop-era, so any singer that comes in must've already given up on opera. But I hope this does introduce some people to opera. So I'd rather people be introduced to opera by someone like Padilla (who by the way has master's in music, and according to her web page did sing leading roles with some opera companies) than Potts or Boyd or some of the well-known pop-era stars.

Smiley Face - I am sure nobody has anything against Boyd as a person. And nobody denies he has a good voice. But if you had been an opera fan and had heard many better singers in student productions, productions in small theaters and, of course, world's top singers, you'd know how many opera singers there are who are much much better and who don't get this type of fame or exposure, and you'd understand where his critics are coming from. Some time in fall PBS will broadcast Met documentary "The Audition". (Preview - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odqrkmePyPQ) Watch it and keep in mind that winning such a prestigious opera competition helps but doesn't guarantee a great career, so some of this wonderful singers may not make it; also that even regional finalists of such a competition who'd never got as far as the Met stage areis miles better than Neal Boyd or Paul Potts. Also, if opera music touches you, PBS has operas from the Met almost every Thursday this month (at least in my area, you can check yours).

Eric - love your idea about the show. One problem is that such shows are normally on PBS and not that many people watch it. I think if networks had shown something like this people would watch especially if there is some drama with eliminations, personalities and such. But networks don't show classical music (or classical ballet) nowadays.