'America's Got Talent' - 'Episode 510' Performances Recap

(S05E10) "The final auditions of the world's biggest talent show." - Nick

Nick's statement took me by surprise as I was sure there would be a YouTube auditions show. After all, we've been used to Internet auditions shows in the past and I am guilty of not having read the YouTube auditions details properly until tonight. As Nick mentioned in the episode, the 12 YouTube auditions winners will be featured in a special performance show later this summer.

This means that next week we will see Vegas Verdicts and, based on the previews and the official episode description, it looks like the producers may have heard our plea after last season's Vegas Verdicts fiasco and decided to have the acts perform for the three judges before the Top 48 are selected.

Until then, let's analyze the final auditions of the season, shall we?

Some of the acts I didn't enjoy:

- Jimmy Dinh, comedian: Too bad for Jimmy, because he started with a few lines that at least made a few members of the audience chuckle ("Laugh slowly and clearly so I can understand your laughs."). Jimmy's pace slowed down and his jokes became, well, boring. Howie shouldn't have given Jimmy so much hope even if he said he was not voting for him to go to Vegas. Jimmy does seem to have the energy and motivation to do stand-up comedy but he needs training first. Howie should have suggested just that to Jimmy, and not say he was good enough to go on tour with him.

- Clownvis, singing clown: This act seemed somewhat promising at first. In his intro, Clownvis seemed to own the stage and have humor. When the act began and he needed to clear his throat (i.e., remove handkerchiefs from his throat), I thought that it could be fun to see him perform some light magic while singing the best songs from Elvis. But all came crashing down when he started to sing 'Old MacDonald Had a Farm.' Icing on the cake was added when Clownvis took cheap shots at every judge: He asked Piers who he was, Piers replied with a very appropriate "Your worst nightmare"; he said something bad about Ozzy, to which Sharon said that nobody can disrespect her husband and followed it by a reply her husband says often; Clownvis then told Howie that he hasn't done anything good since 'Little Monster,' to which Howie replied the same way Sharon did. One thing is certain, Clownvis may not be going to Vegas but he'll get his 15 minutes of Internet fame when his audition goes viral tomorrow.

... and ... Sumo wrestling is a talent?! The Tap Dancing Sarah Palins didn't offer us a great act but worse yet was the addition of the mascot, who dropped a few pellets on the stage ... Dear Frequent Flyers, if you want a shot to make it at least to Vegas Week next season, ensure that no judge can perform your act.

Some of the acts I don't know what to think about:

- Rick Smith Jr., card tricks: His card trick of cutting a stick of celery by throwing a playing card at it was really impressive, but is it enough for him to become a headliner on the Vegas Strip? Will he be able to make his next performances more daring?

- Phil Trau, tap dancer: Sexy Phil was quite impressive when he started to jump over his small staircase and when he did a split, but his tap dancing is not nearly as good as the other tap dancers we've seen on the show. However, give it to him for staying in shape enough to be able to perform this routine at 74 years old!

- Arthur Nakane, one-man band: I expected more from the final audition so this was a bit of a let down ... from the show editors. One-man band performers who can actually carry out a tune are always impressive. Sadly, Arthur's singing wasn't that great and some notes he played on his various instruments were wrong. So I'm a bit torn ... it was impressive as a whole, but his singing and playing was far from perfection.

Some of the acts I enjoyed/loved:

- The Belly Dancing Duo, belly dancing: It was rather predictable that Piers and Howie would say yes to the duo even if they had turned out to not be that great. But this Belly Dancing Duo offered us an entertaining performance in which their belly movements were in sync. It must not be that easy to time, compared to hand and leg movements. One of the best lines of the show came during the judges' comments, when Sharon said that Howie was looking at the duo's "T and T" and he replied "Talent and Timing."

- Luigi Seno, singer: This season probably has the most shy singers with great voices. Luigi is no exception to that. His guitar playing and singing was rather soothing. Luigi was an instant crowd pleaser. Howie loved his performance so much that he claimed he would be listening to his album right now if Luigi had one out.

... and ... Looks like hip-hop violinist Lindsey may be a Vanessa Mae in the making. WOW!!!!! was all I could tell myself while watching Team X-Pogo at work. Da Maniacs are far from the best dancers we've seen, but the uniqueness of their characters, looks and that little person dancing with them, makes them as entertaining as the air guitar band from a previous episode.

Get your crystal ball out and predict, in comments below, which acts over the last 10 episodes will make it to the Top 48.

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