Close Dog Days

America’s Got Talent fans were able to see one of their better nights of live talent last night, as predicted here last week.

Because it was such a tough lineup a few acts of the twelve that might have made it through in other weeks are going to have to rely on a wild-card berth.
I don’t know how many wild-card acts are selected but I think they are chosen in a couple of weeks. I think next week is the one where acts were submitted on the internet and selected to come in to perform live. That is where they found Jackie Evancho two years ago.

Three of the acts from last night had been pushed through immediately to this, the quarterfinal round. David “The Bullet” Smith did his human cannonball shot and got fired 40 yards through a set of football uprights. While that is pretty amazing, I really don’t think he’ll go through to the semifinal round unless chosen as a wild card.

William Close, who turns the theater into a giant stringed instrument, should go through easily. Howard Stern and Howie Mandel said that the contest was over after he performed. The act is truly amazing. When they were praising Close after the routine you could see his lip quivering with emotion and it was cool to see. I could tell that gratitude and happiness was flowing through him having been recognized and complimented for what has most likely been a very long road for him to reach this type of audience and shine the way that he did.

William Close and his "Earth Harp"

Closing out the show was the other act that had the automatic berth to the quarters and that routine was Olate Dogs. Six dogs were part of the act and one of them does back flips. Now, a solo dog act just won Britain’s Got Talent and there are six here with one of them doing back flips so this is one of the other favorites to go to the finals (with Close.)

Olate Dogs in Conga Line

All That, the clogging group, doesn’t have a shot in this group now. Talented for sure but this lineup of twelve was strong.

The weakest link was Ulysses, the TV show theme song singer. I actually like this guy and I can picture him having all sorts of future work with his roster of songs that he sings very well. But he did manage to get buzzed off the stage so he’ll be gone for sure.

Eric Dittelman, the mind reader, did get a standing ovation for coming up with a routine that used Howie’s “Deal or No Deal” theme. But, again, I was screaming at my TV because the routine was so easy that I was kicking myself in the ass yet again thinking that because what I do I think is so easy that I wouldn’t dare try to pull it off on National TV.
Because the judges love him though I can see him coming back as a wild card, if he doesn’t make it to the next round on America’s votes.

I think the two other routines that go through on votes are Joe Castillo, the artist who makes pictures with sand and tells a story with that art to music. It’s absolutely amazing, totally original, and should get a spot.

The other act I think that goes through is ten-year old mariachi singer Sebastian “El Charro” De Oro. Ok, sure, its mariachi, but with De Oro you have a super charming boy with incredible stage presence who has an amazing voice. His ability to emote in his singing is well beyond his years and while I think I am sticking my neck out a little saying he is one of the four, I’m sticking it out anyway since I’m 12 for 12 so far and if I get one or two wrong now its no big deal. If he isn’t voted in, he’ll get a wild card.

Unity in Motion is a young female dance/acrobatic act. I think they are pushed out because of the lineup this evening also but they do deserve a spot in the semifinal round with a wild card.

Eric & Olivia, the musical duo, is not going through although this girl is a potential commercial singing success. I think Eric, who plays guitar and does the arrangements, actually pulls her down.

Solo dancer Lindsey Norton would compete well against TURF in a dance off but unfortunately even though she is charming and cute its going to be tough for her to breakthrough to the next round on votes.

Horse, who has balls of steel…literally it seems, has perhaps one of the funniest acts you can see if you are into slapstick humor, which I am. His whole routine revolves around getting kicked in the stones. That’s right…right in the family jewels. It makes me cringe when I watch it but then I laugh hysterically. I think he’ll get more votes than one might think and could be a surprise semifinalist.

But I’m sticking with William Close, Olate Dogs, Sebastian “El Charro” De Oro, and Joe Castillo.

We’ll see how I do this week.


Olympic action actually starts today as soccer matches begin in London. I think that the US women’s team is in action around 1130. Opening ceremonies are Friday, though.
I think NBC is prepared to do a great job covering this event and, although I don’t know if or how much it will cost, Comcast (or Xfinity) is offering every event live online.
In the On Demand section at Comcast (I don’t know about your local cable provider) there are highlights from the 2008 Beijing Games on there now. I was going through a bunch of them last night which feature gold medal winning performances in a stack of sports. There are also some previews of American athletes and teams available. As an Olympic junkie I am going to have my monkey fed for the next couple of weeks watching all of this stuff.

In baseball the Washington Nationals are still in first place in the NL East. I can actually root for them even though they are in the process of sweeping the Mets again right now. Their manager, Davey Johnson, who managed the Mets to the 1986 World Series, can do no wrong in my eyes. So since they are also closer to me than NY is in miles I am ok with having them win.
Yes, the Phillies are closer to me than both of them, but I hate them. I usually even hate the Phillies that leave the team and play for other teams. That originally meant that I couldn’t ever root for the Nationals because of Jayson Werth, but when Werth got injured a couple of months ago and Phillie fans were ridiculing him, he swore a personal oath that he would make sure that the Phillies would never parade down Broad Street again. Because he did that, he is no longer one of the bad guys.

Done