Susan Boyle performs on tonight's AGT finale/itv
With a million dollars and a shot to headline a show in Vegas at stake, tonight's finale of the NBC hit, America's Got Talent promises to be an unforgettable night of entertainment. In case you missed anything, here's a quick look at the season thus far.
Auditions for Season 4 of the British import reality/talent competition began back in January with Los Angeles being the first in a nationwide search that included stops in New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Houston and Miami, among others. In addition to the physical audition tour, hopefuls were encouraged to send in video audition footage for consideration.
Just a few weeks after the auditions concluded, the show returned to the airways with a new host, in the persona of Mr. Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon, a rapper/actor who has previously hosted two sketch comedy series. Cannon's first show, The Nick Cannon Show aired on Nickelodeon, and was a spin-off of the popular teen sketch show, All That. As its home network would indicate, The Nick Cannon Show was aimed at young viewers. As the star, and presumably his audience matured he was given a second more adult sketch show, Wild n Out, which aired on Nick's sister network, MTV.
Cannon became the show's third host in four years, taking over for trash-talk show host, Jerry Springer, who was at the helm during Season's 2 and 3. Springer, in case you forgot stepped in to fill the shoes of mega-host, Regis Philbin who left the show after Season One. The judges' panel has been a bit more consistent. actor/singer David Don't Hassle The Hoff Hasselhoff and Brit journalist, Piers Morgan , aka the poor man's Simon Cowell, have been with the show since year one, while Ozzy Missus, Sharon Osborne joined them in season two following the departure of Brandy.
After getting the audience up to speed on the preliminary auditions, it was revealed that 160 acts progressed to Las Vegas for the second round. Vegas Week aired July 28 and 29 and narrowed the playing field to the Top 40. Quarterfinals began airing August 4, with results airing the following nights. Nick's bride, Mariah and former AGT Season 2 winner, ventriloquist Terry Fator were the guest performers. On September 1, half of the remaining hopefuls were gone, as viewers were introduced to their Top 20. Two rounds of eliminations reduced the talent pool to the Top 10.
Tonight's roster of celebrity guest performances is nearly as varied as the ten finalist vying for the prize themselves. Multi-platinum selling and recent CMA nominees, Rascal Flatts, who are set to perform their latest hit, Summer Nights probably feel a kinship to several of the male Top Ten contenders, including the Texas Tenors, a trio of country singers with a classical twist, pretty-boy singer Drew Stevyns and good ole boy and former chicken catcher turned singer, Kevin Skinner.
Leona Lewis, who Simon Cowell discovered on Britain's X Factor, will be debuting her new single, Happy. At the young age of 21, Lewis stunned viewers of the British reality show with her amazing vocals. For that reason, let's pair her with the young singing trio, Voices of Glory, two brothers and a young sister, who voices are so pure and soothing, their mother awoke from a coma after hearing her children sing at her bedside.
Shakira will be provide the world television premiere of her new single, She Wolf, her wild uninhibited style can be mirrored in the always unexpected performances of AGT contestants, Recycled Percussion, a four-member band comprised of two percussionist, a guitarist and a dj, who also plays keyboard and provides vocals while using recycled objects as drums. They have amped up the Vegas vibe in recent weeks by performing while everything from a contained rainfall washed over them to sawing a van in half during their number, using the hum of the saw as part of the instrumentation and performing while the stage raised the drummer to a complete right angle against the floor.
Cirque du Soleil, the high-flying group responsible for such Vegas hit shows as O, KA and the Beatles-inspired, Love will give tonight's AGT viewers a sneak peek at their upcoming show, Banana Shpeel. Cirque du Soleil represent the only in Vegas contingent. Hairo Torres is a contortionist dancer who brings a street performer feel to the stage, but one that is housed in the body of a seemingly innocent and happy to be there young man. Fab Five, five Midwest sisters who have clogged their way into America's heart while dancing to the likes of Britney Spears' Circus are kind of like The Pussycat Dolls without the vocal talent...oh wait....nah, too easy. Grandma Lee is a senior citizen stand-up comedienne who brings to mind the glory days of Vegas comedy acts like Don Rickles or Phyllis Diller. Her funniest jab to date...."Sweating like Ryan Seacrest watching Brokeback Mountain."
Saving the best for last, in both guest performer and in my opinion, talent, is internet sensation and international underdog darling, Susan Boyle. While she didn't win Britain's Got Talent, she certainly won the hearts of the world. The 48 year old Scottish self-confessed virgin turned mega star will debut her first single, a cover of the Rolling Stones' classic, Wild Horses tonight. It has been rumored she will perform her BGT showstopper, I Dreamed a Dream as well. Meanwhile, her AGT equals are Lawrence Beamen, a gentle giant of a man with a booming bass voice, who belted out Old Man River a few weeks ago, and turned in another solid final performance with his rendition of Barry White's best known hit, You're My First, My Last, My Everything. Rounding out the Top Ten is Barbara Padilla, a Mexican-American opera singer who is a wife and mother of three. The stunningly beautiful soprano with a voice to match, also has a backstory worthy of a few tugs at even the most tainted heartstrings. Padilla was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma and because of radical treatment was told she may never sing again due to the damage the radiation could do to her vocal chords. Much like Susan Boyle rising above the odds of her quiet life and the preconceived notions of an ugly duckling, Padilla did in fact continue to use her voice and is now a solid front runner to take home the prize on tonight's finale of America's Got Talent.
A SNEAK PREVIEW OF SUSAN BOYLE'S UPCOMING SINGLE, WILD HORSES
One final tidbit: Susan Boyle's debut album, I Dreamed A Dream isn't due in stores until November 24, but the dowdy songstress has achieved another fantastic dream. Just days after the official release date was revealed, Amazon.com confirmed that pre-order sales for Boyle's CD outsold those of both Whitney Houston and newly remastered collection from The Beatles in pre-sales last week.
To Pre-order Susan's upcoming CD, Click her name below.
Comments
her"Wild Horses" gave me chills!
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