America's Got Talent recap: second quarter final

Fab performances

The America's Got Talent evening began with those step-dancing sisters, The Fab 5. They performed a firefighter routine complete with fire poles and uniforms. I find it all very distracting. I understand performance value but I wish they had gone with something less...bulky. I think they have a good chance of going through with high marks from the judges.

Next was singer Charles DeWayne. If you've been following my column you know how I feel about singers in this competition. I simply don't understand how you put that up against an acrobatic act or dance troupe. DeWayne is very charismatic and he has a lovely voice. Sharon says he made the wrong choice singing Just the Two of Us, but it worked for me.

Carol Loo who?

What didn't work for me was Carol Loo. No insult intended to the lady, but I was ready to give her the benefit of the doubt because I thought she was a wacky 80-old dancer. Turns out she's only 63 -- yes, I said only. She comes out in a go-go cage, then proceeds to dance like Britney Spears. I don't like that kind of dancing when Britney does it but I like it even less on Carol Loo. Please, let's not see her in the Top Five.

Next up was Rockin' Rory, the dog act. Like many other acts this season, they used a Baywatch theme complete with beach goers who were nothing but distracting. Rory, the dog, missed many of the Frisbees thrown to him and when one went off the stage the poor porch didn't know what to do. His handler took the blame and I agree. I think Rory was on his game but his master was suffering from stage fright. Send them packing, America.

Then on America's Got Talent...how do I describe Eleisha Miller. Have you ever seen the movie Gypsy where Mama Rose makes the kids perform those horrible vaudeville numbers? That's what this is like. There's no question the child has stage presence, but she doesn't really have talent. I see her as a female Macaulay Culkin. She's got a future in TV, just not on this show.

Paradizo paradise

The act that should get a spot in the Top Five is Paradizo Dance. Despite their bad name and the boyfriend's goofy appearance, I love these two. They do this Cirque de Freak act with the tiny girl lifting her enormous boyfriend over and over. They also did this gravity defying lift where she goes from the floor straight up into standing lift...hard to explain, but it looks like the film is running in reverse. Very cool. I like these two.

An act I'm not so sure about is the Texas Tenors. I want to like these guys but their harmony wasn't all that harmonious. They captured the crowd by singing Proud to be an American and that always chokes me up. And I only now just noticed that America's Got Talent judging panel is mostly Brits. How did I miss that?

One of the wild card draws is up next, it's SQ Entertainment and they're not all that entertaining. Now that the world has seen some really great dance crews on TV, you can't get away with these basic moves. They had a SWAT theme at the start of their routine, but then I think they became the crooks, and I could hardly concentrate with a stage full of broken candy glass. A wasted wild card pick. Send these guys home.

Obama knock-off falls flat

Next up was Obama look-alike Pete Peterkin. Trouble with this guy is he doesn't really have an act. He impersonates Obama, and then says he's been waiting for this moment for forty years. So he must be psychic. He can't carry off the political jokes, so he's not a stand-up comic. He does an impersonation of Obama doing Jaime Foxx, doing Ray Charles but it just looks like Ray Charles to me. Give this guy the buzzer.

No wait, save all of your buzzers for Alizma. These violin-playing triplets never should have made it through in the first place. They can't sing and they're annoying as heck. This time they come out gyrating like strippers with their violins hanging in their hands like useless props. It's a shame, because playing violin is the only thing they're good at. Even The Hoff comes down hard on them and he never says no to pretty girls. This must be a first.

The second wild card for the night is the Beale Street Flippers and they too waste this chance. I wonder if it's because they had already resigned themselves to having lost before they were called back. The do a series of lame tumbling moves and what the heck happened at the end? Some stopped early, one was waving for another to come over. It was awkward and odd and I don't expect them to be back after the vote tonight.

Ask the Hoff video!

The final act of the night was Voices of Glory. This is the little girl and her brothers who honed their harmonies singing for their mother while she was in a coma. They sang You'll Never Walk Alone and it started off painful. They improved in the middle with little sister belting out the verse but by the end they were behind the music and the little brother stopped singing all together, he seemed so confused. I really want to love this trio but it was a rough, rough, night.

By now America has voted and tonight we'll get the results. Here's my choice for the Top Five: Voices of Glory, Paradizo Dance, The Texas Tenors, The Fab 5 and Charles deWayne.

Agree or disagree? Who do you think should make it into the next round?

Watch America's Got Talent tonight at 9:00 on NBC.

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