Okay, folks. We’ve reached the end of the line. The Quarterfinals has come and gone once again. The final berth of acts have gave it their best shot to reach the Semifinals, and we were there to see it all happen. Who will go big and who will--well, you know. Let’s get this review started.
First up, the Bad Boys of Ballet. Okay, strange name, but there’s a reason. They combine ballet with hip-hop, gymnastics and martial arts. As the girl boss says, it’s masculine and sexy. Bleh. I don’t know about them here; while the girl just looks pretty looking like P!nk, all the guys do is spin and flip, which is a little boring to me. Don’t get me wrong, their moves and skills are amazing, but not much excitement here. There are some parts I do like, but the rest was kinda lacking.
Mel and Heidi did love it (a lot), but I thought it was because of...something else. Howie thought it was good, which means it’s bad. He wanted to see more “Bad” in them, which would be good. I don’t get it either. Judge Stern agreed with Howie saying they have to be different to get America to vote for them, and I couldn’t agree with the guys more. This one was really mixed.
Next, One-Voice Children's’ Choir, a cutesy kids choir. They sang the really inescapable ditty from Frozen “Let it Go”. (Seriously, this is everywhere) Their voices are really cute and wonderful for young humans, and the lead singer Lexi really can using. These guys are amazing.
Later, Jonah Smith, a singer and pianist, performs Sam Smith(definitely-no-relation)’s immediate classic "Stay with Me”. He turns it classic soul-pop-gospel song. It really sounds different, and I love it. It still sounds oldies-lite, but he really put a fresh spin on it, which won me over. His voice is also great, along with his band, which was perfect. This guy should go through. And because of that, I name him my Favorite Act of the Week.
Dom the Bom’s Triple Threat. Okay. I won’t criticize the names because of how strange they are; only the acts and concepts. This act (three kids!!) is card throwing (if you don’t know what that is, the video is on top with Dominic to explain; they’re amazing) and this act involved throwing them at fruit, kinda like knives at pretty women assistants. This kid are amazing.
Dom’s skills are stupendous for a boy and the cuteness lever is at 101. Dom did mess up a more than a few times throughout (I can clearly see him knocking over the celery), and the it was a little boring. He’s really good for his age at what he does, but (I don’t deserve the hate) this one was really bad.I don’t blame the judges for not mentioning that or saying the audience or viewers might see as mean or rude, because they’re kids and people will hate them for it. Also, the boys did believe Howard was the “mean judge”, which is accurate. But I would’ve loved for Howard to say something true (mean) to them. And it’s obviously not gonna happen.
After that, Extreme Dance Company. They’re...what their title implies. Their moves are great, but not “Extreme”. I like their synchronicity also. But I have this feeling that their act this week just isn’t enough to move on to the Semis.
Emili and Daniel are cellists from Queens, NY. During their set, they cover a classic by The Rolling Stones called “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”. I thought it was awesome. Their cello work is fantastic, but the background band was a bad idea. They were a distraction to what was to shown to the audience and almost took away my interest. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Next time I want them and the cellos, just them and the cellos. I want to hear what just that sounds like.
Nina Burri is a contortionist. I was very impressed by this one...although, I feel like this is an act that I’ve seen a hundred + times before on this show, and that I don’t think this is an act worth a million dollars, unless you join Cirque De Soleil. But Nina was really good and looks really good doing it.
Quintavious Johnson, a church/choir boy from Franklin, TN, sang (ugh) “And I Am Telling You” (because a fat black girl singing it is basic now) as performed by Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls. Wow, his voice is something else (although, I’m on the fence on whether that’s a good thing or not), but he can sing for a 12-year-old kid. Although one thing that irritates me is what that voice sounds like. It’s almost like singing with your mouth closed and your teeth clenched, and yet is somehow able to carry a voice. It's not a bad voice, but that's how I feel. This one is mixed, too, but I do like this little guy enough to not fully dislike him.
Mothmen Dance took the stage next. Besides dancing, their concept is flying while dancing. Which is really cool. Plus the animation playing behind them really makes the act work great. Although their dancing was dull, and from some comments I later read on YouTube, this dance was copied from last season’s finalist Fighting Gravity. So, this really set down my likeness of them.
Smoothini is a magician from Washington Heights, NY. First off, this sounds much more like a brand of Peanut Butter; Fits better there. Now to the act: He makes me disappear and levitate. Yeah, seems unoriginal, but his act is really good. Especially the parts where he folds a bill and turns it from a $100 to a $50 and so on, and when he pulls something from a bill that swims. That was impressive.
Later on, Jonatan Riquelme, yet another balancing act (this time “Rolla Bolla”), from Las Vegas. Remember Cristin Sandu from last year? When he fell twice? Yeah, that’s what he does. Be he’s more darker than Cristin, AND he does it much better (i.e. Doesn’t fall; I mean of course he wouldn’t, he’s several feet off the ground). He really impressed me. So I liked him a lot.
And finally, Kelli Glover from Cranford, NJ, sang “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys. She has a beautiful voice, and some parts sounded real good. Although, some parts stuck out badly. But she did a good job.
And now, the eliminations.
Advancing to the Semifinals are:
Jonah Smith
Emil and Daniel
Quintavious Johnson
Smoothini (the peanut butter man) and
Kelli Glover (Judges' Choice)
Leaving and Going Home are:
Bad Boys of Ballet (Who are not "Bad"...or "Boys" in any way)
One Voice Children's Choir (not because I hate "Let it Go")
Extreme Dance Company (who are not "Extreme at all; they should've danced with fire under them)
Nina Burri (who I thought should go on, but oh well)
Next week, the Semifinals are upon us!! The acts we’ve loved from these past weeks come back, and will either amaze again, be even better or fall under pressure. Who will shine like a lighthouse and who will dim like a dying bulb? We shall see. And, seriously, Nick--that mohawk, though. See you next week (at it's regular time--I think) for that, and the review on Thursday. Bye-bye!
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