AGT 2010: Jackie Evancho Gets Two Standing Ovations

If you are just tuning in to America's Got Talent, tonight was your lucky night. In fact, tonight was a great night for all of us watching AGT 2010. The second week of semifinal acts was stacked rich with real talent. There were no floaters tonight, everyone delivered their absolute best. They truly had to perform.

Unlike most nights this season on AGT, tonight is nearly a coin toss for all 12 groups. Only five of the acts advance to the finals. Normally I can choose the four or five acts that should advance pretty quickly by process of elimination. The problem is, tonight there were only two acts that were marginal, Nate Kenyon and Haspop.

Haspop was my favorite dancer this season, so I was disappointed when he did his weird sort of dance tonight. He argued with a giant on screen behind him for a bit. It was slow moving. Don't get me wrong, I still think Haspop is one of the best individual dancers ever on AGT, but tonight it didn't hit.

Nathaniel Kenyon, tonight's male singer, did not advance his game as much as the others did. He will likely still get the tween vote, but that's only if Fighting Gravity doesn't take them all.

Alice Tan Ridley brought life and passion to the opening act tonight. I hope her fantastic performance was enough to carry her past the curse of the first spot. The first position did not hurt Anna & Patryk last week, maybe they broke the curse. I think Alice did more than enough to get through to the finals.

Maestro Alexander Bui will likely get lost in the shuffle tonight as well, though he performed perfectly. Classical piano was just not loud enough tonight, I fear. However, Howie Mandel felt the need to buzz Alexander Bui. Totally uncalled for, and Piers Morgan let him know it. Howie said he buzzed because he just didn't think people would vote for classical music. Peirs called him a "social ignoramus". Howie quoted him and reminded us the rest of the night.

Aerialists Michael Lipari and Ashleigh Dejon were elegant and graceful tonight. I think it was their best performance. No tricks, no shockers... just pure beauty and strength to watch. They may too suffer from the fact that there just aren't enough spots to get to the finals though.

In a face off between magicians tonigt, Michael Grasso took on Murray. The judges liked Michael Grasso, and based solely on tonight's performance I have to agree. However, Michael Grasso's trick tonight was simply a replication of Murray's celebrated trick in the quarter finals... minus the tiger. I don't think either magician will continue to the finals.

Soft singer Debra Romer had fairly strong performance tonight, for her tiny voice. This was the most confident she's appeared yet. It was a simple song, and there were no big notes to hit. Debra went formal without her guitar, so it was a stretch for her. She too will likely fall to the giants of the night.

The big guns tonight started with Studio One Young Beast Society. The dance crew brought it again tonight. This group gets better every single time they take the stage. I can see them in a dance off with any group and holding their own. Definitely an act destined for the finals of AGT 2010.

Jeremy Vanschoonhoven... Jeremy, Jeremy Jeremy! This trick bike rider had me on the edge of my seat tonight. In his intro they showed him taking a horrific fall that landed him in the hospital. Tonight he came out obviously shaken. From the start he looked petrified and determined, a very scary mix to watch. With a fall in the opening seconds, I felt doom creeping up. Jeremy collected himself, as best he could and continued. His finale was a straight down drop on his back wheel to tiny platforms handmade on the front of a prop. It was high, very high. He looked scared, I was scared to death for him. Vanschoonhoven made the jump, then threw his bike down in triumph. He earned his first standing ovation from all three AGT judges.

By the time Jackie Evancho took her place on a small box in the center of the stage I was worn out. Knowing Miss Evancho would be amazing again, I concentrated (see the video here). She did not disappoint, not in the least. Singing like she was born to, she again sounded like an angel. The crowd nearly cheered through the judges' time for comments. They poured on the compliments and then... all, I mean everyone in the house stood again for Jackie Evancho. Two standing ovations.

Only one act could possibly follow Jackie, and that's Fighting Gravity. The frat boys have given up college, for now anyway, to give AGT their full attention. I don't know how their parents feel, but I'm glad they did. Tonight Fighting Gravity brought props to their routine. The lights stayed up, and it was every bit as good as the first two performances. No way does Fighting Gravity no get to the finals of AGT 2010.

My picks to go through are pretty obvious for the first four: Jackie Evancho, Studio One Young Beast Society, Jeremy Vanschoonhoven and Fighting Gravity. I hope Alice Tan Ridley takes the fifth spot, she would definitely get the judges' vote I think.

The finalists will be named tomorrow night on NBC. You can read the judges comments and watch videos from tonight's show on my blog: TV Review.