"America's Got Talent" First Quarter-Final Performances

The fun begins now on "America's Got Talent" as viewers vote for their favorites in the quarter-finals. The first group of 12 performers were on stage last night to give it their best and tonight we will see how America voted. Only 4 of the 12 acts will be moving on to the semi-finals. Which four will it be?

Miama All Stars

A dancing group with great precision and showmanship, the Miami All Stars are fun to watch. Sharon thought they were spectacular and that the men dance like real men, and Piers finds this act "Sexy, fun, vibrant, and colorful".

Dezmond Meeks

With moves that are a cross between James Brown and Prince, Dezmond Meeks sang "Can't Get No Satisfaction". Howie Mandel felt his act was a bit cheesy, while Sharon thought it was soulful. Piers Morgan liked it and compared it to an "old fashioned cabaret act".

Those Funny Little People

With rubber duckies and near naked men in Speedos, Those Funny Little People gyrated to "Singing In The Rain" and "It's Raining Men". Although they were buzzed by Piers, the audience seemed pleased to watch them.

The Fearless Flores Family

One of this year's death-defying acts, this motorcycle family of four added the element of a third motorcyclist in the bubble cage. Mom was the third act while brother and sister performed on their motorcycles and Dad stood in the center of the cage. A totally amazing act to watch, however, Nick Cannon had to caution viewers not to try this at home.

Squonk Opera

A bizarre act from Pittsburgh, Squonk Opera may have performed for the last time on "America's Got Talent". They were buzzed by both Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne. Sharon felt they chose the wrong song to perform to and Piers felt the lead singer was "screaming like a banshee and the piano player missed 1 out of 3 keys".

J Chris Newberg

A comedian with a kid chorus sporting painted goatees, Piers buzzed Chris and found him not funny. Sharon felt he was "dark and naughty". It'll be interesting to see how viewers voted for this act.

Snap Boogie

Performing with an injury and hoping to do well, this street dancer from Boston showed no signs of pain. Dressed in white and performing single-handed cartwheels, Snap Boogie was exciting and entertaining to watch. Sharon felt he was "over and above Vegas" acts and he's the type of performer that little kids will want to mimic. Howie congratulated Snap Boogie for "taking it from the street and putting it in a theater". Piers also thought he was superb.

Echo of Animal Gardens

Echo, the parrot has had problems performing on stage so Binky, his parrot girlfriend came along for moral support. Although Echo sang parts of "Over The Rainbow" and spoke some Spanish, will it be enough to send Echo through to the next round?

The Fiddleheads

All three judges had a difference of opinion on this act's performance. The Fiddleheads are a blue grass band from Georgia and gave their rendition of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean". All three judges did agree that it was a wrong song choice but for different reasons. Howie felt that a song like "Billie Jean has a lot of moves and the band didn't move"; Piers felt that the song was "too big" for the band; and Sharon suggested that the band go back to what they were doing before. She did not like their dress or the song choice. Although the band was not buzzed, this was one of two performances of the evening with all negative comments from the judges.

Duo Aero

An acrobatic performance on a swing, this was the second performance of the evening that received all negative comments. Duo Aero was buzzed by Piers Morgan as he found the act boring and not a step up from their last performance. Both Howie and Sharon expressed disappointment and lack of excitement from this group.

Anna Graceman

Wow! Hailing from Alaska and singing an extraordinary bluesy rendition of "What A Wonderful World", Anna received a standing ovation from the audience and two of the judges. She played the piano while belting out her tune and Howie compared her to last season's child prodigy, Jackie Evancho as a "phenomena".

Sandou Trio Russian Bar

The most dangerous act of all, the Sandou Trio Russian Bar performed over a flaming bed of nails to add more excitement and danger to their act. Piers thought they were "spine tingling", and both Sharon and Howie were in awe. It was obvious that the audience agreed as they became extremely silent during this performance. Again, host Nick Cannon had to caution the audience not to try this act at home no matter what age you were.

There's the first 12 performances of 48 and tonight we'll all have to tune in to see which 4 acts will move on to the next round. What are my choices? I felt there were four choices that stood above the rest and deserve to stay on "America's Got Talent". They are Snap Boogie, Anna Graceman, Sandou Trio Russian Bar, and The Fearless Flores Family. Like you, I'll have to watch tonight and see how my choices compare to what America voted.

Source: "America's Got Talent", July 12, 2011

Image Credit: Microsoft Clip Art