"America's Got Talent": the Top 10 Performances

The Top 10 performers on "America's Got Talent" took to the stage to deliver what they hoped would be a winning performance last night. As nerves and tensions were high, several acts unfortunately, made mistakes and took risks that will probably impact them negatively and not move them forward in the competition. Out of last night's Top 10 performances, only 4 will advance to the finals where viewers will choose the 2011 "America's Got Talent" winner.

The show opened up with a nice surprise as last year's million dollar winner, Michael Grimm performed on stage. You remember him, the guy with the raspy bluesy type voice who knocked on just about every record company's door and they all turned him down? It appears he is here to stay and is very successful as he headlines a tour with Stevie Nicks. Michael did mention that as promised, he is having a house built for his grandmother who lost her home during hurricane Katrina and he also got married since winning the "America's Got Talent" competition.

So, here's the run down on what happened with last night's Top 10 performers:

Miami All Stars

This energetic team with excellent synchronization took a chance by doing something different and leaving out the salsa moves that Judge Howie Mandel loves. Piers Morgan buzzed the dance team as he felt he was watching a cheerleading act with a silly chicken as mascot. Judge Sharon Osbourne didn't like the theme either and felt that the choreography wasn't good enough.

Lys Agnes

Always enjoyable to listen to, Lys took a risk and did something totally different from her past performances. She wanted to show the audience that her roots are in rock as she performed Arrowsmith's "Dream On" in a lower register. Her voice was totally different and both Howie Mandel and Sharon Osbourne were disappointed with her performance, however, Piers Morgan loved it and felt it was a quality performance. Will she make it to the finals? We can only guess until we watch "America's Got Talent" tonight.

Landon Swank

This master illusionist "wowed" us again with an incredible performance that had me replaying his act during the commercial to try and figure out how he did what he did. Nick Cannon offered the usual disclaimer at the beginning of Landon's performance by advising viewers not to try this trick at home. Landon received a standing ovation and all the judges loved the act and even Piers Morgan was baffled at how he did what he did. I certainly can't explain it so if you missed it, go to AGT.com and watch the replay.

Anna Graceman

This 11 year old from Juneau, Alaska sang Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" and took a risk by not playing the piano during her performance. Howie felt her performance was not her best, and Piers felt her lower notes needed some work. Sharon enjoyed the song choice and felt it was performed well. If Anna does not make the Final 4 on "America's Got Talent", I'm sure we'll still hear from her at some other point in time.

Silhouettes

This large group of graceful dancers are always a joy to watch as they sketch out words and images with their human bodies. The performance was a salute to astronauts and the message was "Don't let life's obstacles stop you". This group has a unique way of weaving around the stage telling a story and expressing themselves that I cannot imagine them not being in the Final 4. A perfect performance that Sharon felt was "Exquisite", and Howie felt it was the first final act of the evening. Piers captured their essence well as he stated, "You tell a story about being proud to be an American." Piers also felt it was the best performance of the evening so far.

Smage Bros. Riding Show

Unfortunately, this daredevil threesome made several mistakes during their performance that may not advance them into the final round. As two members rode motorcycles, the third member was run over twice by mistakes, once on the leg and then a nick in the head. Everyone was okay and felt it was part of being such a daredevil group. Piers felt it was exciting but not as exciting as their last performance. Sharon disagreed and we'll have to wait and see how viewers voted.

Poplyfe

Always different and unpredictable, this group sang a Michael Jackson medley and Nick Cannon wanted to hear them sing more. The lead singer sang wonderfully, however, the backup band was a little on the weak side. They received a standing ovation and Sharon feels this group is very unique while Piers simply stated that they were a great pop act.

West Springfield Dance Team

An energetic group of high school kids from Virginia, this team likes dancing in the dark and on the dark side. They were buzzed by Piers as he felt their routine was nothing special or different from what they've done before. Howie also felt that they did not step it up, and Sharon felt that they've become too predictable with no surprises. The group danced well, but is it enough to win a million dollars?

Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.

Taking a risk by not singing a Frank Sinatra tune and instead singing Dean Martin's "Ain't Love A Kick In The Head", Landau connected beautifully with the audience and gave his best performance to date. Sounding better than the original "Rat Pack" and looking quite dapper wearing a sharkskin suit, all eyes followed him on stage as he gave a command performance. The audience loved his performance and gave him a standing ovation. Howie loved it, Sharon said it was, "One hell of a class act," and Piers felt that if he were going to spend his hard-earned money watching a performance, this is the performance he would choose. Truly, Landau's performance should put him in the final round.

Team iLuminate

Ending the evening was Team iLuminate and this dynamic group gave an outstanding performance. They received a standing ovation and Piers felt it was their best performance to date. Sharon can picture this group headlining a Las Vegas act, and Howie felt they were "Spectacular!"

Will your favorite act make the finals? We'll know tonight and I do predict that two of the acts moving forward will be the very unique Silhouettes and Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. The other two spots I feel will be between Landon Swank, Poplyfe, and Team iLuminate. We'll have to watch tonight and see...

Image Credit: Microsoft Clip Art