AGT
The bright lights, the big stage, the long haul. None of it fazed Brent Street, the dance group that enjoyed a glittering audition Tuesday night (June 25) on America’s Got Talent.
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Hailing from Sydney, the modern troupe’s performance was part-drama, part-magic, and completely mesmerizing.
Performing to “Hope” by rapper NF, the 20-plus dancers, dressed all in white, powered their way through multiple, seamless routines, impressing everyone in the room with a combination of power, finesse, timing and coordination.
At the conclusion, all four judges joined the audience for a standing ovation.
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Heidi Klum launched in, describing the dance as exciting, beautiful and “something we haven’t seen before. Really entertaining. Very well done.”
“The beginning was spectacular,” added Sofia Vergara, “and the rest was as good as the beginning. That was for sure the coolest thing I’ve seen today.”
Simon Cowell lauded the creation as a cerebral one. “Apart from what they were doing with their bodies,” he remarked, “it was what they were doing with their brains, because this was such a really well though out creative, original performance.” That is “the kind of audition we love on the show.”
Teenage group leader Zack Degersigny, 17, admitted the performance was months in the making.
Howie Mandel had the last word. “I thought everything you did was amazing. It was a surprise.” Mandel had a surprise of his own; he smacked that Golden Buzzer, and the ceiling rained with glitter.
The team from Brent Street, which describes itself as “Australia’s Home of Performing Arts,” progresses in NBC’s talent quest.
Watch below.
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If every dog has its day, today very much belongs to Hurricane.
Hurricane, a Border Collie, and his human Adrian Stoica are the winners of the latest, 18th season of America’s Got Talent, their dog show capturing the hearts of the American public.
Magician Anna DeGuzman came second in the 2023 competition, announced Wednesday (Sept. 27), and dance troupe Murmuration came third.
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Indonesian singer Putri Ariani and acrobat duo the Ramadhani Brothers respectively round out the top 5.
The top ranked singer this year, Putri made a notable impression on the judges, particularly Simon Cowell, who gave the teen his Golden Buzzer. “Nobody can take away the fact that you are an amazing, amazing singer. And performer. And person,” Cowell told Ariani.
The judges also adored Stoica and Hurricane’s double-act, apparently as much as armchair voters.
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“I was on my feet then I sat down, then I was on my feet. It just shows you how tough it is,” Howie Mandel enthused earlier in the season, following an act to Smash Mouth’s “I’m a Believer.” “We didn’t know whether to stand, we didn’t know whether to sit. He’s a dog, he gets more cues than we do. That’s my favorite dog Act ever on AGT.”
Sofia Vergara though the dog-and-man show “was perfection” and Heidi Klum remarked, “it is mind blowing to me how you do this routine with him.”
Added Cowell earlier in the season: “I think in terms of stepping up from the audition to the Live Show, this is the best act we’ve seen tonight. This was live, and that was a tricky routine. She was amazing.”
Stoica and his canine buddy collect the $1 million prize and a coveted Las Vegas residency.
The two-hour finale on NBC featured special performances from 30 Seconds to Mars, Jason Derulo, Jon Batiste, Leona Lewis (in a duet with Putri) and Season 17 winners The Mayyas.
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Latin spirit tells only a small part of Gabriel Henrique’s unique talents. The Brazilian singer showed the full arsenal when he performed Tuesday night, Sept. 19 on America’s Got Talent, for a spot in the finals.
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Henrique earned Sofia Vergara’s Golden Buzzer earlier in the season, with a performance of Whitney Houston’s “Run to You”.
Now, with his spot in the Qualifiers round, Henrique swung for the fences with a rendition of Jacob Banks’ “Something Beautiful,” combining pitch, power and an array of high notes that climbed to whistle range, a skill that would make Mariah Carey proud.
The room delivered a standing applause, as did all four judges.
“I don’t even have anything to say. It was perfection,” Vergara later enthused. “It was just like an angel. You are definitely a star. It was beautiful.” And it was goosebumps material, she declared, showing off the effect on her arm to her fellow judges.
Simon Cowell remarked, “You could have sung something less obvious. The fact that you sung this song…you absolutely nailed it. It was way better in my opinion than your first audition.” Just “maybe” with that performance, the Brit remarked, Henrique might have booked a spot in the final.
“You have an unbelievable talent,” was Heidi Klum’s opinion. “Especially from the second part of the song, you showed what sets you apart from the other singers. I feel like you busted out some tunes that are unhuman. It was incredible what we just heard.”
Speaking last, Howie Mandel admitted his initial concerns about the song choice. Those worries quickly disappeared. “Once you hit that note, that’s what makes you stand out. That’s why people are going to remember you.”
Just two contestants can go through from tonight’s round. Now, it’s America’s turn to vote.
Speaking through an interpreter, Henrique shared a parting gift. “I like to say what I feel in my heart,” he noted. “And if it’s not with love, then it doesn’t mean anything.”
Watch below.
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Country music is hot right now, and Drake Milligan looks like a guy who’s making a real fist of it.
On Wednesday night (Sept. 13), the season 17 alum made his return to the America’s Got Talent stage, stared down the barrel of the camera and delivered a performance of “I Got A Problem,” an original song.
Wearing a white denim jacket with a red bandana, and wielding an acoustic guitar, Milligan’s performance was confident, polished. Slick even. He appeared right at home under the bright lights, a year on from his AGT podium finish.
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Hailing from Fort Worth, Texas, Milligan has quite the story to tell. He cut his showbiz teeth as an Elvis impersonator and enjoyed a deep run in the 2022 season, finishing third and placing top among all singers.
He followed his AGT stint the release of a 14-song collection, Dallas/Fort Worth, which features Milligan’s writer’s credit on every track. Billboard described the LP as “a steady mix of laid-back, ‘90s Strait inspired come-ons including ‘Save It For a Sunny Day’ and ‘Hating Everything She Tries On,’ the barroom burner ‘Tippin’ Point’ and ‘Long Haul,’ which finds Milligan incorporating an Elvis-esque vocal swagger.”
Earlier this year, Milligan and several members of his band were injured when his touring van crashed into a concrete median in the Lone Star State.
Based on his latest AGT appearance, Milligan has made a resounding recovery. The audience loved it, so too the did the four judges. At the end of the performance, everyone in the room was on their feet.
“Amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing,” was Simon Cowell’s initial response. Milligan is on the way to becoming a superstar, the Brit reckons. “That was amazing.” Cowell was adamant that AGT addicts haven’t seen the last of the crooner. Milligan, he hinted, might even find a spot in one of the upcoming all-star AGT spin-off series.
For the record, America’s votes were tallied, season 18 contestants Anna DeGuzman and Chibi Unity were saved. They progress through to the semis, alongside previously announced competitors Adrian Stoica & Hurricane, Lavender Darcangelo, Ahren Belisle, Murmuration, Mzansi Youth Choir and Putri Ariani.
Watch Milligan’s performance below.
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Great songs have a life of their own. Consider “I Will Always Love You.” Dolly Parton’s original is the stuff of legend. Whitney Houston’s cover for the all-conquering The Bodyguard soundtrack, iconic.
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Now, there’s the Roland Abante’s heart-wrenching rendition for America’s Got Talent.
Abante, a fisherman from the Philippines, left nothing to chance as he belted out the classic ballad, hitting an array of high notes, with force, control and enough feel to touch everyone in the room.
A standing ovation awaited.
“Look at everyone here. They’re going crazy for you,” remarked Sofia Vergara. “People love you.” This qualifier performance she said, was a “good job tonight, you’re amazing.”
Did Simon Cowell like it? No, not exactly. “Somehow, I loved it,” he remarked. The acerbic Brit recounted how, during his emotional audition, Abante was “singing your life out on stage there. That’s what makes this competition exciting. People who come from all over the world to fulfill their dreams.” America, he remarks, “loves you.”
Fellow judge Howie Mandel remarked, “the perfect song, the perfect voice, it was spectacular. When he sang I will always love you, you just made everyone in the world love you. This was memorable. I believe this was the performance of a final.”
Heidi Klum loved the performance too, remarking that if there was access to a golden buzzer to push him through to the final, she’d hit it.
Sadly, there isn’t. Just two performers from this round go through. Now it’s America’s turn to vote.
Following his audition earlier in season 18, Abante, speaking through an interpreter, explained that he caught fish in the morning, and was a courier and ride-share driver through the rest of the working day. The extent of his stage activity back home is singing karaoke. Judging by his performances on the AGT stage, that lifestyle could be about to change.
Watch the performance below.
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America’s Got Talent just found what it’s looking for — Putri Ariani.
Earlier in the competition, the Indonesian teenager blew minds and broke hearts with her audition, a performance of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.”
The gifted youngster lit up the screen, showcasing a delicate mix of pop tones, power, vocal maturity and unreal control, and earning the Golden Buzzer from judge Simon Cowell.
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The 17-year-old is blind, an obstacle she overcomes when she’s performing. “When I’m singing I feel like a superstar,” she said earlier in the season.
On Tuesday night’s (Sept. 5) live qualifier, she sat at the grand piano, without backing or pyrotechnics, and delivered another lesson in talent.
Putri covered “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” an appropriate, spiritual number lifted from the U2’s The Joshua Tree from 1987, an album that confirmed U2 as the biggest band in the world.
When her latest performance wrapped, another standing ovation.
“I’m actually kinda speechless right now,” Cowell admitted. “What a beautiful voice you’ve got. What a beautiful version. And honestly Putri, this is why I still do this job. For moments like this, genuinely. That was so beautiful.”
Cowell noted that U2 personally cleared the song for Putri to sing on AGT. “They saw her audition,” he remarked. “And they knew how much this would mean to her.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard something more beautiful in my life,” said Sofia Vergara. “That was spectacular.” It was the “perfect, perfect, perfect act.”
Added Heidi Klum, “you sounded so beautiful and I thought to myself this probably is what it sounds like when an angel is singing. Literally. So beautiful. I do hope Bono gets to hear this.”
“Perfection,” was all Howie Mandel had to say.
Putri had the final word. She thanked Cowell, his fellow judges and supporters. “You already changed my life,” she enthused.
Now it’s America’s turn to vote.
Watch the performance below.
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Got spandex? Tick. Got pyrotechnics? Tick. Got your vote? Wait and see.
Steel Panther isn’t the type of group to simply perform on a stage. When they appeared live on America’s Got Talent on Tuesday night (Aug. 29), they rocked it.
Led by Ralph “Michael Starr” Saenz, the throwback heavy metal band from Hollywood, CA isn’t everyone’s favorite flavor, but here they are, crashing the live qualifiers alongside dance troupes, magicians, comedians, acrobats, singers and more.
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For their latest performance, the four-piece blasted “Death to All But Metal” from 2009’s Feel the Steel — and admittedly tweaked some of its provocative lyrics.
Formed in 2000, the band has landed six titles on the Billboard 200 chart, and they’re using their run on AGT to drum-up excitement for their sixth and most recent full-length album On the Prowl, which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Comedy Albums chart in March of this year.
The big hair, the heavy makeup, the loud everything, it was a hit with the AGT audience – and the judges.
“Look at this room — everyone on their feet, everyone screaming,” Heidi Klum told the band afterwards. “I love how you rocked the stage,” she added, “you sound amazing, especially the high note. Everyone was on it. Well done.”
Sofia Vergara remarked, “I’m super excited for you guys. I think America is going to love you”.
Simon Cowell pulled out his old familiar tune: “I didn’t like it, I loved it.” He then took a more serious tone, remarking, “you take yourselves seriously because you’ve done this for a long time and it shows, and you don’t take yourselves seriously which is what I like (about you).” The Brit continued, “I know we’re early on in the season, this has been my favorite live show act so far.”
Steel Panther was the 10th performer on the night. Only two can progress. It’s a tough equation to crack. Howie Mandel is a fan. “In my books, you guys are top 10.”
Watch below.
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When Lavender Darcangelo last stood on the America’s Got Talent stage, she was covered in golden glitter.
On that occasion last month, the 27-year-old contestant stunned the judges with her performance of “Out Here on My Own,” originally sung by Irene Cara for the Fame soundtrack. It was a rendition that earned her a standing ovation not only from the crowd, but from all four of the judges on the panel.
On Tuesday night (Aug. 22), Darcangelo took center stage once again, this time in the AGT qualifiers.
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The Fitchburg, MA native, who is autistic and blind, left nothing to chance as she belted out a cover of Foreigner’s mid-‘80s ballad, “I Want to Know What Love Is”. Bathed in the light of a laser show, and with the lights dimmed in the room to create the vibe of a planetarium, Darcangelo showcased her vocals with a stripped-back version.
The cameras caught Simon Cowell smiling as Darcangelo tugged on the heart strings. Heidi Klum, who had awarded Darcangelo the Golden Buzzer in July, appeared to be holding back tears.
The result – another standing ovation from everyone in he room, including Cowell, Klum and their fellow judges Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara.
“Lavender, I’m so proud of you,” responded Klum. “They love you Lavender. I feel you when you are singing, I feel you, I hope everyone in this room felt you. I hope everyone at home felt you.”
It’s simply “the most amazing feeling,” Cowell enthused, “when a contestant who everyone loves nails it, and you can feel it.”
The song should be a embedded in Cowell’s DNA. Following its release in 1984, the single spent seven weeks in the U.K. top 10, including a three week run at No. 1. It was a similar story in the U.S., where the single logged two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The second half of Darcangelo’s performance, Cowell noted, “the whole song, the lyric took on a completely different meaning for me, and that was beautiful.”
Now, it’s America’s turn to vote.
Watch Darcangelo’s performance below.
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First appearances can be deceiving. Take Wesley Plumber, the mild-mannered computer guy who auditioned on America’s Got Talent.
The 36-year-old doesn’t look like the type to seek out the bright lights of showbiz. Revealing a touch of nerves, the AGT hopeful remarked that his plan was to play piano, and sing. No jazz hands, not histrionics. Just do his thing, in front of the nation.
By day, our guy handles tech for a small hotel chain. On Tuesday night (Aug. 9), the big reveal.
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What would he do with the million dollar winner’s check? “I would quit my job, even though I like it, and do music full-time,” was his response.
There was nothing super, however, when he started his performance with ABBA’s “Take a Chance On Me,” a rendition flatter than a pancake squished under a steamroller.
Then, a call from the audience, “give him another chance.” And, well, a flashmob. Our “techie” playing his part in a guerilla audition, a spectacle of silly — complete with marching band.
Pulling back the curtain, Plumber, an actual composer and music director by the name of Eric Gersen, introduced his team at Improv Everywhere, a comedic performance art group based in New York City.
Sofia Vergara thought the performance was “fun” and the band “fantastic,” but there was no element of surprise. “Unfortunately I knew something was coming because of the acting.”
Simon Cowell actually “was surprised. I just love how it kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I loved the song choice. I really liked this audition.”
It was a yes from Cowell and Heidi Klum, a no from Vergara. Howie Mandel had the final surprise. A great, big no. And just like that, the flashmob dissipated.
Watch below.
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America’s Got Talent is back on our screens, back in our lives. And for one AGT contestant, Gabriel Henrique, everything is golden.
Henrique, a 27-year-old from Brazil, on his first trip to the U.S. of A., auditioned for Tuesday night’s episode (Aug. 1) and made the very most of it.
Speaking with the assistance of an interpreter, Henrique admitted he spoke only “a little bit” of English, and he’s “just trying.”
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No matter, music is the universal language. And he’s fluent.
Putting aside some early nerves, Henrique threw himself into a cover of Whitney Houston’s “Run to You,” with enough energy and high notes to power a small town.
A standing ovation ensued, including all four AGT judges.
“If Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey had a baby, it would be Gabriel,” quipped Heidi Klum. ”Wow, you are incredible.”
“I did not expect that voice to come out of you. You sound like the best and finest pop diva that ever was,” Howie Mandel enthused. “You’re amazing.”
Simon Cowell went next. “People are going to really like you. You’re just so interesting,” he claimed. “I can tell that you’ve sang in church and you don’t know how good you are. It was amazing.”
Sofia Vergara had the last comment, and action. “I don’t have words, that was so perfect, spectacular. Your voice is beautiful. Your energy, who you are. It was perfect.” That performance was “something I was waiting for, something very beautiful and very heartfelt.”
Before the panel had time to vote, Vergara put a halt to proceedings and triggered the golden buzzer.
Watch below.
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