The Semifinals Begin on 'America's Got Talent'

Things are about to get pretty real, because America's Got Talent has stepped it up AGAIN! This means that the acts that are only OK will finally be going home, and the favorites from the beginning will move up where they belong. 

I'm talking the likes of Sandou Trio Russian Bar and Team iLuminate, performing tonight! Oh, and most of the acts will/should add fire. Sharon explains that she doesn't want predictability and the judges don't want safe. Zuma Zuma is neither of those things. But will they add more fire? One of the members of Zuma Zuma actually died from falling during their act.

What the hell? This is even without fire, which they DID add. They stacked some chairs/men and limboed under some fire. Despite adding fire and tiger print, and stacking men like Jenga blocks again, I didn't think it was as exciting as the last performances they've done. In their defense, those were actual chairs stacked up on four glasses. 

"It's very dangerous," they assure us. Beth Ann Robinson danced her way into the Semi-Finals from the YouTube show. I like that tonight, she is dressed like a muse from Xanadu. I'd like to see her audition for SYTYCD in four years. This girl is good, but I'm not sure a solo dance act (or any solo act) can win this season against the given competition. 

The judges agree that she is beyond her years in skill and poise. It makes me think of when I was 14, which I would prefer never to be reminded of again. Sandou Trio Russian Bar! They added fire last time, what will it be this time? MORE fire? They're not doing the Bar this time--she's singing on a flying piano. Like Cee Lo! Something tells me this is a terrible idea. 

Piers gives it an X almost immediately. The piano turns upside down but that doesn't change the fact that its a mediocre performances of "Angel of Mine." It was a misstep, more piano bar than Russian Bar. Piers called it the biggest suicide mission this show has ever seen. I kind of forgot about Kevin Colis, but the viewers voted him through so let's check him out again. He sang a song about love, and it was OK. Maybe I'm just still reeling from Sandou Trio Piano Bar. 

Piers gave it an X, which I'm sure is just what Kevin needed to feel good about himself. Sharon said it reminded her of The Wiggles--very sweet but bland and forgettable. Whoa, brutal honesty from Sharon! Desperately, Kevin promises a dimension to his singing that we have not yet seen. Is it fire? Matt Wilhelm has a good chance, as America's choice in the YouTube round. 

Tonight, the bike will be like, symbolic. No fire, but this is pretty much Fighting Gravity with bike tricks. So we love that, right? He did step it up from last time, I think. It was about being bullied! So we won't bully him for one mistake. Piers doesn't know that he could watch it for a full act's length. He may struggle tonight, because he performed fifth. Then he promised something "so crazy" for next time. Promises, promises. PopLyfe is singing "Come Together" and I wasn't totally sure it was the right choice. To their credit, though, I think they've gotten better. 

It was good, even! Howie called it a headlining act, Piers thinks it's going to be a huge band in the coming years, and Sharon said it was a winner. West Springfield Dance Team has had just another week, again, to pull together an act. They've been vampires, jokers, and now they're zombies. To get on Sharon's good side, they're dancing to "Crazy Train." The dancing was pretty cool, and at the end the guy pulled part of his "face" off. Ahhh, I don't know this time. Maybe it's just seeing them three weeks in a row. I still don't like that they have coaches. I love Melissa Villasenor. I want her to do well. I also want her to be the Kinetic King's girlfriend? Tonight she's doing her traditional stand-up act. She did Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes, Shakira, and Christina Aguilera. She strung it together much better this time and she's just adorable. If a solo act can take this thing, it's her. After reminding us $1 million is on the line, Nick Cannon introduces Team iLuminate. They can't add fire because it's a light act. It's also a technology act! It was video game themed, and I loved it even more! I mean, give me a break, this is so awesome. Howie prematurely crowned them the million dollar winners, Sharon says they should have been famous forever ago. This is an act I would love to see in person. Fierce Daniel Joseph Baker is being groomed to be the next Prince/Lady Gaga. He's singing Adele's "Turning Tables" on a turning table. It worked, though. I love him so much, and I think America's Got Talent is actually a good fit for him, with all the theatrics. We put the Miami All Stars through such a long time ago. Since then, they've been breaking the stage (literally) with their dance moves. Looks like they're doing a swing thing tonight. Ah, there's just so many of them! So much going on. I think it was great, but maybe I just blacked out from sensory overload. Piers said it was his favorite performance of the whole night. The final act of the evening is Lys Agnes. For her clip package, she literally released a butterfly into the air from the top of a building. She's singing that song from Evanescence that was really big in like, 2002. And she's singing it in your neighbors' Halloween decorations. It was gothic and sort of weird. Her voice is too big for the song. It almost reminded me of Mrs. Miller. I don't know that I loved it, but the judges did. It ended on a creepy note as Howie said, "you know what I wanna do to you?"