Landau Eugene Murphy Jr, singer: As the final AGT curtain was about to fall, Landau did it his way and offered us a soulful and emotional rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” Despite his lack of professional experience, Landau is a fantastic singer and entertainer. The only area of improvement I see for him is that he needs to get more comfortable on stage and to move around a bit more. Piers said that this was a million dollar performance. Sharon got goosebumps. Howie said that Eugene probably sealed the deal with this performance.
Team iLuminate, dancers: They pushed their own limits this week by offering us a routine that included moves that we had never seen from them before as well as lighting effects that made it looked like they were way more people on stage than they actually were. After weeks of the lighting on their costume not being clear enough to see each figure properly, Team iLuminate got it perfect this week. The lighting effects were better defined and clearer than in previous performances. Sharon said that their act is groundbreaking and incredible. She also pointed out that Team iLuminate must create everything from zero. Howie mentioned that they may be at a disadvantage since viewers can relate to Landau and his story while it’s harder to relate to a group. I would add to that that AGT editing focused on Landau’s difficult path, making him more “real” than Team iLuminate, as we don’t know much about the group members as individuals plus we don’t see their faces when they perform. Piers said that they are what this country is about.
Season 2 winner Terry Fator performed next. Terry offered us a flawless ventriloquist performance that was fun and that featured some very great singing. See for yourself in the clip below.
POPLYFE, band: Even before the judges started to comment on the performance, we could see that they didn’t enjoy it much as none of them took part of the standing ovation while they did get up for the two previous acts. Sadly, the singing was off tonight. Not only did the lead singer was off here and there — mostly in “We Will Rock You” if you ask me — but so were the background vocals — one singer sounded terribly off key in “We Are the Champions.” What didn’t help is that the overall sound was not well balanced as we heard the instruments way more than the singing. Nonetheless, they rocked the house and showed, once again, that they are entertainers and can make it big as a band. The three judges mentioned that the singing wasn’t great but all agree that they are champions even if they don’t win AGT.
Silhouettes, dancers: Due to some technical problems, we were treated to funny auditions and then footage of Nick throughout the season before Silhouettes could perform. These technical problems could have affected the dancers but, if it did, it didn’t show at all on stage. Once again this week, the Silhouette dancers offered a flawless and original performance. Even if their routine was not as impressive as their tribute to America from a few years back, there were some pretty clever figures. They got a standing ovation from everyone. Piers said that the best was saved for last. Sharon mentioned that it was inspirational while Howie concurred with Piers and claimed it was a perfect ending.
My pick: Silhouettes. I love Team iLuminate but I’m not sure that I would sit through an entire show in the dark with lights moving around the stage no matter how creative it is. However, I would love a show where Team Iluminate and Silhouettes team up. As well, as much as I enjoy listening to Landau, I wish that this year a non-solo singer wins. Okay, technically, Terry Fator is not a singer but he does do a whole lot of singing in his act as you saw tonight. One thing is certain this year, all found acts deserve to win and I’ll be happy with any of them being crowned best act in America.
Who do you think will win AGT? Vote below!
Clacked by Isabelle Carreau 
on Sep 13, 2011 @ 22:36 EST5EDT
