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"Shy girls" on America's Got Talent

Checkerboard Strangler said:
No actually you don't know what I'm going to say.
Here's what I'm going to say:

Well said! ;)

PS: Thanks for the flowers on the nephew, check out his dad, equally amazing.
And neither of them are egotistical in the least, they're really wonderful people.
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Was that the bluesy one that you posted not long after the nephew? Checked it out last night. Amazing.
 
NeverTrumpGOP said:
I don't know if it's a new phenomenon, w/the impact of social media, but if you look hard enough. You can find anybody online doing the things they love and hoping they can be the next Justin Bieber. It may feel like a scam if you look into it, and I usually do look into these things, but w/reality shows. I know they are all fake. I watch them to get away from the research that I do constantly in my daily life. I don't search for the acts online (although the Trump impersonator from last year was @ the Singapore summit) and I found that out by accident.

For Instance for awhile, I watched Storage Wars, and I loved it! Yes it's completely fake and staged, but I didn't care.

Even on The Voice, those artists are all usually seasoned musicians singing around in coffee shops or selling larger venues and getting noticed on YouTube. American Idol was the first show to do the undiscovered singing thing, but nowadays that's extremely rare to come by. Because everything is online and can be searched. Social media was not a thing when American Idol first started and there was no YouTube.
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I was so pissed when The Voice came out. I was like, "Finally. A show that bases whether or not they are going to choose someone, based on raw talent, and not turn it into a beauty contest." Then what happens? The whole damn thing turns into a beauty contest. The guy that won the first season looked like an underwear model, and the kid with talent got kicked to the curb because he was overweight. Doesn't matter that he was more talented.
 
Superfly said:
I was so pissed when The Voice came out. I was like, "Finally. A show that bases whether or not they are going to choose someone, based on raw talent, and not turn it into a beauty contest." Then what happens? The whole damn thing turns into a beauty contest. The guy that won the first season looked like an underwear model, and the kid with talent got kicked to the curb because he was overweight. Doesn't matter that he was more talented.
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To be fair what I think The Voice meant was that they had a certain look that they were going for and that look is not what the record labels were looking for (w/the exception of Universal Music Group-- their label). And unless you are doing heavy metal. Musicians usually look good. That's the music scene, however, The Voice seems to be losing some luster in the music industry due to the lack of big name record deals. The show sells a lot on iTunes (kinda old fashioned at this point), but no singer from the competition can be considered a household name, and American Idol and AGT has produced a number of them. Idol's number one goal this new season is to get a trending/household name again.
 
Superfly said:
Was that the bluesy one that you posted not long after the nephew? Checked it out last night. Amazing.
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Yeah, it's called "Stay" and apparently he wrote it.
His band, My Blue Sky, is actually an Allman Brothers cover band, the only one to ever get recognition from the Allman family.
Also, Jimmy Hall, formerly of Wet Willie, occasionally tours with them and also does some vocals, which is when John switches to backing vocals and does more guitar. He's a really good guitarist as well.

My Blue Sky is apparently VERY VERY popular in the Midwest.
 
NeverTrumpGOP said:
To be fair what I think The Voice meant was that they had a certain look that they were going for and that look is not what the record labels were looking for (w/the exception of Universal Music Group-- their label). And unless you are doing heavy metal. Musicians usually look good. That's the music scene, however, The Voice seems to be losing some luster in the music industry due to the lack of big name record deals. The show sells a lot on iTunes (kinda old fashioned at this point), but no singer from the competition can be considered a household name, and American Idol and AGT has produced a number of them. Idol's number one goal this new season is to get a trending/household name again.
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You guys, Superfly, NeverTrumpGOP, I'm trying to tell you, based on my experience in the industry, ALL of these shows are staged, planned in advance, and fake as Hell. It's just a stone cold fact.
And they don't give a damn about the performers beyond their usefulness as ratings grabbers.
Once they are off the stage, they are out in the cold.

These judges, they're not A&R men, not even Simon is. Simon does not BELIEVE IN A&R, he sees himself as an indispensible unitary executive who is entitled to micromanage ALL talent decisions.
That's a throwback to the days when a singer was given an orchestra and told what to sing and how to sing, and how to create the record.
It's a rebellion against the recent decades where artists took control of their content and asserted ownership of their masters and control of their contracts.
 
NeverTrumpGOP said:
To be fair what I think The Voice meant was that they had a certain look that they were going for and that look is not what the record labels were looking for (w/the exception of Universal Music Group-- their label). And unless you are doing heavy metal. Musicians usually look good. That's the music scene, however, The Voice seems to be losing some luster in the music industry due to the lack of big name record deals. The show sells a lot on iTunes (kinda old fashioned at this point), but no singer from the competition can be considered a household name, and American Idol and AGT has produced a number of them. Idol's number one goal this new season is to get a trending/household name again.
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Honestly? The best musicians I've ever heard in my life are ugly asf.

But then I am a musician, and not somebody who appreciates bubble gum pop like the crap that is churned out on these shows. The closest to talent that I've heard (other than Emily West's voice) is the season 5 winner from AGT. Dude called Michael Grimm. Really liked him. Loved his sound. He was pretty versatile, and could go from delta blues to Etta James to Joe Cocker without batting an eye.

 
Checkerboard Strangler said:
Yeah, it's called "Stay" and apparently he wrote it.
His band, My Blue Sky, is actually an Allman Brothers cover band, the only one to ever get recognition from the Allman family.
Also, Jimmy Hall, formerly of Wet Willie, occasionally tours with them and also does some vocals, which is when John switches to backing vocals and does more guitar. He's a really good guitarist as well.

My Blue Sky is apparently VERY VERY popular in the Midwest.
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Impressive asf. I remember Wet Willie, and can't be a self-respecting southerner without appreciating the genius that was the Allman Brothers.
 
Checkerboard Strangler said:
You guys, Superfly, NeverTrumpGOP, I'm trying to tell you, based on my experience in the industry, ALL of these shows are staged, planned in advance, and fake as Hell. It's just a stone cold fact.
And they don't give a damn about the performers beyond their usefulness as ratings grabbers.
Once they are off the stage, they are out in the cold.

These judges, they're not A&R men, not even Simon is. Simon does not BELIEVE IN A&R, he sees himself as an indispensible unitary executive who is entitled to micromanage ALL talent decisions.
That's a throwback to the days when a singer was given an orchestra and told what to sing and how to sing, and how to create the record.
It's a rebellion against the recent decades where artists took control of their content and asserted ownership of their masters and control of their contracts.
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Yeah that's what I was saying earlier. I enjoy AGT (don't watch any of the others), but honestly? They know in advance (far in advance) who is going to win and who is not. This feel good, "call 1-800-number to vote" is just an exercise in futility for the viewer. They think they are making a difference, and they are not.

Going into it knowing what I know about the outcome, I just appreciate it as a variety show, like the ones that were on when we were kids. I don't look at it as a competition, because there is no competition.
 
Checkerboard Strangler said:
These judges, they're not A&R men, not even Simon is. Simon does not BELIEVE IN A&R, he sees himself as an indispensible unitary executive who is entitled to micromanage ALL talent decisions.
That's a throwback to the days when a singer was given an orchestra and told what to sing and how to sing, and how to create the record.
It's a rebellion against the recent decades where artists took control of their content and asserted ownership of their masters and control of their contracts.
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Well yeah, if you watch AGT closely enough you can tell it's all staged. I even stopped it at one point during a trailer for the golden buzzer moment to see if they accidentally left the person in the shot. Nope, they included a picture in the trailer of a completely empty stage w/the golden buzzer flashing just so nobody catches them spoiling it in the trailer.

I did get that vibe from Simon that he's a micromanager douchebag. Especially since last year that dumb dog act made it all the way into the finals. It's Simon's show so he makes all the calls. I would love to be able to see how those shows are put together and to see the business ends of these things. Part of the reason why I want to work in media.

But as long as it's good TV, I don't care about any of that. I don't really watch much reality TV except Shark Tank, Parts Unknown :(, and AGT.
 
NeverTrumpGOP said:
Well yeah, if you watch AGT closely enough you can tell it's all staged. I even stopped it at one point during a trailer for the golden buzzer moment to see if they accidentally left the person in the shot. Nope, they included a picture in the trailer of a completely empty stage w/the golden buzzer flashing just so nobody catches them spoiling it in the trailer.

I did get that vibe from Simon that he's a micromanager douchebag. Especially since last year that dumb dog act made it all the way into the finals. It's Simon's show so he makes all the calls. I would love to be able to see how those shows are put together and to see the business ends of these things. Part of the reason why I want to work in media.

But as long as it's good TV, I don't care about any of that. I don't really watch much reality TV except Shark Tank, Parts Unknown :(, and AGT.
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What about a few years ago when those dogs won? I'm still pissed about that. :lol:

And what gave it away for me (I always suspected but never was sure) was just watch -- when they get into the performances, where they perform one night, and get cut the "next night?" The judges wear different clothes to make the viewer believe that it's the next night, but the performers are all still wearing the same clothes. You'd think if they wanted continuity, they'd have the performers change clothes, to make it at least look like it was the following day. That is when we were like, "Wait a minute. You are saying that thousands of people are calling in to vote, and the votes are tallied overnight, yet the people come back the next day wearing the same clothes?" No. BS. The votes? They mean nothing.
 
Superfly said:
What about a few years ago when those dogs won? I'm still pissed about that. :lol:

And what gave it away for me (I always suspected but never was sure) was just watch -- when they get into the performances, where they perform one night, and get cut the "next night?" The judges wear different clothes to make the viewer believe that it's the next night, but the performers are all still wearing the same clothes. You'd think if they wanted continuity, they'd have the performers change clothes, to make it at least look like it was the following day. That is when we were like, "Wait a minute. You are saying that thousands of people are calling in to vote, and the votes are tallied overnight, yet the people come back the next day wearing the same clothes?" No. BS. The votes? They mean nothing.
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Kids and animals are automatic four yeses all the time even if the act sucks.
 
NeverTrumpGOP said:
Kids and animals are automatic four yeses all the time even if the act sucks.
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yeah there was an adorable little girl on last night with a ruffly dress and bows on her socks. Cute asf, and sang Sinatra, so you know she's going through, even though the kid wasn't that great. They push them through regardless, and the kid thinks they have a chance, and then SLICE - down goes the guillotine and the kid is destroyed.
 
NeverTrumpGOP said:
Well yeah, if you watch AGT closely enough you can tell it's all staged. I even stopped it at one point during a trailer for the golden buzzer moment to see if they accidentally left the person in the shot. Nope, they included a picture in the trailer of a completely empty stage w/the golden buzzer flashing just so nobody catches them spoiling it in the trailer.

I did get that vibe from Simon that he's a micromanager douchebag. Especially since last year that dumb dog act made it all the way into the finals. It's Simon's show so he makes all the calls. I would love to be able to see how those shows are put together and to see the business ends of these things. Part of the reason why I want to work in media.

But as long as it's good TV, I don't care about any of that. I don't really watch much reality TV except Shark Tank, Parts Unknown :(, and AGT.
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Oh yeah, I wouldn't want anybody to think this is some outrage siren fest against reality TV.
Most of it's garbage but there is some gold in there.
Shark Tank entertains a bit, Parts Unknown is part reality, part cinema verite, part travelogue.
The gist of it is, think of reality TV as a board game come to life :D

PS: DISCLAIMER - - Karen is a hardcore reality TV addict. My wife is ALL up IN that **** hardcore.
 
I usually only watch a handful of competition shows, and I like watching Food Network.

I also like those "Life After People" shows. Scary!

Save my time for the good shows like Ray Donovan.
 
hanger4 said:
Would you recommend some music of theirs, I have an opportunity to see them live July 3.
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The album "Fun Machine" that the linked video was promoting is a good sample. The do bluesy covers of a lot of songs you wouldn't think could be done bluesy. Their Youtube channel also has a lot of videos of their performances. They used to do a special cover song for Halloween every year that are all funny and great, but I don't think they did one for 2017.
 
jmotivator said:
The album "Fun Machine" that the linked video was promoting is a good sample. The do bluesy covers of a lot of songs you wouldn't think could be done bluesy. Their Youtube channel also has a lot of videos of their performances. They used to do a special cover song for Halloween every year that are all funny and great, but I don't think they did one for 2017.
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Thanks
 
AGT is reality TV. It's all about creating drama so people will connect with the contestants and keep on watching.

Amelia said:
I watched AGT for the first time this season. Had skipped the first two episodes and didn't regret it.

I liked the girl who got the golden buzzer -- Courtney Hadwin. But AGT has made me skeptical, and my skepticism was justified tonight.

The girl comes out all meek and mild and looks like she's never been in front of a big crowd and might not be able to sing. Then she shocks everyone by doing an energetic performance which channels Janis Joplin.

For this she gets the coveted Golden Buzzer and is consumed with happy tears like this is a barely imaginable thing to happen to a girl who never had come out of her shell before.



..... then you look online and see she's been competing for years and was a finalist in UK's "The Voice Kids" last year and has given other Joplin-esque live performances.




Similar thing happened a couple of years ago when a girl who won Romania's Got Talent did her America's Got Talent audition and gave a non-answer to a question about how long she had been singing, making it sound like her mother had just casually, recently given her a piece of music which launched her new adventure. When really she was an old pro at talent shows. So she got the Golden Buzzer and acted all shocked ... but she wasn't all that good at acting humbly surprised. Tonight's girl was much better at it. Tonight's girl was so good that I almost thought I was being unfair to her when I had that flashback to the Romanian girl.


Courtney is still a fun performer ... but I don't like feeling manipulated by little kids who are hiding that they're semi-professional competitors.
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Howard the Duck said:
The funny thing is I don't want to play much anymore. That makes me more valuable than ever. Sometimes double and triple scale.

If only I knew that saying no was so profitable 30 years ago.
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A friend who did a lot of studio work back in the 70s - he's a drummer - once told me that the best advice he got was to always ask for at least double scale otherwise people would think he wasn't worth calling in the first place.
 
The girl has some sick talent whether or not this was staged. Here's one of her Voice UK performances.

 
Top Cat said:
The girl has some sick talent whether or not this was staged. Here's one of her Voice UK performances.

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Sick talent.

Is the way over the top performance needed for the singing -- does it help her pump up her volume? It's charming in its nostalgic way but I'm not seeing it translate into a modern solo artist career.

If she's hoping for a career as a celebrity impersonator, she's on the right track.
 
Amelia said:
Sick talent.

Is the way over the top performance needed for the singing -- does it help her pump up her volume? It's charming in its nostalgic way but I'm not seeing it translate into a modern solo artist career.

If she's hoping for a career as a celebrity impersonator, she's on the right track.
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Sure thing Amelia. She was likely 12 when she performed that. How many of your videos have 8 million views, never mind as a child?
 
Top Cat said:
Sure thing Amelia. She was likely 12 when she performed that. How many of your videos have 8 million views, never mind as a child?
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I said I like her. I called her a fun performer. I agreed with you that she has "sick talent".

*shrug*
 
Amelia said:
I said I like her. I called her a fun performer. I agreed with you that she has "sick talent".

*shrug*
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She's a child. Perspective. It's a wonderful thing.
 
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