This week was, well to put it mildly....Weak.

The theme was personal heroes which the producers hope will start some good wetworks and juicy backstories, nothing doing, though watching the sideswipe guy cry about his Sensei, was really moving...haw.

They started the show with all 10 of the competitors from last week and called out the performers to do their act right on the spot, so each group needed to have a number ready. Left out in the cold this week were The Calypso Tumblers and The Duttons. I really felt bad for the Tumblers even though I am not a fan of street acts, because I thought they were scads better then their main competitors, Sideswipe; who tried cheap pop politics (the kids included in their act) to get over and it worked. Hopefully, Karma catches up to the Karate Chippendales douchebags and they are eliminated when 4 acts are cut next week. The Dutton's being cut loose didn't bother me, although I would have preferred Jason Pritchett being gone. I don't feel sorry for them, because they are a Tailor-Made saccharine opening act for John Davidson at the Yo-Yo Ma theater in Branson Missouri.
That being said, Let's get right to the rankings. Remember, 4 acts are being let go before the show next week, so this week's performances are VERY important.

1. Cas Haley - Seriously, this guy is the best act on the show hands down. His ska-ed up version of Lionel Richie's easy was original and his voice was flawless. The band was de-emphasized (which I liked) and he was back to doing his thing. I really hope this guy at the very least, get's signed as a result of this show.

2. Terry Fator - Again, this guy is an excellent technician when it comes to doing the Ventriloquist thing and honestly, he CAN sing, but I didn't laugh once...isn't that what ventriloquists are supposed to do? Make you laugh? Apperently not Mr. Fator, his puppets make you cry. He did a spot on singing impression with his puppet, Johnny Vegas of both Dean Martin and Tony Bennett, but I need him to bring the funny and that's why he's not ranked above Cas Haley.

3. Butterscotch - Okay, this is where the show started getting dicey for me, because Butterscotch is nowhere near the top 2 performers, but the "Jidges" love the dickens out of her...I just don't get it. First of all, the hybrid singing/beatboxing thing doesn't work for me as singing or beatboxing. She makes an odd expression on her face when she does it and it's totally pointless. Her piano playing is nice and her normal singing voice is better than average, but I just don't get what she's trying to do other than doing a mediocre Alicia Keys impression. I hope she's got something else in the tank, because the last 2 weeks have been mediocre for me.

4. Julienne Irwin - She's got a nice voice, and better tone than butterscotch, but she really hasn't done anything that I haven't seen already and "Crazy" the song she sang is ridiculously played out. Sharon Osbourne and Piers both let her have it for trying to sing grown up songs when she's a kid and I agree...her Mom better find her some "now" material ASAP if she's even here next week.

5. Sideswipe - Chippendales Karate honestly did nothing for me and again, the cast of thousands thing that they pulled, was an annoyance as opposed to an enhancement, because this is about an act having talent, not a group of 500 kids doing flips and swinging around nunchuks. They told a story, which was an improvement on last weeks blatant shill move, but it still wasn't good enough for Mike Rose.

6. Robert Hatcher - I like the dude, I empathize that he came from nothing to be here, he has a beautiful lower register, but he just isn't good enough to be a professional singer without some more training. His upper register and falsetto are really bad and his physical performance is just terrible. He seems like a nice fella, and I don't want to fillet him too bad, because his backstory is great, but he doesn't belong here anymore.

7. Jason Pritchett - Let me put it this way. The guy is where he is by virtue of his look. Nothing else. He absolutely sucked sideways singing "If Tomorrow Never Comes" which is a friendly song to singers that have low registers, but honestly, Jason has no register. His voice is plain and he really brings nothing personality-wise to his performance. He's lucky to have a job on a cruise ship.

8 The Glamazons - Okay, I am going to put this right out there like this. This act should NEVER have made it through the auditions. Their vocals are crap, their harmonies are non-existant and their choreography is a joke. Other than that, they are great. I don't know if Kashif and Boy Shakira were worse than them, but you could put all of these girl's talent in a thimble and have room for the Chinese Army left over....is that clear?

So the question is....Who is gone? Here is who I think should be gone
The Glamazons
Jason Pritchett
Robert Hatcher
Sideswipe

Here is who I think America will send home:
Robert Hatcher
Julienne Irwin
Sideswipe
Jason Pritchett

Why not the Glamazons? You tell me...I welcome your input...

Mike