AGT

[Vrede too]

Five will go through to the finals, and six will be eliminated.
Three will be sent through and five sent home based on the overnight vote.
#s 4, 5 and 6: 1 will be saved by tonight's home audience, 1 will be saved by the judges, reverting to the existing home audience vote if the judges tie.

They are:
Ndlovu Youth Choir
Light Balance Kids
Robert Finley

I guess I want Robert Finley to go home - ageist of me? - but I ain't happy about it. I would bet on one of the kid groups leaving, though - vote splitting. If so, I want Ndlovu Youth Choir to stay.

[Vrede too]

Semifinals: Week 1 (September 3–4)

Five will go through to the finals, and six will be eliminated.
Three will be sent through and five sent home based on the overnight vote.
#s 4, 5 and 6: 1 will be saved by tonight's home audience, 1 will be saved by the judges, reverting to the existing home audience vote if the judges tie.

They are:
Ndlovu Youth Choir My #1. Judges' save, 3-1, whew.
Light Balance Kids My #3. Audience save, nice.
Robert Finley My #4. Oh well, great run.

I guess I want Robert Finley to go home - ageist of me? - but I ain't happy about it. I would bet on one of the kid groups leaving, though - vote splitting. If so, I want Ndlovu Youth Choir to stay.

Sent through by the overnight vote:

Kodi Lee, my #2.
Tyler Butler-Figueroa, my #5.

... Some are very good, just not my cup of Alex Morgan . Pretty much every act in the semis has something going for it....

For example, Benicio Bryant.

Not bad, 4 of my 5 top picks advanced and the other one came in 6th.
Interesting: All child acts except for 22 year-old Kodi Lee, and he sort of qualifies with his childlike autism and mom always by his side. Kids are sure to be popular, but 5 for 5?

Sent home by the overnight vote:

Messoudi Brothers, my #6.
Greg Morton, my #7.
3 other acts.

[Vrede too]

Guest performer during the Results show, I never get tired of her:

Darci Lynne Is Back: Proves Why She May Be The GREATEST 'AGT' Winner! (2 years ago)

The notes she hits at the end! She would be a top tier singer even without the ventriloquism.

Darci Lynne Farmer net worth:
$8 Million

Not bad at 14 years-old.

[Vrede too]

Semifinals: Week 2 (September 10–11)

Results tonight, repeats Sat. & Sun., Finals next week.

First off, opera and classical guitar aren't my thing and I wouldn't vote for them or ever buy Vegas tix, but even a lowbrow like me can recognized enormous talent. Either could win it all and that would be okay.

Emanne Beasha: Tiny (10 year-old) Body With Huge STUNNING Voice!

Quarterfinals: Week 3 (August 27–28)
Not a great night IMO. Their fault or am I just grumpy? Not blown away by anyone. Some I can recognize their talent, but I'm just not that entertained. For example:

Marcin Patrzalek: Polish Guy Blows Judges Away With A Guitar Masterclass!

Marcin Patrzalek: Master Guitarist Is On FIRE and Proves Simon Wrong

I like:

Maybe my favorite of the night:

Detroit Youth Choir: Terry Crew's Golden Buzzer Brings The House Down!

I get that Detroit is horribly segregated between city and suburbs, but not a single non-Black?


https://www.detroityouthchoir.org/

I don't blame the Choir, at least not without learning more, but it's still sad.

Detroit Youth Choir: Judges In TEARS After a Knockout Performance!



My favorite:

Quarterfinals: Week 2 (August 20–21)
Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, "5000 in audience"!

My favorite:

V.Unbeatable: Indian Kids From The Slums Realize Their Dream In America!

Acrobatic dance, fantastic.

Indian Dance Crew V.Unbeatable Earns GOLDEN BUZZER From Dwyane Wade!

25,324,501 views!!! Guess there are a lot of people in India . They could win it all.

V Unbeatable: Indian Dance Group SHOCK America Again!

1,423,549 views in a day and a half. Advanced to semis.

V. Unbeatable: Simon Cowell Makes BOLD Prediction About The Indian Group



5 out of 11 will advance, could even be the 4 I've named. No idea who the 5th will be, but I wouldn't bet against:

Voices Of Service: Military Choir Delivers A SHOWSTOPPER!

Hmmm, a Lebanese, a Pole, 2 Black groups and an Indian group - think I'm biased, or does White America not Got Talent?
(in reality, I have rooted all the way for past White American winners Darci Lynne, Grace VanderWaal and Terry Fator, and some that didn’t win)

[Vrede too]

Emanne Beasha is in 4th, 5th or 6th in the overnight voting. She seems endangered, but 2 out of 3 of these will go through. Otoh, only 3 of the remaining 8 will make it to the Finals. Weird, huh?

I can't imagine that either the live home audience or the judges won't put her through. We'll see.

In the Finals:

V. Unbeatable, my top preference. :!:
Detroit Youth Choir, my 2nd preference. :!:
Voices Of Service, a guess of mine to stay, sort of.
Emanne Beasha, judges' save 3-1, a guess of mine to stay.

Sent Home:

Marcin Patrzalek, a guess of mine to stay.

Not bad, both of my preferences and 2 out of 3 of my other guesses. Either I'm that good, or it's sad that I'm so normal. BEFORE seeing their Final performances, my preferences in descending order:

V. Unbeatable (1.4B+ potential voters )
Ndlovu Youth Choir
Detroit Youth Choir
Kodi Lee
Light Balance Kids
Tyler Butler-Figueroa
Emanne Beasha
Ryan Niemiller
Voices Of Service
Benicio Bryant

I really like my top 6, won’t hate it if any of my bottom 4 win.

Interesting to me:

Not one able-bodied White adult in the Finals.
7 kid acts, 8 if Kodi Lee is an honorary kid.
6 singing acts.
4 non-American acts.
4 White acts.
4 Black acts.
2 disabled.

Not making any point. Various factors went into each act getting this far.

[Vrede too]

... BEFORE seeing their Final performances, my preferences in descending order:

V. Unbeatable (1.4B+ potential voters )
Ndlovu Youth Choir
Detroit Youth Choir
Kodi Lee
Light Balance Kids
Tyler Butler-Figueroa
Emanne Beasha
Ryan Niemiller
Voices Of Service
Benicio Bryant

I really like my top 6, won’t hate it if any of my bottom 4 win.

Finals
Great show, probable repeat Sat., results Wed. night.

Still my #1:

V. Unbeatable: Indian Group BLOW The Judges Away In Final Performance

Tied for my #2:

Light Balance Kids: Ukranian Dance Group Save Their BEST Act For Last!

What fun!

Ndlovu Choir Africa: Simon Calls This The BEST Ending To Finals EVER!

Not sure about Toto's Africa. Great song - too predictable or a plus due to familiarity?

Tied for my #4:

Tyler Butler-Figueroa: Simon Cowell's Golden Buzzer SLAYS In The Finals

Pre-package was a bunch of kids with leukemia like he survived wishing him well. ***sniff***

Detroit Youth Choir: WOW Final Perfomance Does City Of Detroit Proud!

Might be tough for the 4 kid groups in my top 5 due to vote splitting.

Could win:

Voices of Service - Depends on the pro-military vote.
Emanne Beasha - Are there that many opera fans?
Kodi Lee - I thought his song choice and performance slipped a bit. Otoh, Simon and Howie think he'll win and have access to prior weeks' vote totals. So, what do I know?

I don't think these two have a chance, will be shocked if one wins:

Ryan Niemiller
Benicio Bryant

[Vrede too]

Finals
Great show, probable repeat Sat., results Wed. night.

Still my #1:

V. Unbeatable: Indian Group BLOW The Judges Away In Final Performance
4th

Tied for my #2:

Light Balance Kids: Ukranian Dance Group Save Their BEST Act For Last!

What fun!
Bottom 5

Ndlovu Choir Africa: Simon Calls This The BEST Ending To Finals EVER!

Not sure about Toto's Africa. Great song - too predictable or a plus due to familiarity?
Bottom 5

Tied for my #4:

Tyler Butler-Figueroa: Simon Cowell's Golden Buzzer SLAYS In The Finals

Pre-package was a bunch of kids with leukemia like he survived wishing him well. ***sniff***
Bottom 5

Detroit Youth Choir: WOW Final Perfomance Does City Of Detroit Proud!
2nd, good for them.

Might be tough for the 4 kid groups in my top 5 due to vote splitting.

Could win:

Voices of Service - Depends on the pro-military vote.
5th
Emanne Beasha - Are there that many opera fans?
Bottom 5, first one I got correct.
Kodi Lee - I thought his song choice and performance slipped a bit. Otoh, Simon and Howie think he'll win and have access to prior weeks' vote totals. So, what do I know?
Won, good for him. Simon (also said same on Ellen show) and Howie announcing it ahead of time took away some of the drama.

I don't think these two have a chance, will be shocked if one wins:

Ryan Niemiller
3rd
Benicio Bryant
Bottom 5, only other one I got correct.

Meh, not what I wanted, but an entertaining season to watch.

[Vrede too]

America's Got Talent: The Champions
Season 2 (2020)

I missed the 1st 2 weeks of preliminaries, mostly because of football. I don't DVR, the last thing I need is to watch more TV. In the 4 preliminaries there are 10 acts each night, 4 advance each night.

Preliminary 3 (January 20)

Alexa Lauenburger: Germany's Winner WOWS @America's Got Talent Champions!
Dogs act.

That's a lot of focus for an 11 year-old, and for a 9 year-old when she won Germany, or for anyone . . . and for the dogs.
Advanced (Won Judge's Vote 3-0-0)

Tyler Butler-Figueroa Performs "The Git Up" by Blanco Brown! - America's Got Talent: The Champions
Electric violin, #6-10 last summer.

That's a lot of focus for an 12 year-old and cancer survivor.
Advanced (Won Superfan Vote)

Golden Buzzer: Howie Mandel Sends V.Unbeatable To The Finals! - America's Got Talent: The Champions
Acrobatic Dance Group from India. The anti-rattens, but they are attention whores.

My favorites from last summer.

Duo Destiny: Poland's Winners Bring ROMANTIC Acrobatic Act To @America's Got Talent Champions 2020


Good week for me, 4 for 4 with my preferences.

Preliminary 4 (January 27)

Christian & Percy: The CUTEST Dog Act On @America's Got Talent Champions
Hand Balancer & Dog Tricks Act.

Eliminated (Lost Judge's Vote 2-1-1). Awww, I really liked them. My top choice of the 3.

OMG! 7-Year-Old JJ Pantano ROASTS The AGT: Champions Judges! - America's Got Talent: The Champions
Meh. Otoh, there was a lead-up that made us think he was going to sing, it's extra funny that he's a little mean, and stand-up is hard at any age.
Advanced (Won Judge's Vote 2-1-1)

The Silhouettes: Alesha Dixon's FIRST Golden Buzzer Moves @America's Got Talent Champions To Tears
Shadow dancing.
They're very good, but I thought the story was pandering.

Violinist Brian King Joseph Shocks Us With A NEW Original Song - America's Got Talent: The Champions
3rd in 2018 AGT.

Eliminated (Lost Judge's Vote 2-1-1). Awww, my 2nd choice of the 3.

Sandou Trio Russian Bar: Stunning High Flying Act COMEBACK After Getting Booed! AGT Champions 2020
Wow!
Advanced (Won Superfan Vote).

Strauss Serpent Will SHOCK YOU With His Insane Contortion! - America's Got Talent: The Champions
Won Africa's Got Talent.

Advanced (Won Superfan Vote)

Not as good a week for me, only 2 of my favs advanced. Rerun Sunday night.

[neoplacebo]

If there were a tv show called "America's Got Liars" trump would be the greatest of all time. And he'd brag about it. And cultists would cheer and stomp and rejoice in the knowledge that someone as stupid as they are is in a position of power. Everybody knows it. I will tell you.

[Vrede too]

If there were a tv show called "America's Got Liars" trump would be the greatest of all time. And he'd brag about it. And cultists would cheer and stomp and rejoice in the knowledge that someone as stupid as they are is in a position of power. Everybody knows it. I will tell you.

Along with Dancing on the Assholes we're becoming an idea factory for trashy TV.


Back to our regularly scheduled programming:

America's Got Talent: The Champions
Season 2 (2020)

Semi-finals (February 3)

Good show. Rerun Sun. 12 acts, 6 advance.
2 magicians and 2 stand-up comedians - one disabled and one 7 years old - got eliminated, fine by me. Also eliminated was African contortionist Strauss Serpent . I still like him, but the act is self-limiting and it's hard to imagine a 90 minute Vegas show.

Tyler Butler-Figueroa Performs "The Git Up" by Blanco Brown! - America's Got Talent: The Champions
Electric violin, #6-10 last summer.

That's a lot of focus for an 12 year-old and cancer survivor.
Advanced (Won Superfan Vote)

Tyler Butler Figueroa: Child Violinist Moves Crowd To TEARS With Emotional Act | AGT Champions
He killed it again. Advanced (Won Superfan Vote).

3 acrobatic acts competed. I think all of them are great.

Sandou Trio Russian Bar: Stunning High Flying Act COMEBACK After Getting Booed! AGT Champions 2020
Wow!
Advanced (Won Superfan Vote).

Sandou Trio Russian Bar: Arial Act IS on FIRE! Literally! Semifinals @America's Got Talent Champions
Scary stuff, done to perfection. Again, not sure about a 90 minute Vegas show. Advanced (Won Superfan Vote)

America's Got Talent The Champions 2020 Duo Transcend Full Semi Final Performance And Story
Wow, trapeze and roller skates! They were in Superfan 6th or 7th. Advanced (Won Judges' Vote 3-0)

Duo Destiny: Poland's Winners Bring ROMANTIC Acrobatic Act To @America's Got Talent Champions 2020

Duo Destiny: Acrobatic Duo DAZZLE The judges on The Semifinals @America's Got Talent Champions
They're fabulous, but Sandou Trio Russian Bar is unique and Duo Transcend has more variety. If one acrobatic act had to go, I'm not surprised that they were - Eliminated (Lost judge’s vote 0-3).

Marcelito Pomoy: Philippines Champion Solo Duet Singer BLOWS THE ROOF OFF | Semifinals AGT Champions
That's pretty amazing, sings in both tenor and soprano. Not my style of music, though. I probably liked him and Strauss Serpent equally.

My favorite of the night:

Alexa Lauenburger: Germany's Winner WOWS @America's Got Talent Champions!
Dogs act.

That's a lot of focus for an 11 year-old, and for a 9 year-old when she won Germany, or for anyone . . . and for the dogs.
Advanced (Won Judge's Vote 3-0-0).

Alexa Lauenburger: 12-Year-Old Dog Trainor BLOWS The Judges away @America's Got Talent Champions


Also going through to the finals - Hans, a flamboyant singer, accordionist & dancer. I don't get it. I definitely wanted Strauss Serpent more than him. Not bad though, I liked 6 of the 7 that did make it, assuming that there was never a shot for all 3 acrobatic acts to make it.

These 6 will be joined in the finals by 4 Golden Buzzers:

Golden Buzzer: Howie Mandel Sends V.Unbeatable To The Finals! - America's Got Talent: The Champions
Acrobatic Dance Group from India. The anti-rattens, but they are attention whores.

My favorites from last summer.

The Silhouettes: Alesha Dixon's FIRST Golden Buzzer Moves @America's Got Talent Champions To Tears
Shadow dancing.
They're very good, but I thought the story was pandering.

Boogie Storm: Simon Cowell STEALS The Golden Buzzer on @America's Got Talent Champions
Nope . I think it's a goofy shtick and that V.Unbeatable is much much better at acrobatic dance.

America's Got Talent The Champions 2020 Angelina Jordan Golden Buzzer Full Performance S2E01
14 years-old. Bohemian Rhapsody. I'm not usually a fan of solo singers in this show, but that brought tears to my eyes.
She won Norway's Got Talent in 2014 at 8 years-old!

Amazing Eight Year Old Angelina Jordan Wins Norway's Got Talent! Full Final Show
:!: :!: :!:
Summertime. Maybe as good as anyone has sung it.
Her performance ends at 4:10, you don't have to watch the full 13 minutes. The rest is judge's praise and then the results.

In no particular order within their groups and definitely pending their final performances, my top tier is:

Angelina Jordan
V.Unbeatable
Alexa Lauenburger

My middle tier is:

The Silhouettes
Marcelito Pomoy
Sandou Trio Russian Bar
Duo Transcend
Tyler Butler Figueroa

I'll be okay with it if they do well enough to win.

My no chance in hell tier is:

Boogie Storm
Hans

[Vrede too]

Finals Summary
Rerun Sun 2/16. Results on Mon 2/17 I think.
I get the use of "superfans" for instant results, but I'm not sure why it isn't opened up to America when we're waiting a week. Oh well, I don't vote, anyhow.

Overall, I thought last week and the Golden Buzzer performances were better. IMO:

In no particular order within their groups and definitely pending their final performances, my top tier is:

Angelina Jordan: Norway, 14 year-old Singer
Was better before, .

V.Unbeatable: India, Acrobatic Dance Group
V. Unbeatable: Indian Dance Crew Put LIVES on The Line For @America's Got Talent Champions Finale
Incredible,

Alexa Lauenburger: Germany, Dog Tricks Act
Was better before, .

My middle tier is:

The Silhouettes
They're excellent, but their story lines are just too sappy for me .

Marcelito Pomoy: Philippines, Falsetto Singer
Still amazing that he sings in both tenor and soprano. Still not my style of music .

Sandou Trio Russian Bar: United States, Acrobats
Sandou Trio Russian Bar Flies High Above 160 Nails AND Fire! - America's Got Talent: The Champions
Wow, one of my favorites of the night .

Duo Transcend: United States, Trapeze Duo
Were better before, .

Tyler Butler Figueroa: United States, 11 year-old Violinist
Kinda subdued, was better before,

I'll be okay with it if they do well enough to win.

My no chance in hell tier is:

Boogie Storm: Imperial Storm Trooper Dance Group
A little better, still suck.

Hans
I still don't get it.

My new preferences in descending order, top tier:

V.Unbeatable
Sandou Trio Russian Bar

2nd tier:

Duo Transcend
Tyler Butler Figueroa
Alexa Lauenburger and dogs

3rd tier:

Angelina Jordan
Marcelito Pomoy
The Silhouettes

No way:

Boogie Storm: Imperial Storm Trooper Dance Group
Hans

[Vrede too]

Finale

Opening: KISS

Seriously? Are they going for the geriatric metal fans? Maybe KISS, about to do their "final tour", paid AGT.

[Vrede too]

My new preferences in descending order, top tier:

V.Unbeatable Top 5
Sandou Trio Russian Bar Top 5

2nd tier:

Duo Transcend Top 5
Tyler Butler Figueroa Top 5
Alexa Lauenburger and dogs Bottom 5, awww

3rd tier:

Angelina Jordan Bottom 5, awww
Marcelito Pomoy Top 5, okay
The Silhouettes Bottom 5, okay

No way:

Boogie Storm: Imperial Storm Trooper Dance Group Bottom 5
Hans Bottom 5

Not bad, 4 for 5.
3 of top 5 are acrobatic acts, interesting. They are very good ones.

[Vrede too]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America%2 ... bruary_10)

Some GREAT performances (not KISS )
No particular order.

America's Got Talent WINNER (blind, autistic 23 year-old) @Kodi Lee Is BACK! @America's Got Talent Champions Results Show
Sign of the Times

AGT Legend Lindsey Stirling (violin) with Alesha Dixon's Golden Buzzer Silouettes SLAY!
Aurora

Travis Barker (drummer) from Blink-182 Performs With V.Unbeatable! - America's Got Talent: The Champions

All Champions Performance: Angelina Jordan, Tyler Butler-Figueroa and Kseniya Simonova (sand artist)
Someone You Loved
Angelina could have won if she did that performance last week.

Champions Unite! Marcelito Pomoy, Boogie Storm, Duo Transcend, Hans and Russian Bar Performance
We Are the Champions

Top 5, in my descending order of preference.

V.Unbeatable, Acrobatic Dance Group WINNER!!!
Sandou Trio Russian Bar, Acrobats #5, awww!
Duo Transcend, Trapeze Duo #2, okay
Tyler Butler Figueroa, 11 year-old Violinist #3, okay
Marcelito Pomoy, Falsetto Singer #4, okay

Top 2 were acrobatic acts, interesting.
I guess I'm a pretty normal American. Go figure.

[Vrede too]

I got behind in sharing my favorites from the first 3 weeks of America's Got Talent (season 15) auditions.
Somewhat sorted by genre but not my preference after the 3 Golden Buzzers (straight to live quarterfinals) that are also not ordered.
I think all advanced unless noted. For the ones posted in the last couple of days - rerun of Tuesday’s show on Sunday.

O REALLY ALERT:

Golden Buzzer (Terry Crews): Voices of Our City Choir Delivers Emotional Performance - America's Got Talent 2020

People experiencing homelessness in San Diego.

Golden Buzzer (Heidi Klum): Cristina Rae Gives a Life-Changing, Emotional Performance - America's Got Talent 2020

Wonderful singing voice, and I loved her song selection - In the Air Tonight and Gimme Shelter!

Golden Buzzer (Sofia Vergara, straight to live quarterfinals): 10-Year-Old Roberta Battaglia Sings Lady Gaga's "Shallow" - America's Got Talent 2020



Wrongly Incarcerated (37 years!) Singer Archie Williams Delivers Unforgettable Song - America's Got Talent 2020

Okay singer, incredible backstory.

Daneliya Tuleshova: 13-Year-Old Rising Star From Kazakhstan WOWS America With Unbelievable Voice!

Such a deep voice!

Double Dragon: SEXY Latina Twins Duo From Peru SAVE The Day On America's Got Talent

Singers.

Malik Dope Drummer: Street Performer Who Almost Lost His Life Is literally DOPE!




Divas & Drummers of Compton: From 3-Years-Old an Up This Community Group BRINGS THE HOUSE DOWN!

Dance and drums.

BAD Salsa: Indias Got Talent Winner Dance Duo SHOCK The Judges With HOT Fast Energetic Act

Dance and acrobatics.

Bello Sisters: The HOTTEST Sister Trio Act On America's Got Talent EVER!

Acrobats.

Emerald Gordon Wulf: Teen Contortionist With Most FLEXIBLE Body Ever!



Frenchie Babyy: Street Dancer Was EXPELLED From his Home Then Simon Does The UNTHINKABLE!

Contortionist. Simon called his estranged mom, and it was good!

Danger Act From Spain Does the Most Extreme Close-up STUNT In Front Of The Judges

Who doesn't love a good geek show?

Eighty-Year-Old Comedian Marty Ross Tells Funny Stories About His Age - America's Got Talent 2020

:!:

Vincent Marcus Might Make You Laugh With His FUNNY Celebrity Impressions - America's Got Talent 2020



French Magician Does CRAZY Quick Sleight-of-Hand Magic on @America's Got Talent

:?:

Simon Cowell Controls Howie Mandel's MIND?! Ryan Tricks Shocks Us All! - America's Got Talent 2020

Mentalism/magic. :confusion-scratchheadblue:

Pigs Got Talent! Heidi Klum KISSES Talented Pig For "Good Luck"

Yes, real pigs with talent.

Will He Hold A Guinness World Records Title?! Epic T-Shirt Ripping - America's Got Talent 2020

He had other records in mind. Did not advance .

[O Really]

Not on the show, but what a kid this one is! 14-year old HS freshman develops app/website for restaurant discounts. Now in Seattle/Bellevue, Portland, Vancouver, and Orange County CA. And it's not her first venture. She has designed and sold a line of backpacks when in middle school. She's been on Seattle local TV, and today she's on Kelly Ripa. Cool, poised, articulate.

[Vrede too]

Not on the show, but what a kid this one is! 14-year old HS freshman develops app/website for restaurant discounts. Now in Seattle/Bellevue, Portland, Vancouver, and Orange County CA. And it's not her first venture. She has designed and sold a line of backpacks when in middle school. She's been on Seattle local TV, and today she's on Kelly Ripa. Cool, poised, articulate.

Wow, 14 year-old Vrede too is jealous.

Did you notice this above?

O REALLY ALERT:

Golden Buzzer (Terry Crews): Voices of Our City Choir Delivers Emotional Performance - America's Got Talent 2020

People experiencing homelessness in San Diego.

Let me know if you ever catch a performance.

[O Really]

O REALLY ALERT:

Golden Buzzer (Terry Crews): Voices of Our City Choir Delivers Emotional Performance - America's Got Talent 2020

People experiencing homelessness in San Diego.

Sadly ...

NINA LEILANI DEERING 1985-2020
She co-founded homeless choir seen on TV show
Nina Leilani Deering (center), shown with members of Voices of Our City choir, died in a car crash Thurs. ( Courtesy Michelle Zousmer)
By Gary Warth
San Diego musician Nina Leilani Deering, who co-founded the nationally recognized homeless choir Voices of Our City, died in a car crash in Northern California on Thursday. She was 34.
“When we started the choir, Nina was the heart and soul of Voices of our City,” read a statement released by the vocal group Friday. “Our choir members learned how to sing together because of Nina’s direction and musical talent. We are incredibly thankful to have had her influence in our lives and we would not be the choir we are today without her. Our hearts and prayers go out to her friends and family. We’ll miss you, Nina.”
Deering, born Nov. 7, 1985, in San Diego, formed the choir with fellow musician and singer Steph Johnson in 2016. Johnson continues to lead the group, but Deering had not performed with them for about a year, choir director of advocacy and operations John Brady said.
Brady said he heard she was returning from a performance in Sacramento when she was involved in a fatal crash in Merced.
“When I met Nina, the choir was just forming and I was still living on the streets of San Diego,” Brady said. “Her voice and heart was so powerful that it had an amazing impact on me. Her skills as a musician, singer and artist were truly extraordinary and the choir would not be where we are today without her. She was a powerful inspiration for all of us.”
The choir received national attention last month when they sang an original song about homelessness on America’s Got Talent. Their performance earned them a “Golden Buzzer,”automatically advancing them to live shows later in the season.
The choir also was the subject of the 2018 documentary “The Homeless Chorus Speaks,” which featured Deering, Johnson and members of the choir who spoke about their experience with homelessness.
Deering also performed with the Kate Bush tribute band Baby Bushka, which has toured Europe, and with the Elijah Minyan Choir. Rabbi Wayne Dosick, founder of the spiritual group the Elijah Minyan, posted a tribute to her on Facebook.
“She helped set the tone of holiness for our worship,” he wrote. “And every Yom Kippur afternoon, she graced us with the gift of her own musical piece, composed especially for us, most often based on the themes of our melodies that she drank in.”
SDSU music composition professor Joseph Waters was a friend of Deering and said she had sang dozens of his songs as a guest with his band Swarmius over 10 years. “She was radiant on the stage,” he wrote in an email.
Waters also wrote that Deering had perfect pitch and would record a flawless vocal and instrumental track after listening to one of his demos once.
He said he plans to release an album of work featuring her in honor of her memory.
A video of Deering and Swarmius performing Waters’ song “Shouldn’t” can be seen online at https://youtu.be/DhvjRtPukLQ .
Two online fundraisers for her family and for funeral expenses have been created and can be found by searching Deering’s name on GoFundMe.com .
gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

[Vrede too]

Sadly ...

NINA LEILANI DEERING 1985-2020
She co-founded homeless choir seen on TV show
Nina Leilani Deering (center), shown with members of Voices of Our City choir, died in a car crash Thurs....

Thanks, and crap! I wonder how AGT will handle it and whether the choir is able to carry on without her.

[Vrede too]

America's Got Talent (season 15) auditions.
Rerun of Tuesday’s show on Sunday.
Not my favorite show last night. Some good acts, but only a couple that I really liked:

Noah Epps: Flexible 11-Year-Old Tells a Story Through His Unique Moves

Amazing dancer/contortionist, advanced.

Golden Buzzer: W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew Receives Simon Cowell's Support - America's Got Talent 2020

Incredible dancers/acrobats.