Michael Grimm Voted America's Got Talent Winner
In an episode upset that THG never saw coming, Michael Grimm was named the winner of America's Got Talent last night.
Heck, we didn't even include the singer in our reader poll this week, as we asked fans to choose between Jackie Evancho (who finished second) and Prince Poppycock (who finished fourth). Perhaps we should stick to making fun of Kate Gosselin and get out of the prediction business.
Did you vote for Michael Grimm as the America's Got Talent champion?
Grimm takes home $1 million for his victory and will headline a show in Las Vegas.
A Mississippi native, the blues crooner says he'll use some of that money to purchase a home for his grandparents, who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. Looks like America may have chosen a deserving winner after all.
Jackie Evancho: America's Got Talent Winner?
Sorry, Prince Poppycock. No offense, Michael Grimm. You really are very good, Fighting Gravity.
But last night's America's Got Talent performance show should have proved that Jackie Evancho deserves to the next champion of this reality competition.
The young artist - who describes herself as a "classical crossover singer" and says she could do pop songs, too - put on another incredible performance. We don't understand the words, but we know a once-in-a-generation-talent when we see it. Watch now:
Should Evancho walk away with the title?
Alice Tan Ridley Advances to America's Got Talent Semifinals
Alice Tan Ridley is moving on!
The mother of Oscar-winning actress Gabourey Sidibe first impressed America's Got Talent viewers and judges with her audition in mid-June.
Since then, the woman who formerly sang in NYC subway stations has proven to be more than a one-hit wonder - and last night fans rewarded Ridley by voting her into the semifinals. Judges Piers Morgan and Howie Mandell approved of the decision.
Morgan referred to Alice as "brilliant," while Mandell agrees: "Every time she moves on, it’s heartwarming and moving."
In other America's Got Talent news, dancers AscenDance, singer Michael Grimm and magician Antonio Restivo also moved on to the next round.
If Ridley takes home the crown, she'll actually improve upon the fortunes of Susan Boyle, who finished second on Britain's Got Talent. Best of luck, Alice!
Alice Tan Ridley: The Next Susan Boyle?
It's true, folks: America's Got Talent - and her name is Alice Tan Ridley!
The 58-year old singer shocked judges with her vocal range on last night's audition show, taking to the stage in New York City and explaining that she typically sings for city subway riders.
What else is unique about Ridley? She's the other of Oscar-nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe. Seriously! Watch and be amazed now:
Kevin Skinner: Winner of America's Got Talent!
Kentucky native Kevin Skinner, an unemployed farmhand and longtime musician, was named the winner of NBC’s America’s Got Talent last night. Yee haw!
He beat out opera singer Barbara Padilla, his final competitor after almost 100,000 hopefuls auditioned for the fourth season of the NBC talent show.
“My heart was pounding, almost to the point that I thought it was going to come out of my chest,” Skinner said after winning the $1 million prize.
“I had never experienced anything like that and probably never will again, I would say, that dramatic. It’s the greatest feeling. I’m 35, so I have been chasing the dream for a while, and it hasn’t come true. It’s more than words can explain.”
Kevin Skinner has Got the most Talent in America!
Judge Sharon Osbourne summed up Kevin Skinner’s win: “Apparently, it was a really huge win, too. It’s just such a feel-good story that people just want him to win because he’s the everyman. All his life he’s been the underdog."
"He’s so genuine, what you see is what you get. He’s not contrived. So many people that come on this show kind of get sophisticated and try to play the game.”
Like Britain’s Got Talent sensation Susan Boyle, who performed on the AGT finale in her American musical debut, Kevin Skinner became an viral video star long before he took home the title yesterday evening. Congrats again, K!
America's Got Talent ... and a Pleasantly Surprised Simon Cowell
Love Simon Cowell or hate him, you've gotta admit this: people love his shows.
We're not even talking about American Idol, although a few million fans seem to enjoy that program, too. It's Cowell's latest brain child, America's Got Talent, that has the nation buzzing. The cantakerous Brit has even been shocked by such success.
"To be honest, we were not expecting it to do as well as it did," he told the New York Post.
Some of the show's popularity may be due to German favorite and ex-Baywatch star, David Hasselhoff. Simon hopes he can convince Kit's former owner to return as a judge, despite the fact that the Hoff has said he was only going to do the gig for one season.
"I like this panel, I think they're going to get more interesting," Simon said of Hasselhoff, Brandy, and Piers Morgan.
Of course, being an Idol judge himself, Cowel admits he's seen some acts on his own show that make him wish he were the one passing his own brand of bombastic judgment.
"It's been very tempting," says Cowell. "There have been times when I've watched the show and thought to myself, 'God I wish I was judging this.'"
America's Got Talent ends tomorrow with the crowning of a $1 million winner - but expect it to return in the future.
