rewind, recap, regurgitate: America's Got Talent - Semi-Finals, Week 4

Wow, the summer's flying by, isn't it? This week is the last of the semi-final rounds for America's Got Talent (well, except for the wild card round next week.) Tonight, we'll see who's in the running to upset the Rappin' Granny in the race for one million dollars. So, without further ado...

Recap, blah, blah, blah...but there's some drama behind the scenes with the judges squabble session. I think it centers around burlesque dancer Michelle L'Amour (Miss Brandy wasn't too fond of her the first time around – she doesn't want to offend middle America...somehow I think we're going to see a little T&A later tonight....) First contestant of the evening is The Passing Zone - the Harry Anderson-esque juggling duo – promising a never seen before act that is guaranteed to impress the big Hasselhoff. Will it? Insert commercials here...

John and Owen have been juggling for 18 years after meeting at a juggling convention
Their "ginormous" (their word, not mine) act tonight – 3 space suit-clad audience volunteers are suspended from harnesses and swung around (juggled, as it were) while the boys pass balls back and forth between the rotating folks. Hoff gave them props (he may be over his "juggler thing" once and for all), as did Brandy – even Piers thought the Zone ascended the juggler stigma (and he liked their clothes, finally!)

Celtic Spring is a family unit - Mom, Dad and 6 kids who play Irish music and dance (think the Brady Bunch meets Riverdance.) Last time around (we didn't get to see them before) the only criticism was that Piers didn't like their outfits - typical. They are better dancers then musicians but since I'm of Irish descent, I have to give 'em props. Brandy thought they were mechanical (but Irish dancing kind of is, isn't it?), Piers want the kids to ace their parents (What? The Brady kids couldn't have gotten anywhere without Mike and Carol...oh wait, they were all together on the Brady Bunch Variety Hour, weren't they? Scratch that...)

Next up is Sean and John, the tap dancing twins (Fun Fact: Tap dancing attracts the ladies, according to the boys.) They are really good, if you like tap dancers. Piers loves their moves, their chemistry and their look (finally!) They made Hoff's crotch hurt (hey, Dave, too much information) but he loved them too – and Brandy actually agreed (for the first time in a while) with the guys.

The very limber Lilia Stepanova is back. Last time she combined her contortionist skills with her archery skills, so what does she plan to do this time around? Well, if I'm not mistaken, it was more of the same (she added a little bit of floor work this time around.) It's impressive though (a slightly hot n' bothered-looking Hoff loved her, Brandy didn't care that she changed anything, but Piers implied that she needed more for the finals – if she makes it.)

Dave Smith, the self-proclaimed "one man sideshow" takes the stage. He sang a tune with his legs behind his head last time (oh yeah, that guy!) He sings the Tom Lehrer song "The Masochism Tango" (Google it) opened with Dave flame eating along with his lovely assistant (hey, he's supposed to be a one man sideshow!) He demonstrated his various freak show skills with whips, a bed of nails and walking on broken glass (I defy you not to let the Annie Lennox song get stuck in your head now!) Brandy gave a reluctant thumbs up, Piers thought he'd be great at parties, but not worth a million, Hoff agreed. Is Jim Rose hiring?

Kicking off the second hour is Quick Change, a.k.a. Dave and Dania. Fun fact: Dania is a Moscow Circus vet and the pair has been married 10 years. They did a pretty much note-for-note rehash of their first appearance. They are fabulous (I can't figure out how they do it, but their act does beg the question as to what would they do if they had longer than a few minutes to fill? Piers compared seeing their act (again) tonight to Groundhog Day but still gave them the check. Hoff and Brandy are in awe as well.

Next up is George Kelly, an Andrea Bocelli wannabe (although he looks like a taller, younger, white Prince.) Tonight he's singing a Hoff-requested English piece (apparently he sang in Italian last time – we didn't get to see him.) He sings the Josh Groban hit "You Raise Me Up" – he sounds like an early American Idol contestant – average at best (it sounds like he's singing through his nose.) Brandy thinks the mystique was missing this time around, but still gave him a check. Piers called him the best adult singer on the show. Hoff missed his heart and passion, but thought he was good enough to get a check. Did I miss something?

3 spots left – one belongs to Michelle L'Amour (who saw this coming?)
Fun fact: Miss Michelle teaches burlesque to housewives in her spare time! Michelle stays away from the Disney reference and instead does a striptease tribute to Knight Rider, complete with KITT car (who doesn't shed a rivet). Cute, but she's definitely no Dita Von Teese. Brandy still hates her (that's not talent, she complains), Hoff (obviously) is in loooove and Piers disses her for her fondness for all things Hasselhoff. Oh well, it was fun to see Brandy get disgusted!

The King Charles Unicycle Troupe is up next. Think the Harlem Globetrotters on unicycles. Brandy starts her head shaking about 30 seconds into their bit. There's a lot going on, but nothing that impressive (even a few missed baskets). Brandy called it the "sloppiest thing on America's Got Talent" (kitty has claws! Meoowwrrr!) Piers thought it terrible, but gave them a check (whaaaa?) Hoff called them a "train wreck" – but one with potential. Go figure. One more to go...

The last contender tonight is Desperation Squad a band led by a man named Mr. P. They're a self-proclaimed "loser band" who sing songs with such titles as "Welcome to the Drunk Fest" (well, that could be catchy, I suppose...) They want to make rock and roll crazy again (looks like they're aspiring to be the new Monkees, if their pre-performance video indicates anything.) They sing a song with lyrics as "we're a good band, we're a bad band." Ok. I think the judges agree that they are easily the latter. How these guys slipped into the semi-finals is way beyond me.

A little weirdness tonight. Hoff thinks he is a better singer that Mr. P. and Piers challenges him to finally sing for his home country and Hoff accepts the challenge (or does he? Tomorrow will tell!) So, who is the judges' pick? They wanted an act who listened to them and came back with something new – so obviously, The Passing Zone moves on to the finals. Who will the audience pick? I'm thinking Quick Change. We'll see tomorrow!