America’s Got Talent’s final performances went off superbly Monday in Hollywood with nearly all of the 10 remaining acts exceeding expectations. “Biggest array of talent we have had in a season finale yet,” Piers Morgan told PEOPLE moments after the show. “Hardly a bad performance … Tough decision for America.”
Morgan attributed the fine lineup to the success of Britain’s Got Talent icon Susan Boyle, who will, incidentally, be making her American musical debut on the live results show Wednesday on NBC (8 p.m. EST). “The Susan Boyle effect was massive,” he says. “We saw thousands more people coming out to audition that wouldn’t have done so. They saw the effect the show can have globally if you take a chance.”
Keep reading for Monday’s highlights:
• Voices of Glory: Although their young age and family-friendly, Saturday-matinee feel may not fit some definitions of a Vegas act, the group’s breakout star Nadia, 8, gave an evocative rendition of Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All,” which had David Hasselhoff telling friends during a commercial break that he thought the group had been touched by divine intervention. “I saw performances that looked like they were blessed from God,” he said. “Voices of Glory — they were just incredible.”
• Kevin Skinner: The out-of-work Kentucky chicken catcher (pictured) is considered to be an enormous vote-getter and a top pick to win. Skinner is acknowledged by all three judges not to be the best singer, but his unpolished, picked-from-obscurity story — not to mention his huge Internet viral success — give him an advantage. “When he gets it right, he sings beautifully,” Morgan says. “I wouldn’t have chosen [Aerosmith's "I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing"] for him tonight … I think he’s a country singer. He should stick to what he’s good at.”
• Grandma Lee: The senior comic, who walks a semi-racy line with jokes about her small boobs and a love affair with Morgan, keeps on slaying them. After telling jokes for 11 years, Grandma Lee may not be such a dark horse. “I thought she was brilliant,” Sharon Osbourne told PEOPLE. “I like Grandma Lee.”
• Recycled Percussion: Who could forget these four noisemakers from New Hampshire? They did a water-soaked version of “Wipeout” with yellow and green buckets, pouring rain and ladders to close the show on a high energy note. “Recycled Percussion in the end were terrific,” Morgan said. “In the live shows, they have been consistently phenomenally entertaining.” –Nicholas White
Tell us: Who got your vote? Who will take the $1 million prize?
Chris Haston/NBC; Trae Patton/NBC
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