Did anyone catch this guy on America's Got Talent?

[swt61]

I'll admit I was moved to tears. And so unexpected...

[Tyll Hertsens]

Wow.

Just wow.

It's both intensely painful and elating to see.

[recstar24]

Have a direct link? Gotta forward to my students.

[roadtonowhere08]

Saw it. I hope he stays with that look and see where it takes him. Great singer, and for the love of everything good, please stay with true Opera. None of this sell-out adult contemporary crap.

Edited June 6, 2012 by roadtonowhere08

[swt61]

Have a direct link? Gotta forward to my students.

http://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/video/andrew-de-leon/1404950

[manaox2]

That was really intense. I had to watch it twice. He also has a video up now in his room it seems on his YouTube (shot before the show aired and after the audition). I want to see what he could do with a few lessons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=wttOyBKc2Z8

[HeadphoneAddict]

Wow, that's crazy. Thanks. I have this recorded but hadn't watched it yet.

[grawk]

those are some crazy contacts.

[The Monkey]

That's pretty great.

[Spychedelic Whale]

Didn't find the performance that great and the emo story is a bit forced.

[blessingx]

Never seen the show and want to believe this, but doesn't the setup seem a bit fishy?

[The Monkey]

Never seen the show and want to believe this, but doesn't the setup seem a bit fishy?

You big cynic! But yes...

[Nebby]

Never seen the show and want to believe this, but doesn't the setup seem a bit fishy?

It's how all the "xyz's got talent" shows are made, really. They show a bunch of bad acts and make fun of them a bit, then they pick a few good/interesting/entertaining acts and try to make an emotional story out of it.

[blessingx]

Why has this not spun a meme already? Interwebs you disappoint.

Edited June 7, 2012 by blessingx

[Grahame]

Its not like this has happened before ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Potts

[swt61]

Didn't find the performance that great and the emo story is a bit forced.

So you can do better?

[roadtonowhere08]

Of course the story was forced, but probably not from the singer. Everything on network TV is forced. This guy is the classic "shy outcast who copes by singing" story, but he can sing. He appears to be a nice guy, he's not afraid to look different, and he can sing something that is counter to his looks and predominant age group musical preferences. More power to him, I say.

Edited June 8, 2012 by roadtonowhere08

[jp11801]

I was blow away and moved whatever the story

[Nebby]

Oh I definitely found it an awesome and moving performance, I was just saying that's how the shows do the backstory.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Nebby

[swt61]

I agree. The shows tend to piss me off by trying to control the way everything is portrayed. When in reality I'm sure I'd like it better if they just presented it as it were. But as was said 3 posts up, you can tell this kid was genuine. He was surprised and moved by the reaction as well, that was evident. And the fact that he seemed to fit some label (even I was ready for him to sing a Manson song), but completely blew apart the cube I had already compartment-ed him into was just too cool. I love those kind of moving surprises. And as happens more and more these days, I completely disagree with Whale...That kid can sing his ass off. Would vocal training make him better? Probably, but natural talent is there in abundance.

[Grahame]

As Charlie Brooker shows, in a lot of "Reality" TV shows its often down to the editing, all the better to fit in with their narrative of events. Same with talent shows. There's always a story to manipulate you.

[Spychedelic Whale]

America's Got Frauds

America's Got Talent Timothy Michael Poe is still standing behind the sob story he told during his addition on the NBC reality competition. Find out how he tried to explain away a fake photo used on the show.

America's Got Talent contestant Timothy Michael Poe is digging a bigger hole with his fake sob story about combat injuries received while serving with the National Guard in Afghanistan. Now, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Norman Bone has come forward saying that the photo used on the show -- one purported to be of Poe -- is actually a photo of him from 2006.

"First thing that came to my mind was, 'Why would this lying son of a b***h do this?'" The El Paso, Texas-based Bone told TMZ on Thursday. "I'm absolutely furious. Been seeing red all day."

Bone first heard about the America's Got Talent photos from his ex-wife, but he thought it was a tribute to the troops and didn't think much of it. The photo is a stock photo used by the Department of Defense with the caption, "U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Norman Bone directs movement as his patrol turns around on a narrow path in the mountains of Parwan province in Afghanistan on Oct. 25, 2006."

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One of his military buddies sent him a link to the video on Wednesday and that's when he saw what it was actually used for. Bone added that he's never met Poe and plans to meet with military officials to explore his legal options.

And how does Poe explain the fake photo? It's a mistake, of course.

"I must have sent the wrong picture from my hard drive to AGT," he said on Thursday. "I was trying to hurry and get the picture to them that I did not take the time to really make sure. I apologize. (Show producers) kept pushing me and pushing me saying, 'You need to put these out. You need to put these out.'"

Yep, sure. His fiancée is even involved in the lies, telling the Associated Press that Poe "downloads military stuff all the time."

"But I know that it was a mistake on his part. It was an accident. It was a complete accident," Carrie Morris said.

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Poe's audition -- shown on America's Got Talent on Tuesday night -- captured the judges' hearts with his story about being injured by a grenade while serving in Afghanistan in 2009.

"I had volunteered for a team to go out and clear buildings and help out with the wounded," he said. "There was a guy who come up with a rocket-propelled grenade. I saw it coming down, and by the time I turned and went to jump on top of my guys, I yelled 'grenade' and the blast had hit me."

The real story? He was in the National Guard from 2002 to 2011 but only spent a month in Afghanistan -- and he wasn't injured by an IED.

"He never actually fought in Afghanistan. He did break his back but it was in Georgia when he was in training to go on a deployment. On this particular deployment he landed in Afghanistan, got an ear infection and was medevac'd out to Germany," Katy Edwards, the sister of his ex-girlfriend, told IBTimes on Wednesday. "While in Germany he refused to go back to the war and was brought back to the United States. His unit lost a soldier that deployment and are incredibly upset by the stories he made up (Monday) night."

Poe still maintains that he hasn't lied about his past, telling TMZ on Thursday that he was discharged from the Minnesota National Guard after sustaining war injuries. "My retirement orders say disability resulted from a combat-related injury," Poe said, though he declined to back up his claims with proof.

As for his status on America's Got Talent? He's still a contestant as of now, though Freemantle Entertainment has issued an apology for using the photo of Bone without knowing its true origins.

"We sincerely apologize to U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Norman Bone for using a photo of him in our story on Tim Poe. It was supplied to us by Tim and used on the show in good faith. It has now been removed and will not be used again."

What else was manipulated..

[shellylh]

Thanks for sharing Steve. That was quite moving.