An hour-and-a-half later, ‘Talent’ pool is set

It turns out that America has some serious talent after all, but for the next few weeks it'll be on display in Beijing at the 2008 Summer Olympics. For that reason, "America's Got Talent" aired a special 90-minute episode Thursday night to wrap up the Las Vegas callbacks and announce the top 40 acts that will move on to the live semifinal round in Hollywood.

Since the tapings of the show, though, one semifinal act, the Russian Bar Trio, was forced to drop out of the competition because the cornerstone of the act, Christine, suffered a serious injury while trying to complete a complicated jump. Fans have been asked to vote online for that act's replacement from a list of eight wild-card picks laid out by the judges.

But it took an hour and a half to determine who was in, who was out and which eight performers have their second chance resting in the hands of America's voters.

Familiar faces and performances flashed on the screen as judges Sharon Osbourne, Piers Morgan and David Hasselhoff conferred, their voices only heard over images of the acts they were talking about. The performers came to face the judges, one by one, and 40 would find out their dream would continue while the rest would discover the end of the road.

Mostly good news
Bryan Cheatham and Kyle Rifkin, head-to-head competitors if the assumption is there's only room for one R&B singer, discovered their fates next. Their moments in front of the judges were shown together and Bryan, the former Chippendale's dancer, yelped when he got the good news that he was moving on. "American Idol" winner David Cook's "This Is the Time (Of My Life)" played in the background. Hey, isn't Simon Cowell the executive producer of "America's Got Talent"?

Paul Salos, the 71-year-old Frank Sinatra impersonator, got emotional when he talked about how badly he wants to make it to the semifinals. "I've got to make it," he said. "It's my last chance." After chasing his dream for four decades, Salos got his ticket punched to Hollywood.

Kaitlin Maher, the 4-year-old cutie, appeared to be on her way out as The Hoff said earlier in the process that he wasn't sure it was appropriate to put her into the final 60. But she made it into the final 40 and continued on the road to $1 million.

Army sergeant Daniel Jens was worried that his mistake, forgetting the lyrics in the Vegas callback audition, might have cost him. Piers told him they struggled with the decision and that his performances weren't perfect. The bottom line, Piers said, was that they thought Jens was "fantastic" and decided to put him into the semifinals.

Other acts heading into the next round include: Elvis impersonator Jonathan Hall; urban violinists Nuttin' But Stringz; freak show performer George "The Giant" MacArthur; hip-hop quartet The James Gang; Tina Turner impersonator Dorae Saunders; impressionist Matthew Piazzi; singer-pianist Eli Mattson; dancer Ronny B.; Ukrainian twin sisters Indiggo; magician Shimshi; pyromaniac Flambeaux; 10-year-old martial artist Elite; drag queen opera singer Shequida (who took his blond wig off in celebration); percussion group Plastic Musik; magician Bruce Block; and trombonist Jonathan Arons from the season premiere.

Queen Emily, the 42-year-old single mom, faced her fate after some teasers that hinted at her taking the news hard. The Hoff told her she touched them, but that they couldn't put her through based on emotion. He said he didn't like being a judge, "because you've got to break hearts." He built up the drama as high as he could before telling her she was going through. She fell to the stage floor in tears and shouted with joy at hearing the news.

Jonathan Burkin, the 17-year-old baton twirler who'd faced a lifetime of teasing and bullying for his chosen craft, made it into the next round. You could tell it was a poignant moment because Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars," the official TV music for poignant moments, started playing in the background.

Jessica Price, the 24-year-old singer-guitarist whose father abandoned her family, said she thought she could do a lot better. She was overwhelmed with tears and gratitude when the judges told her she was moving on.

Britney Spears drag queen impersonator Derrick Barry heard the judges tell him there was a lot of debate about him and that there are "so many impersonators" in the competition. When The Hoff told he was in, Derek thanked them and said he would show them his best work. "You've got a lot of talent, bro," Hasselhoff said, perhaps trying to keep himself aware of the gender line?

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