Seattle Auditions

Nick Cannon stands atop the Space Needle and Howie Mandel turns the wrong way down one-way streets as the anticipation builds for the Seattle auditions on "America's Got Talent." Up first, Melissa Villasenor wants to be a comedian and impressionist. She gets some laughs with a Barbara Walters interview with Natalie Portman, but she wins them over with her Miley Cyrus, Kathy Griffin and Christina Aguilera. Sharon Osbourne tells her she won't be working in retail much longer. Piers Morgan calls it a "sensational audition." Howie says she's adorable to watch and "a star." Yeses all around send Melissa to Vegas. The A+C Twins are ready for stardom, aiming to sell millions of albums. They say they can be "as big as the Jackson Five." With an awkward side-to-side dance, their rendition of "My Girl" falls flat. Piers buzzes them quickly, but Sharon and Howie let them continue, for some reason. "Guys, you can't sing," Sharon tells them. Howie takes them up on a challenge, when they claim they can sing way better than him, but turns out to be just as bad. This kicks off a string of terrible auditions, including a rap-meets-magic routine that Piers called "one of the most stupid things I've ever seen in my life." Anita McCoy, a 69-year-old dance teacher wins love from the crowd, but not from Piers, who buzzed her. Howie votes yes, but Sharon gives her a no even though she loves Anita's spirit. A group of Kenyan acrobats called Zuma Zuma pulls of some remarkable tricks in a high-energy routine. Piers says he's never seen a tumbling act without mats. Howie and Sharon love them, too, and they're heading to Vegas. A young band called POPLYFE made the trip from Oakland to audition. The crowd loves them and so do Howie and Sharon, but Piers doesn't think they're quite ready. Piers tries to create dysfunction by asking the singer if she'd move on without her band, and she says no. Left up to Sharon, she says yes. A montage of quality acts, follows, including an aerial acrobatics couple, an 8-year-old singer, and a dance crew that Piers calls "one of the freshest routines I've seen in a long time." Mauricio Herrera, a superstar in Costa Rica, where he grew up, doesn't go over quite as well here. The crowd boos incessantly while he continues to sing Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca." Howie says yes just because he wants to see another of Mauricio's shiny shirts in Vegas. Piers buzzed Mauricio and never wants to see him again, but Howie begs Sharon to vote yes, and succeeds. Mauricio is in. Cartlon Baltimore, 56, is a one-man band and one of his specialities is making horns out of paper cups. He insists he's "one of a kind." The first thing he does is pull out his front teeth. Piers buzzes Carlton quickly and reaches over and hits Sharon's buzzer, much to her chagrin. Piers gets up and walks away. Howie tells Carlton he looks like David Letterman. Sharon gives Carlton a no. Howie tries to cast a yes vote on Piers' behalf, but Nick explains Piers has to make the vote himself. Piers is pulled back on stage while Nick and Carlton do a duet on "When the Saints Go Marching In." Piers comes back and says it's clear there's been a movement forming while he's been away. He says he's man enough to admit when he's wrong. Then adds, "But this won't be one of those times. It's a no." Howie and Piers continue their "feud" backstage, where Piers tells Howie that their ideas of what's funny don't match, and Piers closes his dressing-room door in Howie's face.