Okay, we watch America’s Got Talent so you don’t HAVE to. It can be one of the most painful television shows to watch, but three acts from last night’s auditions amazed us. And it was more like The World’s Got Talent, which is perfectly okay with Elizabeth and me.
Amazing act #1: Eduardo, the eleven-year-old Mariachi singer from Houston. Adorable, si, but the boy’s got some PIPES. Look at Simon’s face.
Amazing act #2: Titos Tsai, a Taiwanese “contact juggler.” This was elegant and beautiful and touching. So was Tsai’s obvious love for his fiancé, watching just offstage with Terry Crews.
Finally, after a slightly painful introduction—an engaging young man, but communications, including body language, between Japanese and English are sometimes awkward—his dance troupe, Chibi United, took the stage. They were simply unbelievable. Golden Buzzer from the judges, endorsed by the long-married couple watching the television from their bed with their doggies.
And, of course, there’s a greater meaning to a television show so seemingly lowbrow. We are living in dark and ugly times—make no mistake about that—and sometimes, they seem hopeless, as well, because human beings can be so brutal and so obtuse. But we can be beautiful and graceful and we can, across language barriers and from vast distances, reach far enough to touch each others’ hearts. There’s hope in moments like these three.
A Work in Progress 