STEVE--you had me ROFL. "Mow and blow boys"--PERFECT! That must be why they've been removing trees and chopping huge limbs off trees all over the place in the past 2 weeks. It will easier for the ignorant little rodents to just push a lawnmower straight, over grass, than G-d forbid have to veer to go around a tree. The other week, one of them was using a leaf blower to blow huge clouds of dust and particulate matter straight up into the air. What a great way to spread hanta virus from mouse droppings and create a respiratory hazard for asthma patients in the complex. Wish they'd all just go back to wherever they came from. The hostas and squirrels have a higher I.Q. than they do. Basic concepts such as "Don't trample my plants/fences/plant markers" seem to elude them. Their absolute ignorance about plants is glaringly obvious. In this, they remind me of The Cretin, AKA the co-op manager. Dang, this is a regular phyto-Peyton Place here! Someone could have a long-running TV series: "The Day the Hosta Died" "A Tree Doesn't Grow in Flushing" "Did You Seed What I Seed?" "Gunfight in the not-OK Laundry Room" "Dangerous Adirondack Fencing Liaisons" "Heuchie-Coochie Coo" (A Baby Heuchie Grows Up) "I Spirea" "With Clean Hands and a Pure Heart" "Stomp the Yard (if yer an igno 'landscape worker')" "Breaking Away (the leaves on my plants)" "For Whom the Coral Bells Toll" "The Good Earth" (schlepped home from Home Depot) "A Hard Day's Night" (I work through the night to add the 18" extension to my garden so the maintenance guys won't rat me out) "I Remember Trauma" "Spray Misty for Me" Have I forgotten any episodes? Help me out here!

I had to go to the AGT website to read Grace's 'story', as I didn't remember hearing or seeing it at all. Apparently she's quite the musical prodigy. But perhaps she would come across a little better when she gets a little older and her voice has a chance to develop more. I always try to imagine myself in one of the judges' seats (yes, pompous, I know), and 'judge' by the quality of the performance, not by my personal likes or dislikes. That's harder to do then one would think! My personal tastes always win out! And that's why I wasn't bothered in the least by the 'glitzy suit' performer being sent home. The background stories are influential, too, Although sometimes I think they dramatize and overplay the sob stories more than they should. But you can't help but admire someone who's pulled themselves up by their boot straps, and is doing their best to have a positive influence on life. They deserve the chance. The talent on this show seems to get better every year! I'd be willing to bet a dollar to a hole in a donut that a number of the contestants will be discovered and move on to bigger and better things, regardless of how they finish up here. Rusty

I wonder what happened to Nick? Anyone know? He did such a good job on that show, so talented, and I loved the way he would get on the stage and 'rescue' a contestant when things got too awkward. Wonder if Tyra will be able to do that. I'd never even heard of Tyra Banks before, don't think I was missing much. To me it seemed like she was trying to imitate Nick's expressions, reactions, etc., but it didn't come across as very natural. I missed his antics a lot. But I love the show more than I disliked Tyra, so I will get used to her. I hope. The chicken surprised me, I thought it was a definite buzzer act, but it was pretty good once it decided to do its thing. It will be interesting to see how they upgrade that act for the next level. Just how entertaining and talented can a chicken be? ? ? I'm with Simon on the clowns, I most definitely do NOT like them! And I thought Puddles deserved the buzzers he got! But that voice was a big surprise! And the brother-sister dance team! Wow! How in the world can anyone spin that much that fast and not be falling down dizzy? Rusty

Nicole? ? ? Why or who are you asking? While I admired her ("Nightbirde's") attitude and courage, I wasn't all that impressed with her performance. But that's just my personal taste in music. A few years ago the million dollar winner was a little girl that plunked on an ukulele and sang her own original songs in a weak, scrawny voice. I thought she was terrible, but apparently the general population watching AGT thought she was sensational. So obviously my opinion of vocalists doesn't mean anything. I really prefer to see other types of acts, there are other shows for vocalists. I like to think that even though I may not like a particular song or artist, I can recognize when they have talent. I do think Nightbirde has talent, but I sure didn't think the kid with the uke did. I'm sure that many of the really good acts get picked up, so the speak, and offered gigs that help them forge a career in show business. A lot of them deserve it. But NOT that middle aged 'boy band'! :^) Rusty