And the "Star Spangled Banner" girl...what a riot.
When she walked out on stage, that changed the entire mood of the show. Everything after that was great--the "Simon's Secret" bit, the Hasselhoff surprise, the duets and finally the winning moment for Carrie.
But that first hour, before the "Star Spangled Banner Girl", was slow and painful and awkward.
I hope AI invites those guest musicians back next year during the Top Twelve performances--specifically George Benson, Kenny Wayne Shepard and Billy Preston. Wow! Those duets--most of them--were great. They need to do that more often, IMO.
I liked the Star Spangled Banner girl. She's a good sport.
And she sings it a heckuvalot better than Roseanne Barr did!
And you're right. If anyone missed the first half,
no huge loss. We were impressed by the pacing,
with non of that manipulative breaking for commercials at the end.