Day 3 - Thursday 1st October  2009

Well it’s the end of the third heat in Mk’s Top Talent, running all this week and as sure as every night this week the talent was so high! All the acts are really making MK proud, from dancing to singing to comedians and even some drum experts!

Tonight we had 7 year old Phoebe Deasy who gave a charming performance of an Irish dance and then surprised us all by adding Michael Jacksons ‘Thriller’ on the end of it. The judges commented on how great it was to see young people still interested in Irish dance and were impressed with the thought that had gone into this surprising finish, ‘a charming performance’. We then had a very original act from 11 year old Lewis Thompson, who started his performance with a great comedic impression of Jacques Clouseau from ‘The Pink Panther’, then carried on to Impersonate a ‘Blues Brother’, and sung ‘Everybody Needs Somebody to Love’, which had the audience clapping along, he then concluded by giving a great performance in his drum kit. The panel really thought he’d have a career in the industry in the future and thought it a great act. Next were two Latin American dancers, who called themselves, ‘Almas Latinas’ and performed a very energetic performance that really gave the judges a ‘wow factor’. They loved the fact that the choreography had a slight modern approach in it and thought they had great stage presence.  To conclude the first half Brenda Mayne took to the stage and gave a very emotional performance of ‘Don’t cry for me Argentina’ from Evita. ‘You have a sensational voice and great poise’ mentions one of the judges. They were also impressed with her song choice and the way she captivated the audience.

First on in the second half, Vicky Smith aged 16, gave a well delivered performance of ‘Memory’ from Cats. The panel were very impressed with her dramatised performance of the song and the thought that had gone into her costume. Next we had 8 year old Caitlin aka ‘Little Miss Elvis’ who performed two of Elvis’ hits, ‘Don’t Cry Daddy’ and ‘Stuck on You’. The judges commented on the contrast of the two songs, and were very impressed with her energy and confidence on stage. ‘Cotton Candy’ was our next act, two dancers, Jade and Serena aged 12 and 10 who gave an energetic routine to a great disco track. ‘You both look amazing, I love your costumes and I love your routine’ commented one of the judges. Lastly we had 25 year old Louise Aspinall who gave an expressive performance of ‘Ave Maria’; the panel were really impressed with her delivery and song choice.

However like every night only two of our sensational acts could make it through to Saturdays final. It was such a hard decision to make, I’m glad I wasn’t in the judges position, as the standard of talent was so high. But to go through tonight we had 12 year old Natalie Kassanga, who gave an amazing performance of ‘Listen’ by Beyonce. The judges were all so impressed with the way she controlled the stage and sold the song with such a great big voice or such a small age. ‘A real diva’ mentions on of the panel. Natalie really wants to make Milton Keynes proud and feels this experience will help her to perform under pressure. Second through was 16 year old Adam Gates. Adam gave a truly inspiring performance, using the backing track and chorus of Gabrielle’s ‘Dreams’, he wrote his own lyrics to go over the top, his song was all about following dreams, and he even managed to fit all of the dwarves names in there! He also surprised the audience by a few comedic elements, for example, his trainer being brought stage on a pillow and an invitation to the ‘ball’ or Saturday’s final. The judges thought he was really clever and could definitely make a career out of this and thought he had a great gift. ‘I have the utmost respect and utter admiration for you and what you do’ mentions one of the judges. Adam really hopes people will be inspired by his music and hopes he can transform the next generation to believe in themselves.

Again the Excellent standard of all the acts was amazing! A great selection we had tonight, only one more night left before the grand final, so get down and support the talent of MK!

By Esther Pandya