Who's ‘Got Talent’? It's ‘puppet guy’ vs. singer

Yes, four are in the finals, but it's a race between two Texas men

Trae Patton / NBC

Can Terry Fator make ventriloquism cool? OK, maybe not, but he still might win big on "America's Got Talent."

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COMMENTARY

By Victor Balta

msnbc.com contributor

updated 7:35 p.m. ET Aug. 23, 2007

To push David Hasselhoff’s profound equine analogy closer to the photo finish, the “America’s Got Talent” finale is officially a two-horse race. (Thanks for that one, Hoff.)

Butterscotch, the 21-year-old beat-boxer, and 14-year-old aspiring country singer Julienne Irwin should be out of the running by now. With ambitious but ultimately mediocre performances last week, the women fell to the back of the pack and left the battle for the $1 million grand prize to a pair of Texans: 26-year-old funk rocker Cas Haley and 42-year-old ventriloquist — that’s right, ventriloquist — Terry Fator.

The winner of the summertime talent show will be announced during a two-hour finale extravaganza (NBC, Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET) that will feature a special performance from show judge The Hoff. (That sound you’re hearing is the entire population of Germany turning its satellite dishes toward Los Angeles).

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So who should get the prize? Haley, the long-struggling guitarist who wins over America’s collective heart every time he talks about being a stay-at-home dad and wanting to win for his wife and son? Or Fator, the jolly, just-a-little-bit-weird puppetmaster who breaks America’s collective heart each time we’re reminded about the time just one person showed up to see his show?

It’s a tough call, and it’s one that depends on whether America makes a serious choice or opts to fulfill a once-in-a-lifetime dream.

Terry Fator: Who's voting for the ‘puppet guy’?
Fator says he wants to “bring ventriloquism back into mainstream pop culture.”

That’s a bold goal, all right — with or without moving your lips. He also says he wants to touch kids’ imaginations with his act — that’s the kind of weird part.

But Fator truly is the heartfelt pick for the $1 million, if for no other reason than this: When is a ventriloquist ever going to have a chance to rake in that kind of cash?

NBC News video
Who will win ‘America's Got Talent’?
Aug. 21: Will it be the dad, the singer-beatboxer “Butterscotch,” the 14-year-old girl or the ventriloquist? TODAY’s Ann Curry.
Today Show Entertainment
Haley, for all his heartwarming stories about raising his kid and wanting to make his musical dream come true, will likely get that chance anyway — especially if executive producer and music mogul Simon Cowell has anything to say about it. Haley’s a likeable guy with a great story, and could be the first act to come out of this show — win or lose — with a promising career ahead.

”Who is voting for the puppet guy?” writes an anonymous MSNBC.com poster. “I AM, and all my friends and family as well. He can imitate Cas and whoever else that sings, but can ANYONE do what Fator does? NO. That makes him a true talent.”

There’s still a limited audience for ventriloquism — even Fator’s brand of spectacular American standards sung through his array of stuffed animals and impeccably styled dummies. It just isn’t the kind of act that fills theaters and arenas. Fator could wind up opening for the “Legends in Concert” impersonators show at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas. It’d be a fine gig if he can get it, but it isn’t a million dollars.

The Texas crooner — don’t forget, it IS him singing at all times – stealthily made his move from his spot as one of the token variety acts in the competition. Fator impressed the judges and viewers more each week, topping himself every time he hit the stage. He capped it in last week’s final performance with a stirring rendition of Roy Orbison’s “Crying,” which is not an easy song for anyone to sing, let alone belting it out through tight lips while controlling the gyrations of a plush green turtle.

Fator nailed it as cameras panned children awestruck by his performance, and the crowd rose to its feet in applause — a standing ovation for a ventriloquist.

Win or lose, Terry, you’ve already reached one dream. Here’s hoping for 1 million more.

CONTINUED : Papa Cas Haley: What's not to love?

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