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

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But then again, what’s not to love about singer Cas Haley?

Viewers felt for Haley from the first time judge Sharon Osbourne told him to dress better. He returned the following week beaming with pride about the new shirt his wife bought him, only for Osbourne to again ask him to dress better.

Still, for all his talk about his family and such, there’s no pity going on here. Haley is one of the few singers from either season with more to offer than a slightly above-average voice.

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”Cas Haley is going to win it all, even if he doesn’t win this show,” MSNBC.com user Matt writes. “He is more talented than anyone else left and is clearly going farther in life. Get a label to sign him and he is set.”

Haley’s ska-meets-funk sound is distinctive and he delivers it with moves that are all his own: the side-to-side waddle; the backward head tilt and big eyes that precede each big note; and the signature “zzhh” sound he uses to roll into half of his lines ( i.e., last week’s, “Wise men say — zzhhonly fools rush in”).

The point isn’t to make fun, it’s to recognize that Haley has clued viewers in on “his” moves — and eight weeks ago the audience had no idea who he was or why anyone should care. Haley entered viewers' hearts with his “family man with a guitar and a dream” story, but he managed to stay there thanks to his charisma and infectious groove.

It’s tough to argue against handing this guy $1 million, but he’s coming out a winner either way.

In the end, this split decision could go either way. And that might do just fine for most fans.

”In my mind, Terry Fator and Cas Haley are (in) a dead tie,” writes Claudia. “They are both terrific and both deserve to win. If I have to give the edge to one, I have to give it to Fator because his act is so unique and difficult to do. But, on the other hand, Haley is sooooo good and with a style of his own. I really wish they could both win the top prize, and I think they both deserve it.”

Victor Balta is a writer in Philadelphia.

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