Before the performances, two acts have to go home on tonight's America's Got Talent.

The acts going home are the Duttons and the Calypso Tumblers.

Robert Hatcher finds out he is safe and then sings "Let's Stay Together." He seems like a nice guy, and he has a great story, but I don't think he's that great of a singer. He does pretty well with the big notes, but the rest are so-so to me. The Hoff says it's terrific, Sharon says he was better than last week, Piers says it was a very, very good performance.

Bel Air's Julienne Irwin finds out second, and she performs "Crazy" by Patsy Cline. She says last week was not her best performance and that it was a tough song. She says it is tough being the only kid in the competition, but she wants to be taken seriously as a performer. She says this is like school and that if you make a bad grade, you don't complain and you buckle down and work harder. She dedicates the song to her friends, who help keep things in perspective. She handles the lower register of the song pretty well, which is difficult. Speaking of difficult, this is not an easy song. One of the lines toward the end is a little rugged, but she closes strongly. The Hoff says she did really well tonight. Sharon says the song is too old for her and asks her to sing something upbeat next week: "Be 14." Piers says, "I don't think you will be here next week. ... Your voice is not yet mature enough to win this competition. I think it may grow into one, but right now I've got to be honest. I think you're going home." She tells Jerry Springer that the reason she tried out for the show is because she is a huge baseball fan and loves the Orioles and that she wants to sing the national anthem. (Which we already knew, because she told David Zurawik that last week!) "They better give me a call," she says. Yeah, get on that, Orioles! That would draw some people in.

Ventriloquist Terry Fator learns he is safe. He does a Dean Martin/Tony Bennett performance with his puppet. OK, this guy's impressions are pretty amazing, and since he can't move his own mouth, it's pretty impressive. I might have some words to eat from last week. Hoff is feeling him. Sharon is glad they haven't seen everything yet. Piers says his puppet sings better than most of the singers in the competition and that he even sang "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" better than Tony Bennett. He says he would love to headline in Vegas.

Cas Haley says picking the right song is crucial and he's going with "Easy" by Lionel Richie. He does it with a reggae beat, and it's great. Nice twist on the song without rendering it unrecognizable, and he's got a great voice. The Hoff says it was great. He's so the Paula of this competition. Sharon says she hates to use a cliche, but that he made it his own. Piers says he listened last week and that he can win.

Cruise singer Jason Pritchett learns that he is safe. He sings "If Tomorrow Never Comes" by Garth Brooks. Piers Xs him when he does that yodely thing with his voice on a note. The Hoff says he came back from the Xing very well. He also uses the non-word "disconcerning." It's "disconcerting." Sharon says he was rude. Piers says, "The challenge was, are you more than a cruise ship singer? You're not."

The Glamazons are next with "It's Raining Men." This week, they have backup dancers, Chippendales-esque dudes. It's cute and fun, the usual. The Hoff loved it. Sharon says it was problematic at the beginning, and it was fabulous in the end. Piers says based just on their singing, they'd be going home because they aren't great singers. But on entertainment value, sex appeal, etc., they should be going to the final.

Butterscotch is told she's safe. She performs "My Funny Valentine." She's back at the piano, which I think is good for her, despite what Piers might have said in the past. I don't understand how on earth she manages to play, sing and beatbox at the same time. I think it's more impressive when she's at the piano, too, even though she's much quieter in this kind of performance. Before the judges, Butterscotch is crying (probably over the dedication to her grandparents). The Hoff calls her a jazz star. Sharon says the performance was breathtaking. Piers says it was a beautiful performance -- "it was a perfect performance."

Sideswipe is the last group to learn that they are safe. They bump up the theatrics this week, doing basically a pirate-themed story and adding some weapons to their repertoire. The Hoff likes it and says they showed what they were made of. Sharon says they listened and came back with something at a new level. Piers says they turned it from a sport into entertainment and that "it was electrifying."

The previews indicate that it's the final four next week, so four people would be going home. If that's the case, I fear a bit for our Ms. Irwin. But I hope if winning this competition doesn't come to pass for her that the O's listen to her story about singing the national anthem for them being her dream.