TV Watch

Alice Tan Ridley Is America's Got Talent‘s Top Vocalist

By MoMo Zhou

07/21/2010 at 12:00 AM EDT

Following her impressive audition, New York City subway performer Alice Tan Ridley performed live on America's Got Talent Tuesday -- and the mother of Precious star Gabourey Sidibe did not disappoint. All three judges gave her a standing ovation after she sang "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight & the Pips.

"People are going to say to your daughter, 'Hey, you're Alice Tan Ridley's daughter,' "Piers Morgan told her.

But after the show, the judge worried that having an Oscar-nominated offspring could work against her. "Some will resent the fact that she has a famous daughter and other could vote for her because she has a famous daughter," Morgan told PEOPLE. "I saw them both at the Oscars and they seemed very happy and close."

Howie Mandel gushed over Ridley, calling her brilliantly talented, but said her competitor, Michael Grimm, was his favorite singer in the competition. Another singer, Lil Chris, 12, had the cute factor when he performed Ne-Yo's "Closer," but failed to fill the show's big stage, according to Morgan.

Then there were the unconventional acts:

• Ronith did his best impersonations of John Wayne, Jim Carrey and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Though Mandel said the comedian, 58, was brilliantly funny because he's "so bad," Morgan said his performances were "utterly useless."

• Hannibal Means, who crochets hats by day, gave a powerhouse vocal performance that could rival Luciano Pavarotti, but was too quirky for the judges. "He's a human thrill ride," Mandel said. "I wouldn't want to ride him, though."

• Cheer SF -- with more than 20 members, including some in their 50s -- performed a cheerleading routine to Adam Lambert's "For Your Entertainment." Morgan and Sharon Osbourne quickly buzzed them.

• Mona Sampath Dance Company did an electric Bollywood routine, mixing modern and traditional moves to the Black Eyed Peas song "Pump It." Osbourne called them "infectious."

• Iron Horse, a high-energy rock and country trio sang and performed tricks with their instruments, but Morgan said they were more of a bar band.

• The Strong Man: The father of two lifted a motorcycle and flipped over a car. Morgan said he was dull.

• AscenDance, a group that includes a husband-and-wife duo, proved their onstage chemistry with a unique aerial performance on a rock-climbing wall. The judges found them poetic and moving and liked that they brought something new to the stage.