A short break, then begins the real test; poll results

Only 40 remain, and Neal E. Boyd is one of them.

If you were watching "America's Got Talent" on Aug. 7, and you're one of the many around here (and probably across the country) pulling for Boyd, you couldn't help but feel a little nervous and impatient as the 90-minute program drug on.

Countless times during the show, the producers saw fit to preview Boyd's moment of truth, when the judges would make their decision whether to quash his dream or move him on to the live semifinals in Los Angeles to let millions of viewers decide his fate.

As we all know now, Boyd was indeed passed on. But not without some troubles.

Boyd had to sweat it out a bit, as judge Piers Morgan, speaking for the group, let him know he wasn't untouchable. Morgan told Boyd his operatic performance of "Unchained Melody" in Las Vegas was nowhere near as strong as his "Nessum Dorma" that won over the viewers on the very first episode.

I would have to agree, though Boyd's talent is still undeniable. That's why he moved on.

But you can bet Boyd probably knows Morgan's words were true. And let's face it, he took a chance when he decided to sing an American standard in Italian, using his full-on tenor voice.

But competitions like these are about taking chances, and Boyd did that. In the end, it paid off, and maybe won him more fans.

So now we have a couple of weeks before we see the Southeast Missouri tenor again. When he comes back, he'll be competing for the nation's votes. Boyd has some experience in politics, having worked in Jefferson City, Missouri's state capitol, as a college student. We'll see if that experience helps him in this campaign.

Results of our poll

We asked you how far you thought Neal E. Boyd would make it on "America's Got Talent." Here's how you answered:

He's going to win.: 78.1% (203 votes)

He'll make the finals, but that's it.: 18.1% (47 votes)

He won't make the finals.: 1.5% (4 votes)

Not sure.: 2.3% (6 votes)

Vote in our new poll. The question is, "Do you think Neal E. Boyd's Las Vegas performance was as good as his first?"

Boyd's "Unchained Melody"

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