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Breathtaking 'AGT' performance leaves Simon Cowell speechless and Howie Mandel in tears

"You broke us."

America's got Talent/Youtube

I mean, who knew that drones could make you so emotional?" said Sophia Vergara.

Listen, just about every act on “America’s Got Talent” is emotionally impactful in its own unique way. But none have left viewers completely wrecked quite like one from last night’s episode (Sept 11).

Sky Elements has continuously wowed the “AGT” crowd with impressive drone shows, but for their semi-finals performance, the group carried out a breathtaking outdoor show which was dedicated to member Preston Ward's late infant daughter, Briley Rose.

As the song “Butterfly” by Liv Meola played in the background, the lit up drones depicted the image of a father and his little girl playing together. But as the father throws her up into the air, she turns into a butterfly and flies away.

Still, the poignant piece ended on a hopeful note, for as the father began crying, the butterfly flew around a giant rose, landed on the father’s finger and then transformed into an exalted phoenix.

When even the characteristically stoic Simon Cowell is left speechless, you know something profound took place.

Watch below:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

After an immediate standing ovation, Cowell, visibly moved, could not find the words.

“That was, uh … That was, um — oh, gosh,” were all that came out before he let the other judges have their turn speaking.

Howie Mandel managed to share his appreciation for the loving tribute, noting how fitting that it came on Sept 11, marking a day in which so many people lost loved ones.

"I can't thank you enough for this," he said. "And I'm looking at your family members... There isn't an act that just moves your heart this much, and you just broke us."

Meanwhile, Vergara eloquently said what we’re all thinking:

“I mean, who knew that drones could make you so emotional? That was a surprise. That was so beautiful! That was, like, heartfelt, and I mean, I don't even know what to say. Congratulations! What a beautiful, beautiful job.”

Even host Terry Crews would later open up about how much the performance resonated. In an exclusive interview with People, he shared “Me and my wife, we know what it's like to lose a child. We've had three miscarriages. It's one of those things where it was so meaningful and special because the dedication is just, it's a way to process these things.”

It wasn’t just the live audience or judges moved to tears by Sky Elements’ performance. Just take a look at some of these comments from Youtube.

“This act really made me cry because we are living in a world where we are dealing with the loss of our people, our family, our friends who have passed and to those who lost someone in their heart, my heart goes out to all of you.”

“I was crying this whole act. It depicts the sadness of losing the people we loved most.”

“Gosh! The loss of her daughter and put into this spectacular drone show is just heartbreaking. Got me in tears.”

“OMG! I had a lump in my throat and tears were flowing. I was sobbing. What a sad story told in a beautiful way.”

“They really outdid themselves with this performance. This isn't the type of thing I would watch much of but the pairing of the song and the imagery turned on some tears. It was magic. Well done.”

After the performance, Ward shared that the group hoped their act “we really hope and wish that somebody that needs a little hope got something from that.”

Safe to say—mission accomplished.

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'I felt ill': Brendan Fraser describes sexual assault that nearly made him quit acting

His bravery in coming forward is commendable. 👏

Remember Brendan Fraser? 10 years ago, he was one of Hollywood's biggest stars. Then, he suddenly disappeared.

If you were a kid in the late '90s and early '00s, chances are you saw a Brendan Fraser movie. The comedy and action star catapulted to fame behind blockbusters like "The Mummy" franchise, "George of the Jungle," "Looney Tunes: Back in Action," and the Oscar-winning film "Crash."

But after 2008, he largely disappeared from major starring roles. His absence wasn't due to drugs, a sex-scandal, or illness — despite memes and even reported articles speculating about his career arc, with many blaming it on poor career choices.

Fraser revealed in a recent interview that an incident of sexual harassment led him to withdraw from his high-profile lifestyle.

Lately, the actor has gradually returned to more high-profile roles, and in an interview with GQ, he explained that the real reason he stepped back from the spotlight was because of being physically groped by Philip Berk, a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

In his own book, Berk admitted to "pinching" Fraser in the buttocks after an event, but Fraser says the incident was much worse. "His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. And he starts moving it around."

"I felt ill. I felt like a little kid," he told GQ. "I felt like there was a ball in my throat. I thought I was going to cry."

He said it's time to speak out, and other male victims of harassment are supporting him.

Berk has called the allegation a "total fabrication" but acknowledges he sent Fraser an apology letter after the incident when the actor complained to the HFPA. Fraser said he tried to bury his feelings about the incident, but he was moved into action after seeing actresses and actors speaking up at this year's Golden Globes.

“Am I still frightened? Absolutely. Do I feel like I need to say something? Absolutely. Have I wanted to many, many times? Absolutely. Have I stopped myself? Absolutely."

Despite his reservations, people seem to believe, and be genuinely moved by, Fraser's claim. Once the target of jokes, Fraser has become a catalyst for moving praise across social media.

I love Brendan Fraser and I am so proud of him for speaking his truth. https://t.co/Ev3seJavsf
— Mira Sorvino (@MiraSorvino) February 22, 2018

The Brendan Fraser story is a good reminder to always side-eye established, assumed narratives. So many people have been beaten up and spit out by our major institutions, forgotten until we cycle back around to empathy.
— A.B. (@AlannaBennett) February 22, 2018

He's also earned some public support from actor Terry Crews, who has publicly discussed experiencing a similar incident years ago.

"Brendan is amazingly courageous in telling this," Crews wrote on Twitter. "His assault experience is extremely similar to mine — ending with the assailant explaining away his actions. One man's 'horseplay' is another man's humiliation."

Brendan is amazingly courageous in telling this. His assault experience is extremely similar to mine— ending with the assailant explaining away his actions.

One mans “horseplay” is another man’s humiliation. https://t.co/nNjtmKq5D7
— terry crews (@terrycrews) February 22, 2018

Victims of sexual harassment and assault often face deep shame and fear in speaking out. Speaking out takes courage.

Speaking out after experiencing harassment or assault can be an incredible challenge, often full of personal and professional risk. Though the majority of assaults are against women, men face their own similar challenges in overcoming shame, doubt, and repercussions for coming forward and speaking out. When men like Fraser and Crews speak out, they help clear the path for other men to come forward with their own stories.

This story originally appeared on 08.06.19

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Terry Crews' courage and advocacy have made him an important ally in the #MeToo era.

The "Brooklyn 99" star has been an outspoken advocate, opening up about his own experience with sexual assault.

"My name is Terry Crews," he said at the beginning of his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I am an actor, author, former athlete, advocate, and a survivor of a sexual assault."

He was speaking before the committee in support of passing a Bill of Rights for assault survivors in all 50 states. Congress and the White House already passed their own Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act in 2016 that was signed into law by President Barack Obama, but advocates say more protections are still needed at the state level.

"I wanted these survivors to know that I believe them," he said. "I supported them and that this happened to me too."

It's meaningful for people like Crews to speak out about toxic masculinity.

Crews has been praised for his courage in speaking up — but he's also been attacked. After he stepped forward, Crews says he was threatened by a producer on "The Expendables" film series to drop his lawsuit or face being removed from the film.

Rapper and fellow actor Curtis Jackson, aka "50 Cent," publicly mocked Crews through his Instagram after Crews spoke to Congress, suggesting the former NFL star "strap up."

Crews was having none of this, which he made clear in his testimony. “I was told over and over that this was not abuse. This was just a joke. This was just horseplay,” he said. “But I can say one man’s horseplay is another man’s humiliation."

— (@)

Supporting sexual assault survivors is essential. Moments like this help to make that support an undisputed reality.

There's no shortage of things people can learn about preventing sexual harassment and assault by listening more to the people who have experienced it. Having an open mind and open heart goes a long way toward moving past the culture of toxic masculinity and the problems it creates.

As Crews has said, when women speak out on the issue, men should listen, but men also play a critical role in educating and policing their own communities.

When a celebrity like Terry Crews speaks up, it matters. No one can challenge his stature as a "tough guy." He can admit the problems inherent with the traditionally narrow definition of masculinity that society seems to uphold. He's moved beyond it and hopes others will do the same.

Crews showed his bravery in sharing his own #MeToo story. It turns out his own awakening started much earlier.

In October 2017, the actor made headlines when he opened up about having been sexually harassed by a Hollywood producer years earlier. It was an incredibly powerful moment that both showed the complexities of the #MeToo movement and helped bring more men into the fold as allies.

But it turns out Crews wasn't always such an evolved guy. He says that back in 2009, his wife nearly left him because of his own toxic masculinity, shaped by a lifetime of distorted ideas that influenced his beliefs in what it meant to be a man.

“As a man, I was taught that I was more valuable than my wife and kids," he said. "That’s deep — and I didn’t even realize it until I dissected it.”

[rebelmouse-image 19398275 dam="1" original_size="1024x683" caption="Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr." expand=1]Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr.

He knew he needed help and was strong enough to ask for it.

Crews said he sought professional treatment for an addiction to pornography and went through therapy to begin a path of self-reflection. Over time, the former NFL star and his wife Rebecca King-Crews reunited and they remain together.

“My wife has always brought the wisdom,” he said. “I truly believe you don’t see your own faults. There were so many times I just knew I was right and my wife was like, ‘Uhh uhh.’”

When it comes to unraveling his own past distorted views of masculinity, Crews wasn't shy about what he now thinks. "It’s a cult no different than Jim Jones or David Koresh,” he said.

In a separate interview, Crews offered some simple but poignant advice for men as they trudge through their own attempts to grapple cultural pressures and norms. “Don’t speak for women," he said. "Hold other men accountable.”

The response from other men has been mostly positive but there's also been a noticeable silence from other actors.

In March 2018, Crews shared an encouraging letter he received from Old Spice, in which employees at the company offered their support in response to Crews speaking out about his own #MeToo experience.

However, he also noted the deafening silence from his male co-stars in "The Expendables" film series, alleging that one of the film's producers even tried pressuring him into being silent over the issue of sexual assault.

— (@)

There's nothing wrong with being masculine. But real strength comes from vulnerability and personal growth.

Men like Crews and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson show us that the concept of masculinity is more complex than most people think.

As a former athlete and physically imposing action star, there's nothing passive about Terry Crews. This is a man who has literally made people laugh by repeatedly screaming at the camera in his hilarious Old Spice commercials.

But much like when The Rock recently opened up about his own struggles with depression, these decidedly masculine men are showing the world, especially other guys, that there's a difference between being strong and being toxic.

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Terry Crews described being sexually assaulted in Hollywood in an emotional Twitter plea.

Former NFL-lineman-turned-actor Terry Crews clocks in at 6 feet 3 inches tall and 240 pounds.

That didn't stop a "high-level Hollywood executive" from sexually assaulting him in public, according to the "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" star.

In the wake of The New York Times' bombshell Harvey Weinstein report, Crews alleged that the unnamed producer "came over to [him] and groped [his] privates" at a 2016 function.

— (@)

"Jumping back I said, 'What are you doing?!'" Crews wrote. "My wife saw everything and we looked at him like he was crazy. He just grinned like a jerk."

Like many of the women targeted by Weinstein, Crews was enraged by the incident, but ultimately opted to keep the incident quiet, fearing his attacker's "power and influence."

"I let it go," he wrote. "And I understand why many women who this happens to let it go."

For those who have endured workplace sexual harassment large and small, "letting it go" is, unfortunately, the most common response. A 2015 Cosmopolitan survey of more than 2,000 women found that while 1 in 3 reported having been sexually harassed at work, 71% did not report the incident. Common reasons included fear of retaliation, a "masculine" workplace culture, and the "bystander effect" — the refusal of colleagues present for the harassment to validate the experience.

Though men are less frequently targeted, the fallout is often no different. Men who have been sexually harassed report feeling powerless and discouraged by the potential negative career implications of speaking out.

Crews concluded by adding he hopes his account will "deter a predator" like Weinstein and the man who assaulted him and "encourage someone who feels hopeless."

Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images.

To combat a predatory culture that doesn't care about your gender or size, he argued, change will only come though empathy — and solidarity.

"Hollywood is not the only business where this happens," he wrote. "And to the casualties of this behavior — you are not alone."

terry crews

Breathtaking 'AGT' performance leaves Simon Cowell speechless and Howie Mandel in tears

"You broke us."

'I felt ill': Brendan Fraser describes sexual assault that nearly made him quit acting

His bravery in coming forward is commendable. 👏

Remember Brendan Fraser? 10 years ago, he was one of Hollywood's biggest stars. Then, he suddenly disappeared.

He said it's time to speak out, and other male victims of harassment are supporting him.

Victims of sexual harassment and assault often face deep shame and fear in speaking out. Speaking out takes courage.

Terry Crews is a sexual assault survivor. His brave testimony to Congress is a must-see.

Terry Crews' courage and advocacy have made him an important ally in the #MeToo era.

It's meaningful for people like Crews to speak out about toxic masculinity.

Supporting sexual assault survivors is essential. Moments like this help to make that support an undisputed reality.

To save his marriage, Terry Crews had to completely rethink what it means to be a man.

Crews showed his bravery in sharing his own #MeToo story. It turns out his own awakening started much earlier.

He knew he needed help and was strong enough to ask for it.

The response from other men has been mostly positive but there's also been a noticeable silence from other actors.

There's nothing wrong with being masculine. But real strength comes from vulnerability and personal growth.

Terry Crews described being sexually assaulted in Hollywood in an emotional Twitter plea.

Former NFL-lineman-turned-actor Terry Crews clocks in at 6 feet 3 inches tall and 240 pounds.

Like many of the women targeted by Weinstein, Crews was enraged by the incident, but ultimately opted to keep the incident quiet, fearing his attacker's "power and influence."

Crews concluded by adding he hopes his account will "deter a predator" like Weinstein and the man who assaulted him and "encourage someone who feels hopeless."

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