rMagician Sacred Riana raises the bar with UNBELIEVABLE Cutting magic | Britain’s Got Talent 2024
America’s Got Talent judge, Simon Cowell saw thousands of acts in his life and this week, he saw one that he described as one of the “most difficult” that he’s seen in a “long time.” Instead of being bored, his skepticism turned into amazement as a dancer put a new spin on her talent.
Simon Cowell Watched An ‘Impossible’ Act On AGT
When a contestant surprised the long-time talent boss, he wore his new tinted sunglasses that protect his eyes from the lighting on AGT. While they shaded his eyes, nobody could mistake his nervous apprehension as a contestant on America’s Got Talent performed a difficult act. While it took a few attempts, the dangerous act concluded successfully.
Simon Cowell watched dangerous acts in the past. In fact, one of them on America’s Got Talent: Extreme ended up with the show being investigated by OSHA. Johnathan Goodwin ended up paralyzed in a wheelchair after a 30-foot fall. And, OSHA viewed it very seriously. The latest “impossible” act didn’t see anyone injured, but it could have worked out differently.
AGT Dangerous & Difficult Act By A Ballerina
On Tuesday’s edition of Season 19, a dancer named Ashlee Montague made Simon comment, “Nobody actually likes the ballet.” Then he explained how much he “hated” it. so he only ever watched it “once.” Additionally, he said during her act that it was “impossible.” Determined to try, she did a bit of a dance after explaining:
The challenges of ballet are incredibly grueling. People have told me I’m too tall, too short, too big, too everything. This is my dream, and if someone else doesn’t see it that’s okay. They close the door, I’ll climb through a window. I’ve never trained harder for anything.
Ashley decided to dance her way up onto a platform where glass bottles were lined in a row. And then, balance her way across them.
A Nailbiting Performance On America’s Got Talent
As she started walking on her toes on the first two bottles, she wobbled and stepped off. Then it happened again, and Simon Cowell commented “She’s not gonna do it.” Well, she showed him she could, but viewers could see her legs and feet trembling with effort. And, Simon had to eat his words as the judges and crowd erupted.
Needless to say, she got her four yes votes from the judges. Simon Cowell said, “I said to Sofia beforehand I actually can’t bear the ballet or opera actually. However, now you’ve found a way of making it interesting…That’s one of the most difficult acts I’ve seen for a long time.”
World’s Largest Real Estate Brokerage’s $1 Billion Deal Pushes Business Toward Government Work
CBRE Group’s Proposed Purchase of J&J Worldwide Services Expands Public Sector Contracts
CBRE Group plans to expand its capabilities in the public sector through an acquisition of J&J Worldwide Services. (CoStar)
CoStar News
6 February 2024 | 7:16
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CBRE Group, the world’s largest commercial real estate brokerage, is buying a company that services military bases and hospitals for more than $1 billion, expanding its government services offerings as part of a wider strategy to help combat a lack of deals.
The agreement calls for CBRE to pay an initial $800 million in cash to acquire J&J Worldwide Services and a potential bonus of up to $250 million in 2027 if performance goals are met. The seller is Washington, D.C.-based private investment firm Arlington Capital Partners and the deal is expected to close in the coming months. CBRE declined to share details of the performance goals.
J&J, based in Franklin, Tennessee, provides services to high-profile government-occupied facilities, including the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the U.S. Naval Academy, Brooke Army Medical Center and naval stations.
Firms throughout the commercial real estate industry are seeking to diversify their offerings after being hit by a challenging economy with higher interest rates and tight capital markets. The deal for J&J — a company that mainly serves the U.S. Department of Defense through long-term, fixed-price contracts — can be viewed a safer bet that is more immune to economic downturns.
Robert “Bob” Shibuya, chairman and CEO of real estate advisory firm Mohr Partners, told CoStar News it appears CBRE is diversifying its revenue to become more sustainable, pivoting its business further into government and healthcare and giving the business more certainty compared with its brokerage and development part of its business.
“CBRE’s acquisition of J&J Worldwide Services is consistent with their stated strategy to diversify their revenues and gross margin to include more predictable and sustainable service offerings,” said Shibuya, whose firm wasn’t involved in the deal. “J&J’s focus on public sector clients, including the U.S. government, will allow CBRE to capture more predictable revenue.”
Like other real estate services firms, CBRE’s earnings were hit in the aftermath of the pandemic with capital market woes financially hurting the company’s bottom line. CBRE expects to report earnings next week; its last quarterly earnings fell nearly 56% and the firm said it planned to cut company costs.
Largest Real Estate Brokerages Brace for Another Year of Declines in Deals
Dallas-based CBRE has been exploring possible ways to deploy billions of dollars on large acquisitions over the past year to reshape its business. Less than a year ago, CBRE named a new chief investment officer from Morgan Stanley.
“Generally speaking, real estate firms are seeking to diversify their income streams as both property leasing and property management as the capital markets have been challenged in the last several years of the economic cycle,” Walter Bialas, a senior insight analyst in Avison Young’s Dallas office, told CoStar News. Bialas said he had no specific insight into CBRE’s potential M&A activity and is not involved in the deal. “Everyone is looking for ways to better serve clients and enhance revenue streams.”
The uncertainty tied to elevated interest rates, valuation of property and the delta between buyers and sellers has kept an industry-wide real estate recovery at bay.
Government Work
The deal fits with CBRE’s strategy to enhance its government client base within its global workplace solutions business, adding services with long-term contracts to the firm’s offerings, CBRE Chairman and CEO Bob Sulentic said in a statement.
“We are adding a company with deep government contracting experience, long-term customer relationships and a 50-year record of outstanding technical service delivery,” Sulentic said in the statement.
Prior to the J&J deal, CBRE had government work through its public institutions group, where it helped sell buildings occupied by federal state and municipal government entities, as well as public institution project management work, according to the firm’s website.
However, the public sector represents the least penetrated sector by CBRE and “thus provides meaningful headroom for growth,” a CBRE spokesperson told CoStar News on Tuesday.
CBRE executives expect the J&J acquisition to generate more than $525 million of revenue and about $65 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization this year.
J&J employs more than 3,300 employees throughout the world in servicing more than 250 hospitals, clinics and military installations in the United States, as well as Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean.
The company divides its services across three lines of business, with focuses including healthcare and medical, mission support and engineering. Once the deal closes, J&J will keep its name and operate as a separate legal entity, according to the CBRE spokesperson.
“Over the last four years, we have been able to make great strides in further realizing our full potential through increasing our global reach and footprint as well as bringing our unique capabilities to a broader set of customers,” J&J CEO Steve Kelley said in a statement.
Story updated Feb. 6 to include comment from CBRE’s spokesperson.
