After a whirlwind voyage to super stardom that includes winning the talent-search reality show "America's Got Talent" and appearing on "Oprah" and "The David Letterman Show," Terry Fator and his Cast of Thousands appears at his very own Terry Fator Theater at the Mirage. Not since Edgar Bergen, Charlie McCarthy, Buffalo Bob, and Howdy Doody have a ventriloquist and his characters caused such a sensation. And while the $1 million prize from “America’s Got Talent” was nothing to sneeze at, Fator’s real dream was to appear as an entertainer on the Las Vegas strip. As he made it through each round of judging on the show, he was focused on getting closer and closer to his ultimate goal.

While Fator’s rise to stardom happened seemingly overnight, nothing could be further from the truth. As a matter of fact, he likes to say his Las Vegas show was really 32 years in the making. The genesis of Fator’s amazing performing abilities can be traced back to when Fator was a mere six-year-old boy. Back then, he would perform Bill Cosby routines for his family and friends. He found his true passion when he came upon a book called “Ventriloquism for Fun and Profit.” He immersed himself into learning the ventriloquism tricks off the trade including throwing his voice, and landed his first paying gig at the age of 12. It was only one year later than he began combining ventriloquism, puppetry, and celebrity impressions.

For those not familiar with Fator's act, he's a ventriloquist with quite a few tricks up his sleeve. He shares the stage with a cast of memorable characters--his puppets. The word "puppets" doesn't really do justice to the characters Fator has created. Each has a distinct personality, and each is charming and unforgettable.

As charming and endearing as the puppets are, take them away and you've still got Fator, an amazingly talented vocalist with the uncanny ability to sing hit songs and sound exactly like the artists that made the songs famous.

Add the puppets to Fator's incredible talent, and you've got $1 million-winning "America's Got Talent" act. If that's not enough to convince you, consider this: The ultra-critical "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell proclaimed Fator one of the "two most talented people on the planet."

Through ventriloquism, the puppets become the impressionists in Fator's act. Puppet Emma Taylor is a bit shy and unassuming, but she's the gal who helped Fator wow the judges of "America's Got Talent" with a rendition of "At Last" that sounded like Etta James was hiding offstage and doing the singing. The voice is incredible, but couple the voice with the fact that Fator manages to perform these songs with his mouth mostly closed in true ventriloquist fashion, and the effect is stunning.