Jeffery Ou's America's Got Talent journey ended in the semifinals last Tuesday -- short of the million-dollar prize.

But the 18-year-old Carrollton pianist will be the toast of the city soon. Carrollton Mayor Ronald F. Branson will proclaim Oct. 18 as "Jeffery Ou Day" in Carrollton.
The proclamation will be awarded through the Savoy of Josey Ranch Neighborhood Association.

The group has scheduled a celebration/block party from 2 to 5 p.m. in the cul-de-sac on Savoy Road.

In the semifinals, Ou, sporting a spiky haircut and dressed in Mozart frills, performed an aggressive rendition of Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. Ou's performance charmed judges David Hasselhoff and Sharon Osborne but was criticized by judge Piers Morgan and didn't get enough viewer support to advance.

Ou's sister, Julia, thanked Jeffery's followers on a Facebook fan page.

"THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH for all the support you've given to my brother," she wrote. "Words couldn't possibly describe. Yall helped him get so far in the competition, and gave him hopes (of) reaching a dream."

Ou, a graduate of Newman Smith High School, has been competing since he was 13 when he chosen as one of three overall grand prize winners in the 2004 North Texas Youth Music Competition.

Carol Rutkowski, president of the Savoy of Josey Ranch Neighborhood Association, has been a fan of Ou's talents and wanted Carrollton to recognize his contribution.

"We know how he really plays -- beautiful melodic music," she said.