American Idol Recap: Survival of the Fetus
6. Andrew Garcia
I'm grossed out by Ellen and Kara's assertion that Andrew will forever live in the shadow of his Hollywood Week performance of "Straight Up." 1) That performance was not extraordinary. 2) It was a cute choice of song, not a "genius" one, as Kara noted. And 3) You can't build a career from angst-imbued versions of late '80s dance hits. What Ellen and Kara mean to say is: "That Paula Abdul cover made us forget that your generically good voice doesn't make you viable." With James Morrison's "You Give Me Something," Andrew slipped into a realm of forgettable muck usually associated with recent Sheryl Crow albums.
5. Todrick Hall
Perhaps Andrew performed "better" than Todrick in terms of pitch control and general self-restraint, but Todrick's delivery and stage presence seem more suitable for stardom. An ounce of cockiness is what this season of Idol needs, and for that alone I'm whisking Todrick into the upper percentiles of performances with his good (at the end, at least) take on "What's Love Got to Do With It?" Yes, it was totally indulgent, but the only thing "theme park caliber" here -- quoth Simon -- was the lounge-act arrangement.
Subscribe to the new Movieline on YouTube
