February 11 , 2004 - Something to Talk About

She performed last, so it was easy to compare her to the seven others who came before. But really, there was no comparison.

Fantasia came on with amazing confidence and performed "Give Them Something to Talk About." She certainly did.

She had such presence and raw vocal skill that even judge Simon Cowell told her, "You're a star." And Paula told her that "This competition needs a Fantasia." So if anyone respects the judges' opinions, I expect her to move on.

Another indication I have that she's making it to the next level is that last night, when I was voting, it took awhile to get through.

The other person who deserves a shot to move on — and two contestants get to — is Jennifer Hudson. She did what you might call a soul version of "Imagine," starting out more moderating and then climbing to impressive heights.

The worst comment that Simon had to make was about her outfit. She was dressed in a white, 1960s style suit which he called her nursing outfit. But she good-naturedly joked around with him about that.

And American Idol fans might remember that in the early levels of competition, Simon made similar comments about the clothing of eventual winner Ruben Studdard

I voted for her, as well, because two people will advance, and I thought she deserved a chance. The other contestants, by and large, gave good performances but just didn't strike me as a top-12 competitor.

For example, the first one out of the box, Diana DeGarmo, has the unluckiest position in the entire competition, going first. She's a perky 16-year-old with a strong voice, but she just didn't stand out, I felt.

The same could be said of the next contestant to perform, Marque Lynche, who performed "Hero." But his performance lacked passion, as did Erskine Walcott's performance, later in the show.

Ashley Thomas gave a countrified performance of "Crazy" that Simon said reminded him of a rodeo. He also called her "sweet," which coming from him is something of a put-down. I don't see her moving on, because he simply lacked that spark.

Katie Webber went out on a limb and performed a jazz number. She was very polished, and she has a very professional aura about her. But the jazz number she chose failed to show off her vocal range. If she wanted to choose a jazz number, that's fine, but she would have done better to choose a Billie Holiday song.

As I view it, Katie is the wild card. If voters don't choose Jennifer, they might go for Katie, because at least she stood out.

I would be very surprised and disappointed if Fantasia doesn't move on, but like Simon told her, she's the one performer of the first eight who didn't need this contest to get a recording contract.

I never watched American Idol the two previous seasons, because the enormous hype turned me off. But watching Fame this summer got me hooked on competition shows. (I'm still, incidentally, anxiously awaiting the promised single by winner Harlemm Lee.) Tonight, I'll be watching to see if Fantasia and Jennifer move on.

Other Musings by Alyce on American Idol:

American Idol Index

Moral:
When Simon says you're a star, that means something.