If you’re from Los Angeles and you don’t get the ticket to Hollywood, can you still say, “I’m going to Hollywood”? Why not? You’re close enough.  Most of those who auditioned Tuesday can hang their hats on that.

There were a few who stood out from the crowd of Idol Wannabees.  Including Andrew Garcia (not Andy Garcia, but Andrew).  He was the best of the night.  He’s Danny Gokey all over again…right down to the glasses and that raspy voice.

Take a look at this video Andrew made with a friend of his.  He’s got the voice and he can play an instrument, which always helps.  I think Andrew will likely make it to the final 36, if not top 24. Watch this guy closely.

Also in Los Angeles we saw Jim Ranger who is a pastor.  He sang a song he wrote himself.  This almost always is the kiss of death, but it was a good song.  It was called “Drive”.  The judges all liked him except Avril Lavigne (who lost some of my respect).  Avril told Jim that the life of a musician is tough because he’d be always away from his family.  Who is Avril to say that? Jim, I’m sure, knows what he’s getting himself into.  He sang brilliantly and he’s one to watch.

The creepy guy who sang “I Touch Myself” by the Divinyls was the funniest part of the night.  He made Simon feel “uncomfortable” which is pretty funny since Simon makes almost every contestant feel “uncomfortable”.   Jason Greene danced stripper-style in front of the judges and sang like he was at a frat party.  I say that because I have a friend who used to sing that very song at college parties.  But I digress.  If you thought his American Idol performance was weird, Greene posted this video on YouTube just today.  Double yikes!

The montage of Adam Lambert wannabees was also pretty funny.  A.J. Mendoza represented these fools in the show.  He even sent a demo to the Adam Lambert who supposedly liked it.  I think he was just being nice, A.J.

So Los Angeles was good for a few laughs, but also for a few bright spots.  American Idol’s visit to Dallas will precede the President’s State of the Union Address on Wednesday.  I’ll talk about it here, and the Rhode Show will chat the night up on Thursday morning.

Enjoy.