The public at large might have given a collective thumbs-down -- when they weren't plugging their fingers in their ears -- to Lana Del Rey's "Saturday Night Live" performance, but the "Video Games" songbird has at least one defender: "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe.
Radcliffe -- who hosted the "Saturday Night Live" episode on which Del Rey appeared -- played white knight for the singer after a flood of negative reaction, telling the BBC that Del Rey's "SNL" appearance didn't warrant "anywhere near that reaction.
"It was unfortunate that people seemed to turn on her so quickly," Radcliffe said, speaking at the BAFTA awards nominations.
Though plenty of viewers took exception to Del Rey's listless rendition of her single "Video Games," Radcliffe, 22, added that much of the criticism stemmed from complaints that had nothing to do with music.
"I also think people are making it about things other than the performance," the actor said. "If you read what people are saying about her online, it's all about her past and her family, and stuff that's nobody else's business."
Born Elizabeth Grant, Del Rey is the daughter of millionaire domain investor Rob Grant and boasts a boarding-school background, leading some to brand her as a poseur. Del Rey has also yet to release her major-label debut, "Born to Die," which goes on sale Jan. 30, prompting some detractors -- including "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams -- to suggest that she wasn't nearly ready for the high-profile "SNL" gig.
"The Firm" star Juliette Lewis -- who herself has embarked on a musical career -- tweeted, "Wow watching this 'singer' on SNL is like watching a 12 year old in their bedroom when they're pretending to sing and perform. #signofourtimes."
Lewis' fellow actress Eliza Dushku, meanwhile, chimed in, "Who.....is.....this wack-a-doodle chick performing on #SNL..? Whaaaa?"
It's a shame that Radcliffe can't cast a spell to make the Twitter-verse more kind toward Del Rey.
