Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Last night, we learned the identity of seven Idol semifinalists.

We know that Didi Benami and Katelyn Epperly will be vying for the six female spots in the season nine Idol finals.

We know that Michael Lynche, Casey James, Lee DeWyze, Todrick Hall and Pennsylvanian Aaron Kelly will be competing in next week’s male semifinals.

That leaves seven guys and 10 girls to be revealed in tonight’s episode.

I’ll be pulling for Crystal Bowersox, the best of the singer-songwriter types left in this competition. I’ll be pulling at least a little for Thaddeus Johnson, who might not look like an Idol, but has been pretty impressive every time he’s stepped on stage and has the most enthusiastic of moms.

Will Lacey Brown make the semifinals, after being turned away in favor of Megan Joy a year ago?

How about Tori Kelly, who has gone up against David Archuleta and Jordin Sparks in similar talent competitions and seems to have groomed for this moment for years?

And how about Tyler Grady, the other Pennsylvanian left in the competition. We saw him way back in the Boston auditions, when he had broken both arms falling out of a tree. He was among the lucky survivors last night, even though we’ve seen precious little of him since the season nine American Idol premiere.

Oh, and I’ll be rooting for Janell Wheeler — the Sunshine Cowgirl, for those not familiar with her nickname — because every season of Idol needs a female country singer. Like Kristy Lee Cook in season seven. Kellie Pickler in season five. And Carrie Underwood, of course, in season four.

Hey, it looks like Janell might be the first to learn her fate. A tip, Janell, shy away from Taylor Swift songs if you survive tonight. “Love Story” wasn’t good at all. Just learned a new tidbit about Janell. She’s a wine sales rep while trying to break into country music. Hey, Janell made it. Great news.

Go, Sunshine Cowgirl!

Now we get to hear what happens to Pennsylvanian Tyler Grady, who sang Daughtry’s “Home” for his final Hollywood performance. Like this, we’re learning new stuff about the contestants. Tyler is a fan of the 1970s music. “Whatever kind of moves you want, I’ll give you,” Tyler says.

And the Pennsylvanian makes it. More great news!

Also, let’s get this straight. Tyler might know how to be a drummer. But he’s also been lead vocalist for a rock band called Wailing Waters.

Wow, we’re filling up spots in the semifinals at a blistering pace. Also in: Lacey Brown, Ashley Rodriguez, Alex Lambert and a guy named Joe Munoz.

Who? Joe Munoz. Have we ever seen him perform on the show this season.

Hooray! Crystal Bowersox has made the top 24. She says mainstream music needs “a little pick me up, to get back to the roots of real music.” And we get to meet her son, Tony. Oh, yeah, I saw that on MySpace. Her nickname is MamaSox.

By my count, that’s eight guys and six girls in the semifinals, meaning lots of people are going to hear “no” over the next 40 minutes.

Next up, Katie Stevens. They’re rooting for her at her high school back in Middlebury, Conn. She’s the gal who was told she could “win it all” by Kara on the first day of Hollywood.

So, J.B. Ahfua, Nicci Nix, Maddie Penrose and Jareb Liewer are among those who won’t be in the semifinals.

Next up, Angela Martin, the girl who is making her third straight trip to Hollywood. And she won’t be appearing in the semifinals either.

Lilly Scott learns her fate next. She sings (or sang) for a group called Varlet. Not sure she’s going to do so well singing covers on Idol. I guess she’s this year’s rocker chick. But she’s not really a rocker chick if you listen to her music.

Idol just filled a lot more spots: Paige Miles, Siobhan Magnus, Michelle Delamor, Jermaine Sellers and John Park.

Not sure about Siobhan. We’ve never heard Paige sing, that I can remember. She was part of Team Neopolitan on group day, but she wasn’t featured.

I’m anxious to hear more from Michelle and John. Both have decent musical resumes. We’ve heard very little from either.

For the girls, it’s down to Haeley Vaughn and Tori Kelly. Haeley seems like a nice girl; Tori has tons of talent based on her MySpace. She writes and arranges her own music. Bad, bad choice, Idol. You picked the wrong gal.

So we’re down to a final spot for the guys, between Thaddeus Johnson and Andrew Garcia. Andrew made it. This time, Idol got it right.

OK, but I’ve only got 11 guys on my list. What’s going on? Anyone out there count differently?

And the final guy is Timothy Urban. Something tells me there’s a story to come about that. He was not shown getting through.