Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Harry Connick Jr. opened Hollywood round Wednesday night by telling us that American Idol isn’t just making a TV show.

The goal is to end Idol the way the show began, by finding music’s next superstar.

A female bookend to Kelly Clarkson?

Don’t count on it.

Fact: Much was made on Wednesday’s show about how talented the ladies are, and about how the gals outnumber the guys by a big margin. Well, that’s typically the case at this stage of the competition.

Fact: In the past seven seasons of Idol, there’s been a grand total of one female winner, Candice Glover in Season 13.

Suspicion: Idol stacked the deck in Season 13, doing everything possible to ensure a female champ. I mean, when Lazaro Arbos is the last guy standing … well, do I need to say more?

Fact: Jax provided a heck of a lot more memorable moments than Nick Fradiani in Season 14 and recently delivered a great first single. She didn’t even make the finals.

So no matter how big of an Idol fan Michelle Marie is, no matter how much Emily Brooke has improved, no matter how angelic Sonika Vaid and Tristan McIntosh look and sound — the odds are stacked heavily against them.

Which is a shame, because Tristan sounded superb again singing Carrie Underwood’s “Something in the Water.” Other Hollywood first-round standouts included LaPorsha Renae (great version of Katy Perry’s “Roar”) and Jeneve Rose Mitchell, the mountain girl who lives “off the grid” and showed up on stage with her cowboy hat and cello and sang “Boondocks.”

Fact: The most prophetic scene in Wednesday’s episode had nothing to do with Idol. It showed several of the female Hollywood Week contestants squealing with delight because they caught a glimpse of One Direction rehearsing. Yep, that’s how the voting goes on Idol.

Now, if you had trouble keeping track during Wednesday’s rapid-fire opening round in Hollywood, here’s who stayed and who went.

Eliminated: Melanie Tierce, Harrison Cohen, Melany Huber, Krysti Jewel, Kerry Courtney, Brooke Sample, Usen Isong, Reanna Molinaro, Ethan Kuntz and Jake Dillon.

Other ladies advancing: Gianna Isabella, Shelbie Z. (formerly of The Voice), Jessica Cabral, Olivia Rox, Jenn Blosil, Jaci Butler, Poh Scott (cue the mandatory tears from sister Shi).

Guys advancing: Jordan Sasser, Dalton Rapattoni, Daniel Farmer, Manny Torres, Lee Jean, Trent Harmon and Thomas Stringfellow.

Lee Jean, just 15, and Trent Harmon were especially impressive. But Trent’s suffering from mono, which is sure to provide at least a little drama for Thursday’s group round episode.

And I’ll repeat an obvious question: How is it that Joanna Pacitti was booted from Idol Season 8 for personal connections to Idol producers YET Dalton is allowed to continue competing even though he sang in a boy band CREATED by Idol CREATOR Simon Fuller?