Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Hmm, didn’t Paula Abdul equate singing a Michael Jackson song to “a kiss of death” in the first round of this year’s American Idol semifinals?

So what will Idol’s finalists be asked to do tonight?

Be asked to sing Michael Jackson songs, of course.

Hey, it makes as much sense as anything else in this mixed up year on Idol, where the field of finalists has been expanded to an unlucky 13 and where the semifinals were wrecked by a new format.

The thing I regret most now about that new format? By this time in past years, I had a pretty good idea of who I’d be rooting for in the weeks to come. Last year, that was David Cook and Brooke White.

This year?

Well, we’ve only heard most of the finalists sing one full song, so it’s tough to tell what they’re capable of.

Nevertheless, I’ve ranked them based on the little we’ve heard and what I expect us to hear from this point forward.

Don’t forget to follow along live at Idol Chatter Tuesday night. I’ll be grading each performance as it occurs, beginning at 8 p.m. EST.

13. Jasmine Murray: Jasmine needs to forget everything she ever learned about beauty pageant composure, let her hair down and cut loose on stage. Jordin Sparks is proof fans will buy into a fun, young contestant. Problem is, I don’t think Jasmine can pull it off. And the vocals have only been so-so.

12. Kris Allen: Kris entered the semis at a huge disadvantage because of a lack of TV time, and the same disadvantage will haunt him in the finals, unless he absolutely blows people away in week one. He’s the ‘Who’s that?’ contestant, and likely to get lost in the crowd of males.

11. Jorge Nunez: Jorge turned in such a heartfelt performance last Tuesday, fans just had to vote for him. I worry about his versatility though. And he won’t benefit from the large pool of guys in the finals. I figure some voters are prone to vote male, some female, and Adam, Danny and Scott are going to siphon off a lot of the male votes.

10. Matt Giraud: I’m with the half of fans who don’t get this guy. I think he comes off as a little arrogant, and I figure there’s a reason he’s playing a dueling piano. Perhaps because he’s been center stage twice and has yet to sing very well. I’d expect more consistency from someone who has already released two independent CDs.

9. Michael Sarver: Judging from earlier shows, I think Michael has a much better voice than he displayed in the semifinals, not to mention a certain blue-collar, doing-it-for-the-family appeal that’s likely to go over well with older Idol voters … if they vote. Still, I have trouble seeing this Texan as the next American Idol.

8. Megan Joy: I was reminded again how likable and personable Megan is when she spoke with the media Friday. Now here’s a contestants fans could rally around. Problem is, there’s a Grand Canyon size gap between her experience and that of the front-running contestants. Megan could just as easily wilt on stage and be one song and gone.

7. Anoop Desai: In my book, Anoop is more likely to win over a fan base than wild card cohort Matt. In fact, he seems to have a pretty big fan base already. He’ll need it to survive with vocals like he has turned in so far, but I have a feeling we haven’t heard the best of Anoop.

6. Allison Iraheta: I didn’t enjoy her rendition of “Alone.” I thought it was over-the-top. If she had performed in week three, I would have ranked her about fourth best … among the gals. But she’s clearly comfortable on stage, and that flair will help her stick around for a while.

5. Scott MacIntyre: I don’t think we’ve seen Scott’s best. I also think watching him sit behind keyboards and sing songs like “Mandolin Rain” will grow tiresome after … oh, about week four. But if you want a contestant with an inspiring backstory, this is your guy.

4. Danny Gokey: Remember how Idol tried to shove David Archuleta down our throats last season. It didn’t work … well, at least he didn’t win. Judging by forum posts I’m reading, Danny has just as many detractors as supporters, with the detractors focusing on one thing — what they consider an unfair advantage because of all the attention Idol has given him.

3. Lil Rounds: Great, great voice, but she’s going to have to pick better songs than she did in the semifinal round to make a serious run at the top spot. And I’m not sure she’ll have the greatest appeal with Idol’s younger voters.

2. Alexis Grace: Alexis, on the other hand, has a certain pixie appeal at 4-foot-11 and 90-some pounds. She also turned in the second best vocal during the semifinals, and I think she’ll prove more versatile than fans think.

1. Adam Lambert: Remember season three, when Fantasia just had to win because she was far and away the best singer. Adam could duplicate that performance in season eight. And after years of theater work, this guy will own the stage. He just needs to be careful not to become self-indulgent and, in the process, turn off too many fans.

So, there you go. I agree with the fans on americanidol.com. Adam Lambert will be the 2009 American Idol.

Or not.

Last year, at this time, I had the top three ranked this way: 1) David Archuleta; 2) Carly Smithson; 3) Brooke White.

David Cook? I had him number seven. Hey, I liked him better than David A. or Carly, I just didn’t think he’d attract enough votes to survive until the finals.

Fortunately, I was wrong.