Idol Chatter & Voice Views

All the preliminaries are over. It’s time to get down to the performing and the voting.

Which also means it’s time for Idol Chatter’s first ranking blog of 2010. We’ll get to that in a moment.

First, let’s review the schedule: The 12 female semifinalists sing Tuesday night in a two-hour show that begins at 8 p.m. The males follow suit in a two-hour show at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

On Thursday, the bottom two female and male vote-getters will be eliminated on a 9 p.m. results show.

Just a reminder: I’ll be blogging live during all three shows and providing song-by-song grades Tuesday and Wednesday.

Hey, can’t let Kara and Ellen, Randy and Simon have all the fun, right?

If you’ve missed any of the leadup blogs, you can learn about the male semifinalists here, the female semifinalists here, learn about all their “special” talents here, get links to their social sites here and check out a photo portrait gallery here.

The rankings below are based on what I’ve heard on the show, what I’ve heard of the music these contestants used to have posted online and on the variety of contestants I’d like to see in the finals.

In my book, last year’s finals were a total bore. Too male heavy. And way too many males who wanted to sing the same type of music — pop with a touch of soul.

Enough lead-in. The week one rankings.

Disagree? Comment below.

The Ladies

1. Crystal Bowersox: I’ve heard several people compare Crystal to Jewel at the start of her career. No wonder I like Crystal’s music so much. Clearly the frontrunner here.

2. Ashley Rodriguez: One of the prettiest smiles to grace the Idol stage. And, here’s a bonus, based on the little we’ve seen (oops, make that heard), she can sing, too.

3. Michelle Delamor: A pop/R&B singer with a good voice, plenty of experience and no need for an Idol makeover.

4. Lilly Scott: This year’s female rocker has impressed every time we’ve seen her. Only problem: The charisma she says she has was completely absent in her latest Idol video.

5. Janell Wheeler: The sky was bright for the Sunshine Cowgirl on day one of Hollywood, but clouded over when she took on Taylor Swift. But, hey, this competition needs a country singer. Go, Sunshine Cowgirl!

6. Lacey Brown: Missed the finals last year when she was bypassed for Megan Joy’s pretty smile. One of the more distinctive sounds among the gals.

7. Didi Benami: If she keeps the tears in check and turns in more performances like “Terrified,” she could make the finals.

8. Katelyn Epperly: Nice voice. Great personality based on her video interviews. The distraction from her parents’ divorce should last at least another week.

9: Katie Stevens: After watching Jasmine Murray last year, my advice to Katie would be to forget everything she has ever learned about pageant poise and cut loose on stage.

10. Paige Miles: Simon told her she doesn’t know how good she is. Neither do we, since we’ve barely heard her sing a note.

11. Siobhan Magnus: If Idol wanted another teen in the competition, Tori Kelly would have been a much better pick.

12. Haeley Vaughn: Viewers have heard her sing. Three times. To me, she sounded pitchy. Three times.

The Gents

1. Andrew Garcia: Says he loves taking songs no one would expect him to sing and making them his own. That formual equals success on this show.

2. Michael Lynche: Lots of airtime, great personality, good voice, doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously, unlikely to be flustered by the pressure. See you in the finals, Michael.

3. Casey James: Well, we know he won’t get any criticism from Kara. And he sang well during Hollywood Week. With his shirt on, no less.

4. Tyler Grady: This year’s token male rocker. Hey, if you’ve listened to Wailing Waters, you know he can sing.

5. Lee DeWyze: This year’s Kris Allen type, with more experience — two full CDs — under his belt.

6. Timothy Urban: Totally wishful thinking on my part. Listen to “Lullaby” on his real MySpace and you’ll understand.

7. Jermaine Sellers: Speaking of which, how is it that Tim and Jermaine get to keep their music on MySpace?

8. John Park: Sang for an a cappella group in college. Made Shania Twain act quite silly. And hasn’t been heard from since.

9. Aaron Kelly: Forgot his words in Hollywood and somehow still made the semis. If he remembers and captures the young female vote … look out everyone above.

10. Alex Lambert: Sounded great with the ukulele. But no one’s likely to confuse him with last year’s Lambert.

11. Joe Munoz: Who? Just call him cannon fodder.

12. Todrick Hall: Until lots of disappointed munchkins around the nation get their refunds, I really, really don’t think we want this guy as our American Idol.