Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Who should make the finals on The X Factor?

As you probably know, four groups or artists will be selected from each category to advance to the live shows.

We should find out the identity of those chosen few tonight or Thursday.

After watching the auditions, the boot camp performances and the judges’ mansion auditions, here are my picks on who should advance.

The Over 30s …

1. Josh Krajcik, 30, Columbus, Ohio: No way this burrito maker doesn’t advance. He’s been solid every time he’s had the stage. No doubt he has the voice. Whether he has The X Factor to attract votes … well, we’ll see.

2. LeRoy Bell, 60, Seattle, Wash.: I’m far less confident in this pick, because Tiger Budbill has the better back-story. But LeRoy’s 60, the oldest singer in the competition and turned in one of the best judges’ mansion performances we saw.

3. Christa Collins, 32, Los Angeles: She looks unique.  She sounds unique.  Bottom line: She seems to have more of that X Factor than any of the other competitors in the Over 30 category.

4. Elaine Gibbs, 53, Los Angeles: You figure either Elaine or Stacey Francis will make the finals, but not both because they’re too similar in style.  I’d take Elaine because she shows more control over her performances and more self-confidence once she hits the stage.

The wild card among the Over 30s — Nicole Scherzinger is the judge. And judging from the preview clips, she’s in tears while making most of these decisions. Does that mean she’ll go sentimental and instead keep someone like Dexter Haygood, the guy fresh off skid row?

It’s Nicole, so anything could happen.

The Groups

1. Intensity: This is the group of 10 teens and tweens thrown together after the boot camp episodes.  They’re young and fun and their group performance was my favorite, which says something about the quality in this category.

2. The Stereo Hogzz, Houston, Texas: A clearcut favorite to advance. They’ve got the moves. They’ve got the standout vocals. And they’ve got a back-story. Not to mention a pretty cool name.

3. Lakoda Rayne: The other group created at the end of boot camp, this one is made up of four blonds with pretty smiles and some very pretty voices. That said, I have a hunch Paula won’t pick both new groups, even though she should based on the judges’ mansion auditions, when most of the group performances fell flat.

4. The Answer: Perhaps they’ll get a pass on their horrid performance of Pink’s “Perfect” at the judges’ mansion. They’d been fairly impressive to that point.

The Guys

1. Marcus Canty, 20, Bowie, Md.: The fact that he was accused of flirting with Rihanna tells you how self-assured this young man is.  And with good reason based on his judges’ mansion performance.

2. Brennin Hunt, 26, Nashville, Tenn.: I tend to agree with Rihanna — He looks like he belongs in a 1990s boy band.  But he’s a hunk that lots of female voters will gravitate toward if he makes the finals. And has a voice to boot.

3. Tim Cifers, 30, Willow Springs, N.C.: If a country singer makes the finals, it had better be Tim, who was solid at the judges’ mansion rather than Skyelor Anderson, who hasn’t been impressive since his audition.

4. Chris Rene, 28, Santa Cruz, Calif.: I did not like his judges’ mansion performance in the least. But if I had to pick a rapper to advance between Chris and the egotist who goes by Astro (14-year-old Brian Bradley), I’ll take Chris any day.

The gals

1. Drew Ryniewicz, 14, Chino Valley, Ariz.: The best of the young performers on The X Factor, she was brilliant at the judge’s mansion and might just be a threat to win this whole thing.  That is if anyone votes for the girls.

2. Caitlin Koch, 21, Buffalo, N.Y.: I’d put her through based on her vocals, her consistency and her confidence. But Simon might perceive the pretty blond as too safe a pick.

3. Melanie Amaro, 19, Sunrise, Fla.: The gals version of Josh Krajcik. Someone who’s too talented vocally not to advance. But also someone who might lack The X Factor that draws the votes once the live shows begin.

4. Tora Woloshin, 22, Tucson, Ariz.: She might want to be an auto mechanic, but she’s got crazy vocal skills, too. And looking unique is not a problem for Tora.

The wild card among the gals — Simon seems quite taken with Tiah Tolliver, and she might nudge someone like Caitlin Koch out of the competition as a result. As is typical in these reality singing competitions, the girls category is the strongest.