Idol Chatter & Voice Views

First off, a big congrats to all the ladies on the list below.

The odds they overcame to make it this far were phenomenal.

Of those 320 singers Idol advanced to Hollywood, about 200 were ladies. Meaning the gals below faced odds twice as great as the guys to make the finals.

That said, if the list below looks a  little lopsided after the top three, with the guys bunched at the top and the gals at the bottom … well, it’s a little matter of Idol history.

In season seven, Jason Castro outlasted more talented females. I assume because of dreads and  a goofy grin.

In season eight, the only gal to make the final five was Allison Iraheta.

And, last year, four of the first five contestants sent packing were females.

So, ladies, the odds are stacked against you again.

That said, the rankings below are based as much on hunches as knowledge.

After all, we’ve only seen one full performance.

1. Casey Abrams

If gray-haired Taylor Hicks could become a sex symbol back in season five, why not the bearded, bass-playing character known as Casey Abrams. And he did just fine in the semifinals, minus his stand-up bass.

2. Lauren Alaina

She squirms at talk of going home. But once this country gal from Rossville, Ga., hits the stage, you’d think she’s been doing this every minute of every day for all of her 16 years. Shows no signs of succumbing to the Idol pressure.

3. Pia Toscano

The only female besides Lauren Alaina to demonstrate the “wow” factor to go deep into the Idol finals. At least I find myself saying “wow” each time I hear this former wedding singer from New York sing.

4. Scotty McCreery

He needs Nigel Lythgoe to keep his word and deliver broad themes that allow each singer to perform the type of music they do best. I mean, can you imagine Scotty on disco night or Mariah Carey Week?

5. Paul McDonald

He’s a veteran at this; witness three pre-Idol CDs. That means he won’t be rattled by the Idol stage and he has an already established pre-Idol fan base. Which might account for those 10,000 Twitter followers in less than three days.

6. Stefano Langone

Surprised to see him this high on the list? Well, think back to how far good looks and a great smile took Tim Urban last season. And Tim never turned in a vocal as fine as Stefano did Thursday when his Idol life was on the line.

7. James Durbin

What I wrote about Scotty and theme weeks …  ditto for James. Oh, and be prepared to hear lots of shrieks. My guess is more shrieks than we heard from Siobhan Magnus and Adam Lambert combined.

8. Jacob Lusk

Control will be the key for Jacob because, as Randy Jackson would say, he’s got “crazy wild” vocals. I’m just not sure this gospel singer wlll be able to attract a crazy wild fan base to match that voice.

9. Thia Megia

The next Michael Jackson? Really? For now, Thia strikes me as just another teen filling a spot that should have gone to any one of about 30 equally talented female singers who have paid far more dues to earn this chance.

10. Haley Reinhart

She was voted into the finals, which shows I’m not the only one who finds the 20-year-old from Wheeling, Ill., quite likable. And she showed a stage presence during the semifinals that I didn’t know she had. Needs to follow up with another strong performance.

11. Karen Rodriguez

She sang in Spanish for her final Vegas performance. She sang in English and Spanish in the semifinals. This week, I’d like to see her sing something fun and upbeat and prove she can entertain.

12.  Ashthon Jones

She can sing, she can dance and she has a marketable look. But Ashthon also needs to tone down the attitude when she’s not singing. Otherwise, I’m guessing she’s going to get very little support from female voters.

13. Naima Adedapo

Her name means exotic flower and I was happy to see her picked for the finals because she’s different. But Naima’s semifinal performances were also among the weakest by the finalists. And she’s the only contestant who seemed affected by nerves in her wild card performance.

Just for fun

Here’s how other Idol followers rank the top five, with links to the complete lists and the reasoning:

Rodney Ho at Atlanta Journal Constitution: 1. Casey Abrams; 2. Scott McCreery; 3. Lauren Alaina; 4. Pia Toscano; 5. Jacob Lusk

MJ’s Big Blog: 1. Scott McCreery; 2. Paul McDonald; 3. Casey Abrams; 4. Pia Toscano; 5. Lauren Alaina.

EW.com:  1. Casey Abrams; 2. Lauren Alaina, 3. Jacob Lusk; 4. Pia Toscano; 5. Scotty McCreery

Vote for the Worst:  They’re still thinking. About who’s the worst, that is.

Betus.com:  Best odds of winning, as of 9 p.m. Monday: 1. Lauran Alaina; 2) Scotty McCreery and Casey Abrams; 4) Pia Toscano; 5) Thia Megia