Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Kelly Clarkson returns home Wednesday night on American Idol.

She’ll be the guest mentor. What’s more, the contestants will be asked to cover one of Kelly’s songs.

Perhaps that will help even things out for the ladies.

Because to this point, only gals have been eliminated from American Idol Season 14.

That said, here are this week’s rankings, with guys firmly entrenched at the bottom of them.

1. Clark Beckham (1): I’ve had him ranked here since the finals began. He delivered the best vocal last week singing “Every Breath You Take.” In other words, he ain’t movin’.

2. Jax (2): Her take on “You Give Love a Bad Name” was flamboyant, audacious, creative. So what if it missed the mark by a smidgen. I can’t wait to see her take on a Kelly classic.

3. Quentin Alexander (4): With each week he survives, my faith in American Idol voters is growing. He’s one moment away from challenging the folks ahead of him on this list.

4. Joey Cook (3): A week after her breakthrough performance of “Mad World,” she decided to go a little too silly with “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and forgot to sing well as she jumped around the stage. I expect her to bounce back.

5. Nick Fradiani (6): He’s still stuck in more solid than stellar, but all that talk about his hotness can’t hurt when it comes time for Idol viewers to cast their votes.

6. Qaasim Middleton (8): I’m still not sure he has the vocal chops to merit a ranking this high on the list, but the guy is so darn fun to watch it’s impossible to root against him.

7. Tyanna Jones (5): Tyanna’s been less special the past two weeks, and given voters obvious preference for the guys, I’m no longer convinced she can outlast Qassim or Nick.

8. Rayvon Owen (9): A week after getting much worse reviews than he deserved, the judges treated him too kindly after he butchered “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”

9. Daniel Seavey (11): Speaking of butchering songs, it will be interesting to see which Kelly Clarkson song gets that treatment from Daniel. Though I’m hoping he’s eliminated and doesn’t get the opportunity.