'American Idol': Carrie Underwood gives birth, power rankings, Kelly Clarkson tour & Jimmy Fallon duet (video!)

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Here are my power rankings of the season 14 top 24 women and the guys, separated for now by gender, since "Idol" still has them like that. Four ladies and four men will be cut this week, leaving 16 with Detroit legend Aretha Franklin mentoring.

Women up first. This is a ranking based on both what I like and who I think will move forward.

1) Sarina Joi-Crowe. She has a sweet personality, a pliably pleasant voice and a potential chance of become a pop star.  The ingredients are there. And she has been doing "Idol" four years in a row and has matured to a point where I think she'll know the right songs to shape her destiny going forward. The only downside is she lacks a strong presence a la Fantasia or the innocence of a Jordin Sparks. But it's early. There's plenty more to see and hear - hopefully. Her Detroit performance was the best among the girls. It's all about timing!

2) Jax. She's quirky but not to the level of Joey Cook. She brings likability and a solid vocal ability, plus a marketable look. And yes, "Idol" needs that. She raised her game during the first voting show, too. Her "Bang Bang" brought out her personality in a way that should build a fan base.

3) Tyanna Jones. She is like a better version of last year's Majesty Rose with a bit of Malaya Watson thrown in. She has been more consistent than either of them and if she picks the right songs, could slide easily into the top 5. I wasn't bowled over by her "Lips Are Movin' " but her House of Blues' "Love on Top" proved she can do this.

4) Lovey James. She has a pop-friendly look and sound. And yes, a marketing-friendly fake name, too! So far, so good. She could be around awhile.

5) Joey Cook. She is the most divisive character on this competition this side of Shi Scott. She sure can sing in a very particular way but she's so twee and deliberately "weird," she brings out a lot of hate. But I suspect her fans will give her tons of love, enough to get her into the top 12.

6) Loren Lott. Our Atlanta representative is perplexing. She has a Celine Dion-type theatrical voice. She has camera-ready looks. She has a perky personality. But who is she really as an artist? I don't even think she knows. That may keep her from winning but I think she did enough last week to at least get to the next round. From there, I think she's going to have to do something along the lines of "Skyfall" to get into the top 12.

7) Adanna Duru. I don't particularly like her look. Based purely on her stage work, she strikes me as unpleasant and calculating. She can sing, that's for sure. But this is also about stage presence and personality. I'm not really feeling her yet but so far, her singing should get her into the next week.

8) Alexis Gomez. We have two country singers among the women and it doesn't make a lot of sense for me to rank both so low. But I like Alexis more than Maddie. She has charm but the whole "I'm Hispanic too!" deal doesn't add up to much to me. She might just sneak in for an extra week.

9) Shi Scott. She should be ranked at No. 12 based on her awful singing performance last week. But the producers and the judges have been pimping the hell out of her because of her look and her personality. So who knows? She might actually make it another week. Her voice is so frustratingly limited. If she makes it to the top 12, that would be a Lazaro Abdo-level travesty.

10) Katherine Winston. I find her voice engaging with the right song. But her personality? Milquetoast. Her tentative last performance didn't help matters. I think she may end up missing the cut.

11) Maddie Walker. She has a lovely voice but her stage presence is lacking. She looks stiff and nervous on stage and has a pageant feel to her that lacks authenticity. I can't see her getting votes over more interesting personalities.

12) Shannon Berthiaume. She has an interesting, edgy rock voice but she isn't ready for prime time. She simply lacks the experience on stage and it shows.

Now the guys

1) Nick Fradiani. He has the Kris Allen/David Cook WGWG appeal. He is 29 and seems savvy about song choice and styling. Do not under-estimate his sex appeal.

2) Quaasim Middleton. Some people understandably hate him because he's all showboating and not enough singing. He frequently is off pitch and sometimes seems like he cares more about dancing and primping. But you can't take your eyes off of him. He's fascinating. He's the type of charisma that will carry him far.

3) Clark Beckham. I love this guy. I'm not sure he's going to win but he is a true musician. He feels what he's singing. And I'm biased by his excellent take of "Georgia On My Mind."

4) Quentin Alexander. He rose in my estimation after last week's performance simply because he took a risk and pulled it off. He is his own man (or maybe he stole Andre 3000's wardrobe). That individuality should ride him into the top 12.

5) Daniel Seavey. Like Qaasim, there are lots of people who find him unnerving, if not downright annoying. He's our very own Doogie Howser. He looks way too young and his vocals are inconsistent, as if Peter Brady could be coming out of his throat at any time. But he is all about possibility. It's a shame he didn't try out two or three years later. No way he can win. But top 12? Certainly. What few tweens still watching the show are giving him the votes, I'd fathom.

6) Savion Wright. I am ranking him lower than most probably because he strikes me as a wee bit bland, no matter how good a singer he is. I find his smoothness comforting but ultimately forgettable.

7) Michael Simeon. He drops sharply in  my mind for the simple reason: cheese. He poured it on too much last week. Is that all he is? Syrup and smarm? Then again, Michael Bolton has made a career of it. I still see him getting another week, regardless.

8) Rayvon Owen. I like Rayvon much more than Savion but Savion seems to get more attention. Rayvon is smooth like Savion but almost too smooth for some tastes. I find Rayvon more distinctive and interesting and I hope he makes the top 12. But the competition is rough!

9) Riley Bria. Again, there are people who love Riley and will balk that I'm power ranking Daniel so much ahead of him. I prefer Riley in many ways but his stage presence when he's not playing the guitar is just okay. Vocally, he is good but not great. Daniel is bottom line more interesting.

10) Trevor Douglas. He's the Joey Cook of the guys. He knows he's quirky and interesting and boy, he's going to show that off on stage. He missed big time with "Burnin' Love" in House of Blues and stumbled vocally again with "Best I Ever had." The calculations say you are going home.

11) Mark Andrew. Sigh... He seems like a nice enough guy with a good voice. He is like the quintessential road warrior who could do bars forever. But is he a star? No.

12) Adam Ezegelian. Chris Sligh meets Caleb Johnson. He is a hilarious 80s metal cover band leader. Otherwise, his time is up on "Idol" this week.

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Kelly Clarkson's first tour as Mama Clarkson will hit Atlanta Sept. 10 at Lakewood Amphitheatre. This is her second visit to this venue. Locally, she has performed in the past at the Fabulous Fox Theatre, Centennial Olympic Park and Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, among other places. And she was at Philips Arena as part of the very first "American Idol" tour in 2002. "The Sing Off" group Pentatonix will open, along with Eric Hutchison. Tickets go on sale Saturday March 21. Clarkson is releasing her sixth album "Piece by Piece" and already has a top 40 hit with "Heartbeat Song."

But "Heartbeat Song" is not doing quite as well as some of her past first singles like "My Life Would Suck Without You" and "Since U Been Gone." It has edged into the top 10 on the Hot AC chart and is at No. 21 on the top 40 chart without a lot of upward momentum. I suspect the song ,while catchy, sounds a bit too derivative of some of her past songs.

More details on Kelly's website.

She is now in major promotion mode. Here she is doing an epic mix of some of the greatest duet songs of all time with Jimmy Fallon:

by mjsbigblog

And her "Heartbeat Song."

by mjsbigblog