It seems like American Idol has taken forever to get to the Top 12... er, 13... but we’re finally live and on the big stage!  Tonight’s theme is Michael Jackson songs and I can’t really say how I feel about it until I hear these people sing.  Despite their talent, I’m slightly concerned for a few of them.  After the judges dole out some obvious advice, such as “Don’t be overwhelmed” and “Don’t forget the words”, it’s time for the finalists to hit the stage.

 

Lil Rounds - “The Way You Make Me Feel”

Don’t get me wrong.  Lil sings the song well and she certainly hast he pipes to take on an MJ song.  The small problem for Lil, though, is that she’s the diva this season and this song doesn’t really go anywhere for her in terms of showing some big notes.  Still, it was a great performance, with an original spin, and she doesn’t even need to break a sweat about whether or not she’ll be safe.

 

Scott MacIntyre - "Keep the Faith"

I’m not familiar with this song but Scott takes a seat at the piano for tonight’s performance.  Things start off slow but eventually pick up… sort of.  To be honest, the song kind of bores me.  The audience seems to love him but he was never one of my picks to make it to the finals this year.  Based on the applause, he’ll be around for at least a little while longer.

 

Danny Gokey - "P.Y.T."

I feel like a total party pooper tonight.  Danny is one of my favorites in the competition but I don’t really get this song choice at all.  It’s not that he doesn’t rock the song vocally… maybe I’m just not as big of a Michael Jackson fan as I thought?  The beginning was strange but believe me, the song got better as it went on.  Paula predicts that Danny is well on his way to the finals and, believe me, I hope so!

 

Michael Sarver - “You Are Not Alone”

I’m really happy that Michael Sarver made it to the Top 13, despite a shaky Top 36 performance.  I’m not sure if he’ll be better suited singing ballads or upbeat stuff but I definitely liked his rendition of the song.  Simon reminds him that he’s not the best singer in the competition (true) but he gave it his all (true).

 

Jasmine Murray - "I'll Be There" 
Well look, here’s the major issue with this song choice.  Mariah Carey sang it and rocked it.  Jasmine sang it tonight in a much lower key and her vocals weren’t perfect.  Randy immediately brought up Mariah in his feedback but said that he thought it was pretty good.  However, pretty good doesn’t win Idol competitions.

 

Kris Allen - "Remember the Time"

Poor Kris was hardly shown in the early rounds of Idol so when he went Top 13, I was surprised, but mostly because I just didn’t know him.  Here’s the good part: I like him a hell of a lot better with his guitar than not.  Here’s the not so good part: I don’t know the song but it seemed like he was having a few pitch issues.  Yep, Kara backs me up in her critique but the ladies love him and he should be getting plenty of votes tonight!

 

Allison Iraheta - “Give Into Me”

Okay, I'm gonna say it.  Allison is in trouble.  Anybody remember her super awkward interview with Ryan during Top 36?  She lacks the charisma to really win America over so she can only rely on her voice and song choice.  Her song choice sucked tonight and that's all there is to it.  Besides the fact that I've never heard it, I don't like it and she's certainly been overshadowed by other people tonight already.  Every Idol competition needs a great rocker but they rarely stick around for too long.

 

Anoop Desai - "Beat It"

The good thing about Anoop is that he brings a fun vibe to a competition that can, at times, take itself a bit too seriously.  There is absolutely no denying that the song was a bit too vocally challenging for him but I wonder if America will even care.  After all, he had a very strong following going into the Wild Card round.  However, my boyfriend has this theory that if Paula has something bad to say about you, you're officially done, because she compliments the world.  If that holds true, Anoop is going home tomorrow night.  Sorry, dog.

 

Jorge Nunez - "Never Can Say Goodbye"

I'm left with mixed feelings after this performance.  On the one hand, you can see what a problem it can be to pick a recognizable song the way Anoop did but on the other, an unknown song often bores me right off the bat.  Jorge can really sing and he brings something unique to the competition with the fact that he's bilingual.  The judges weren't necessarily feeling the song choice so at least I know we're all on the same page.  Still, I'd like to see him get another chance but I can't help but be a little worried for him.

 

Megan Corkrey - "Rockin' Robin"

I'll admit that I did not want Megan in the Top 13.  She just didn't do it for me but I actually liked her song choice tonight.   If I had to choose a rocker girl, between her and Allison, I'd take her.  Kara makes a good point: Megan always brings a lot of herself to the songs that she picks.  She definitely is going to have to show a bit more range but she probably did enough to stick around.

 

Adam Lambert - “Black or White”

Adam is the only contestant who comes even close to having the vocal chops of someone like Michael Jackson.  Naturally, he rocks the house with "Black or White" and I just have this feeling that he's going to sail all the way through to this year's finals.  It could be a little early to say that but, considering how good he is, it would just be shocking if he left anytime sooner.

 

Matt Giraud - "Human Nature"

Words cannot describe how happy I am that Matt Giraud is in this competition.  I was literally floored when he wasn't picked by America but I am indebted to the judges for giving him that second chance in the Wild Card round and putting him through.  I'm hoping that tonight's performance is enough to keep him around because I have high hopes for him.  He won't win the entire thing but scoring a record deal out of this would warm my little heart.  He could go on from here, for sure...

 

Alexis Grace - "Dirty Diana"

And to think I was a radio DJ for 8 years before becoming a television writer.  I didn't know a lot of these songs tonight!  Still, Alexis can pretty much sing anything.  She's by far my favorite girl in the competition, which is slightly funny since she wasn't even on my radar until Top 36.  The judges didn't love it only because they felt it was slightly over the top but I'm a fan.  I agree to disagree with Simon on this one!

 

Tomorrow night, American Idol will feature a new twist to the voting and elimination process.  My guess is that America's votes will count but the judges will decide, of the people in the bottom, who goes home.  That being said, my bottom 3 predictions for tomorrow night are: Anoop Desai, Jasmine Murray, Jorge Nunez.

 

 

Don't miss tomorrow night's results episode of American Idol at 9pm ET on FOX.

 

(Image courtesy of FOX)

 

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