American Idol: Top 13 perform

You guys, American Idol is getting serious. That opening with the judges walking out onto the stage and Seacrest lording over all of them? that was intense. It's the Top 13, and we're in the Kodak Theater. It's the big show, guys.

The audience is completely psyched, but Simon quickly brings everyone down in that special way of his by announcing that tomorrow's show is going to be double-elimination. This makes sense, since we have the same number of episodes to find this year's Idol, but we have one extra contestant.

My favorite thing about this episode is that the theme is the music of Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson, as you may recall, is one of those artists that the judges have said should just never be touched. So despite the fact that they have told Kris Allen, among others, that they should not sing Michael Jackson songs, we have an entire night devoted to just that. Sounds like a good idea to me!



Lil Rounds "The Way You Make Me Feel"
Lil is wearing the top half of a prom dress and some really terrifying pleated pants. She's also in the first slot, which is the very opposite of the pimp spot. But whatever, she's totally getting through. She did a good job with the song, but I wasn't completely blown away. I've always been hot and cold on her, and tonight was a little cold for me, for some reason. Simon pretty much agrees with me and, of course, gets booed.

Scott MacIntyre "Keep the Faith"
My boyfriend loved this performance and likened Scott to a young Elton John. Maybe it's just the fact that I hated the song itself, but the performance underwhelmed me. He's a great piano player and has good showmanship, but it just didn't do if for me. But kudos to him for learning that song on the piano so quickly. That's pretty impressive. Simon has the best quote ever: "It's fine being artistic -- just not on this show."

Danny Gokey "P.Y.T."
I'm kind of creeped out by the fact that he matched his glasses to his shirt, but I find his crazy dancing hilariously entertaining. His performance was fun, and I quite enjoyed it. Simon thought the dancing was hideous, which it was, but once again: hilarious. This is my favorite performance that I've seen from him so far.

Michael Sarver "You Are Not Alone"
I guess it makes sense that the Roughneck wants to show his sensitive side, but come on. Does he have to sing the schmaltziest song ever written? This is a terrible song choice, and thus I am completely turned off by his performance, although he does a fine technical job with it.

Jasmine Murray "I'll Be There"
It must be said that if nothing else, Jasmine is brave. Not only is she taking on Michael Jackson, but Mariah Carey as well. She does a really good job with it, though. The only thing is I think it could have used a bit more "oomph." I'm also curious as to why she's wearing a nightgown.

Kris Allen "Remember the Time"
I liked Kris's version of "Man in the Mirror," but this is way better. He's adorable and likable, and while I'm not sure how necessary the guitar really was on this song, it serves as a nice prop for him and allows him to do some cute Jason Mraz-y dance moves. (For the record, I totally wrote that before Randy called him "Jason Mraz-y." Also, I am a genius!).

Allison Iraheta "Given to Me"
Allison needs a serious image overhaul, but I love her voice. She's got a great raw, natural talent, and with some work, I think she can definitely be another Kelly Clarkson type. The judges love her.

Anoop Desai "Beat It"
Okay, I'm going to admit right up front that the vocals were a mixed bag. There were some nice moments, but there were others where he got a little lost in the song. With that said, I love this guy. His attitude in the song was great, and he's just fun to watch. Can't you see him as an actor? I could definitely see him in a Judd Apatow-type comedy. The judges hated his performance though, so I'm pretty sad.

Jorge Nunez "Never Can Say Goodbye"
Jorge is a very talented singer, but this performance bores me to tears until the very end, in which it gets somewhat interesting. It's not a great song choice, and I'm underwhelmed. The judges pretty much agree with me on this one.

Megan Joy Corkrey "Rockin' Robin"
I get what she's trying to do here: kind of a cute rockabilly-type thing. It just comes off as corny. To be fair, the song improves tremendously after a horribly shaky start, but the "Caw! Caw!" at the end? That's a little Gob Bluth, but not in a good way.

Adam Lambert "Black Or White"
It's funny, because I can take neither this song nor Adam Lambert seriously in any way. I find him so off-putting. I cannot figure out why people are so drawn to him. Is it because of those damn sparkly vampires the kids are so into nowadays? Anyway, the entire performance is screechy, over-the-top musical theater. Paula nearly has a love stroke, though, so clearly she disagrees with me. Hell, even Simon liked it, so I guess I'm completely alone.

Matt Giraud "Human Nature"
He always looks like he's trying to dress like Justin Timberlake, so it's funny that this performance immediately reminded me of Justin Timberlake's impression of John Mayer on last week's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. However, as it went on, I like the performance more, and he hit some pretty impressive notes at the end.

Alexis Grace "Dirty Diana"
Poor Alexis Grace is the one who gets the unlucky "not number 13." Hopefully, it doesn't completely screw her, because her song choice is brilliant. This song is badass, and so is she. It's a sassy performance, and I really like it. She's IDOL 36, and Seacrest reminds you to "dial carefully."

I have a bad feeling that my beloved Anoop may not be long for this world, which makes me sad. However, if I had my druthers, it would be Jorge and Michael who would be going home on Wednesday. What about you? Who do you think is going to get eliminated?