So as you can imagine I’m a little eh about the whole Michael Jackson theme night. I get that he’s written and recorded lots of great songs, but I’m just a little tired of them. However, I’m willing to deal with the MJ theme, because I just got to watch a super-cheesy introduction of the judges and Ryan Seacrest, and that, THAT IS WHAT MAKES THIS SHOW SO WORTH IT.

Anyhoo. Here we go.

Lil Rounds – “The Way You Make Me Feel” – I have never in my life thought of this song as “sassy,” but I’ll be dadgummed if Lil didn’t make it sassy. It was a little slow, but it was distinctive as all get out. She’s a natural performer – fun, infectious – and I think she could probably sing anything and make it sound good. And I’m going to start praying right now that I get to hear her sing a gospel song before this season is over, oh have mercy.

Scott MacIntyre – “Keep the Faith” – This is a great song choice for him, and he seems much more comfortable behind the piano than he does when he’s performing without it. I don’t think he has the strongest voice in the competition, so he’s going to have to find a way to wow us with originality and stage presence.

[Somebody please make Paula stop talking.]

Danny Gokey – “PYT” – I TRIPLE LOVED the bluesy / soulful take on this song, and I adored his energy. This was the opposite of boring for sure. He has such a fun confidence on stage, and it was a total joy to listen to him. I don’t know any other way to say it.

Michael Sarver – “You Are Not Alone” – He has a beautiful voice, and I think this song was probably a good choice for him (he seems to do well with the Sentimental Ballad). That being said, he seemed to lose his way a little bit in the second half of the song. Plus, I think having to follow Danny was a tough draw. All in all, though, well done.

Jasmine Murray – “I’ll Be There” – This has absolutely nothing to do with the song, but I just want to be perfectly clear that I give her MAJOR style points for tonight’s ensemble. And her lip gloss was perfection. Anyway, I was a little concerned that this song was going to be boring, but she kept it pretty interesting. She was a little screamy on the chorus, but overall she did a really nice job. It’ll be interesting to see how her song selections and performances change as the competition moves forward.

Kris Allen – “Remember The Time” – I wasn’t expecting the John Mayer-ish take on this song, but I loved it. I don’t remember him very much from the auditions, but I just looked over at David and said, “He’s really good!” The guitar seemed sort of unnecessary given the fact that I couldn’t hear it at all, but if it made him more comfortable on stage then I’m all for it. So far he’s the biggest surprise of the night for me.

[Please make Paula stop talking.]

Allison Iraheta – “Give In To Me” – Is it just me or is this song just a smidge inappropriate for a sixteen year-old? Am I being oversensitive about this? You can tell me if I’m being oversensitive. Performance-wise it wasn’t really my thing, but she handled the song well. She definitely stands out from the pack with her edgy style, but it was just a little too rough around the edges for my personal taste.

Anoop Desai – “Beat It” – I so appreciate Anoop’s jacket – it’s a nice little wink to the early 80s. But I have to say that I think he picked the wrong song. This song was always secondary to the dancing that accompanied it, and if you’re not going to put a new twist on it, you’re going to look like an imitation. Anoop has a great voice, and he needs to show it off – but this performance didn’t do him any favors.

Jorge Nuñez – “Never Can Say Goodbye” – I thought this started off okay, but it went downhill fast. I kept expecting for Ryan Seacrest to say, “Ladies and gentlemen – Burt Bacharach!” – because it just felt very dated and sort of like a commercial for one of those KTEL Love Song compilations. Jorge has a really nice voice, but I’m not so sure he’s going to be around much longer for us to hear it.

Megan Joy Corkrey – “Rockin’ Robin” – Okay. Did anybody else think that the arrangement for this song sounded like something the Brady kids would have used when they entered a talent show to win the money to fix the portrait that Jan ruined when she ran into it with her bike? The whole thing just felt a little dated and out-of-touch to me – because there’s no way someone would watch this and think “Oh! Give her a record deal! Right now!” She’s way more talented than this performance showed. AND SHE CAWED AT THE END.

Adam Lambert – “Black & White” – AND THE TONY GOES TO… – oh, sorry. Wrong show. He is so stinkin’ talented, and it’s way obvious that he has tons of stage experience. I’m having a little bit of the same reaction to him that I had to David Cook at first – he just seems to have this whole thing figured out already (his image, his vocal style, etc.), and I feel like I’m trying to play catch-up. He’s a phenomenal entertainer, though – and he has a big ole voice for sure.

Matt Giraud – “Human Nature” – OH COME ON NOW WITH YOUR JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE-ISH VIBE. This was totally modern and original – until the end. Because I thought the ending was weird. I loved seeing him behind the piano, though, and I think of all the people in the Top 13, Matt is the one most likely to record a CD that I’d actually buy. Not that anyone cares, of course, but I just thought I’d share.

Alexis Grace – “Dirty Diana” – There’s no question that she can sing (SANG), but this song feels like it comes to a dead stop when it hits the chorus, and that sort of affected my ability to get into the performance. Plus, it seemed like she overcompensated on the chorus because she knew that it was dragging. So it was a little uneven, but I like her style.

Overall I think this was a mighty fine start to the round of 13 – some really strong, memorable performances, and considering what we have had to endure in past seasons, tonight’s weak links seemed comparatively strong.

What did y’all think? Who’s your pick for the best and not-so-best of the night? Which two do you think will be voted off tomorrow night?

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