wanna be startin' somethin' (ai08: michael jackson week)

The semi-finals of American Idol Season 8 kicked off with the top 13 contestants singing songs from the King of Pop's catalog. Since most of Michael Jackson's hits were tailor-made for stage performances, it was a bit interesting to see the finalists try to transform the high-energy, iconic tracks into their own.

THE BEST

ALEXIS GRACE / Dirty Diana. Dirty Diana is the kind of song which relies heavily on its instrumentation rather than the vocals. Considering this, I think Alexis Grace did a good job of somewhat overdoing it on some parts just so she can keep up with the supposedly powerful guitar riffs. She has great stage presence, moving around like she already had full command of the stage. There were some awkward moves though but whatever, I like her.

LIL ROUNDS / The Way You Make Me Feel. The whole ensemble is just awful but otherwise it was good to see Lil Rounds perform on stage. Right from the get go, I knew that she'd deliver. However, the song was indeed a bit too easy for someone of her caliber but it was actually enjoyable hearing her sing it straight up without any gimmick whatsoever. Unlike some other people, Lil Rounds is pure talent.

THE WORST

SCOTT MACINTYRE / Keep The Faith. Scott MacIntyre has a pretty decent voice but in all honesty he shouldn't even have made it to the top thirteen. Screw artistic, this is a search for the next manufactured pop star. Barring his incapacity, I just don't see him as one at all. No pun intended.

JORGE NUNEZ / Never Can Say Goodbye. Jorge Nunez had me with me with Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me. It was an epic performance but Never Can Say Goodbye? No. It was God awful. And it's sad that we won't be able to see him, and his eyebrows, next week.

JASMINE MURRAY / I'll Be There. I just don't get it why people see something in Jasmine Sullivan. She has been dull and lifeless and boring since day one. She's as fun as Paul Abdul without her crazy on. Like I said, cannon fodder.

THE REST

KRIS ALLEN / Remember The Time. It was so good to see Kris Allen perform. Everything about it was brilliant and fun and exhilarating. Even Randy Jackson got dyslexic with his comment, "very well job done". The song arrangement which sounds like a Maroon 5 recording made it contemporary. The guitar which functioned as an icon rather than an actual instrument made him more comfortable on stage even if the camera already adores him - notice that he doesn't have a bad angle. The way his mouth moved while he sang reminded me of David Archuleta, and while his voice isn't as stellar as last season's runner up, it is pleasant enough to listen to. I so love hearing him sing "oh I". Kris Allen was just so adorable that night that it would be hard not to believe that everyone would want to have a piece of him by now.

ADAM LAMBERT / Black Or White. The perfect song choice.

MATT GIRAUD / Human Nature. Smooth and clean vocals.

DANNY GOKEY / P.Y.T.. Two words - Taylor Hicks.

MICHAEL SARVER / You Are Not Alone. Who are they kidding that Michael Sarver has the chance to win this competition?

MEGAN JOY / Rockin' Robin. Quirky performance, Pretty face. Cute song. Notice how partial I am to Megan Joy.

ANOOP DESAI / Beat It. I like Anoop but it was indeed very karaoke.

ALLISON IRAHETA / Give In To Me. An utter waste of my time.