American Idol, Final 13

Coming to you live tonight as the top 13 sing on American Idol. After a one-week break (due to a meeting) and because of all the clamoring of my readers (well, 4 of them) to live blog again, I'm here with Lite Cheddar Curls from Costco. According to the American Idol website, they'll be performing the songs of Michael Jackson tonight, who I believe is Al's favorite artist (besides "Culture Club").  By the way, is there a more tragic figure in the music industry, perhaps ever, than Michael Jackson?

Lil Rounds

I like her, she's married with 3 children, although I don't really like the style of artist that she is. She'll be singing "The Way You Make Me Feel." She's wearing Aretha Franklin's bow on her shoulder (can we ever get enough mileage out of Aretha's inauguration bow? I say "no."). She can certainly sing. Randy says, "Yo! Yo! Alright, so! Lil Rounds, what's up baby? So check it out." He really likes her. Says she puts a whole new spin on the song. Kara thinks she's great. Paula likes the "softness." Thanks, Paula, that was very helpful. Simon thinks it was good, but was somewhat disappointed. Thought it was a lazy song choice...the entire crowd starts booing. Ryan just refers to Simon as "55 years old." Is that true? Well, that's the benefit of www.imdb.com. Let's check it out...

Nope, Ryan is wrong. Simon is only 49. Now we're debating the age of Diane Lane, whom we just saw in a commercial. So, we imdb her. Mem says she's 44, I say she's 47. Well, I'm wrong, she's right. She nails it...44 years old.

Scott Macintyre

Now I don't mean at all to sound prejudiced against those who are sight-impaired, but should he really be in the top 13? I don't think he can sing very well at all. Danny Gokey's friend was way, way better. He should be in the top 13. He'll be singing "Keep the Faith." He's playing the piano tonight. He's much better singing behind the piano. Kara wants to know if Scott just learned that on piano this week. He says yes. Kara thinks it was a good performance and that he was true to himself. Paula thinks she's at Disneyland and says, "Scott, it was so magical." Simon hated it. Says that nobody knows the song. Paula references record sales in Norway. Why? Randy thought that it was too safe.

Danny Gokey

OK...this is my guy. He'll be singing "PYT." He really sounds like Bob Carlisle of "Butterfly Kisses" fame to me. He's a good performer. Paula's standing up, yelping and clapping, which doesn't really mean much. She says that a true mark of an artist is when you can hear somebody with your eyes closed and know exactly who they are. She says he's on his way to the finals. Simon thought the vocals were brilliant. However, he didn't like the dance moves. Randy loved it all. Kara liked it, too. I think the final 3 is in his future.

Michael Sarver

Another guy I like. Seems like a humble, hard-working, family man. He'll be singing "You're Not Alone." Looks like the kind of guy we'd be watching sing on the Jerry Falwell show. Didn't really do much for me...which means the judges will think it was great, right? Simon says that he's not the best singer, but that he was very passionate tonight and gave 110%. Randy thought that tonight he was one of the best. Wow, that's saying a lot, seeing that a whole 4 people have sung so far. Kara thought he did a great job. Paula says that he picked a song that was "instinctual perfect for you." What does that mean?

Jasmine Murray

She'll be singing "I'll Be There." I didn't know this was a Michael Jackson song. This girl can sing. I think she's a potential sleeper in this competition. This means, of course, that she'll be either blasted by the judges tonight or voted off very soon. Randy says, "You know what, man, you did a pretty good job on that." Kara thinks she has great stage presence. Paula presses "play" and says the same lines that she's said a number of times. Simon says that she made a good attempt, but thought it was a bit robotic.

Kris Allen

He'll be singing "Remember the Time." I think he'll be one of the first to go. Boring and safe. Kara says that the girls love him. She likes him best when he's playing his guitar. Paula thought he was very engaging. Simon thought it was interesting and didn't think it was a song that suits the guitar. Randy thought it was kind of cool.

Allison Iraheta

She'll be singing "Given to Me" (never heard of it). She can sing and she's unique, which usually takes you a long way in this competition. Paula is mind-boggled. Says she's a "rock star." Simon thought it was a good performance, but says she needs to lighten up a bit. Randy says "she's got it" and that she can sing anything. Kara tells her to keep being a rocker.

Anoop Desai

He'll be singing "Beat It." This should be interesting. This is one of those songs that no one else should ever sing, unless you're going to put a totally different spin on it (like David Cook last year with "Billie Jean"). Simon will not like this. Paula says that when you pick a song it's an opportunity to show the world what you've got. She thinks this song is untouchable and belongs to MJ. Hey, she agreed with me. Simon thought it was horrible. It was very lightweight and karaoke. Randy says that it was the wrong choice. Kara agrees with the others and felt disconnected with Anoop. This could be the end of the line for Anoop Dog.

Jorge Nunez

He'll be singing "Never Can Say Goodbye" from the Jackson 5. Oh, I hate this kind of stuff. Prediction: Karaoke, old-fashioned, wedding singer, cruise ship...one or more of those words/phrases will be said in the next 5 minutes. Randy didn't think it was a good song choice, and...here it is: too old-fashioned. Kara thought it was emotionally disconnected. Paula says she has "mad love" for Jorge, but doesn't think that Jorge was himself tonight. Simon thought it was corny and awful and old-fashioned.

Megan Corkrey

This is the girl with funky dance moves. She'll be singing "Rockin' Robin," a Jackson 5 song. She's unique, you can say that for her. Wonder if she regrets having a tatoo running the length of her right arm? Whoa...she ends by doing some weird bird noise! Kara says that it was "so Megan" and that it showed her personality. Paula likes her quirkiness, but felt disconnected. Simon thought it was a "stupid" song choice and that the dancing verged on being "ridiculous." Randy didn't particularly care for it.

Adam Lambert

He'll be singing "Black and White." Love this song. My favorite MJ song. He can flat-out sing. A little over the top and theatrical. But I thought it was great. Paula loved it and says that never in the history of AI have we ever seen someone so comfortable on the stage as Adam. Simon thought it was in a totally different league than everyone else tonight. Randy says he's the most current, the most "right now" and could make a record now. Kara says he hit notes that she didn't know existed and hopes that Michael Jackson is watching right now (well, as long as he isn't picking his nose up off the ground).

Matt Giraud

He'll be singing "Human Nature." He's on the piano tonight. Good choice. He's a good singer...a very good singer. I don't particularly like this song, but he's good. Randy says, "Check it out, baby, check it out" and says it was a good performance. Kara says he's very talented. Paula was blown away. I don't know about that. Simon says it was very good...kind of a meat & potatoes, good solid performance.  They're obviously running out of time...judges are hurrying.

Alexis Grace

She'll be singing "Dirty Diana." Very unique performer. She could very well be in the final 3. Kara says "You're Back." Paula thought it was fantastic, but that she oversang a bit. Simon says it was very over the top. Randy thought it was good, but not great.

Top 3: Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey, Allison Iraheta

Pack Your Bags: Anoop Desai and Jorge Nunez