American Idol Ponderings - Michael Jackson Night

Oh, this is going to be difficult for the Idol Top 13... after being told that no one should try to sing Michael Jackson songs (I'm talking to you, Stephen Fowler), they are being made to do just that. I bet that Kris Allen wishes he had waited to pull Man in the Mirror out of his hat.

So, what should they sing? Here is my list of possible songs for them. Let's see how many I get right. What would your dream song list be? I think this is going to be a very tough week for nearly everyone.

Adam Lambert - I can see him going super theatrical and doing Smooth Criminal justice. Will he get shrill and shouty? I bet on it. But, it might be decent. I would laugh my ass off if he did Ease on Down the Road from The Wiz.

Alexis Grace - I am having a hard time finding something I think she should sing. I wouldn't be surprised if she had the same dilemma in choosing something. I would like to see her go peppy - maybe something like Beat It. This is going to a tough one for the little girls with power voices, I think. I hope that she proves me wrong and does something awesome.

Allison Iraheta - I want her to rock something out. Most of Michael Jackson's songs came out before she was born, so this could be a hard one for her especially. Maybe The Way You Make Me Feel, if she has a lot of fun with it, and the back up singers don't drown her out.

Kris Allen - He already sang Man in the Mirror, and I think he did a pretty good job with it. I think he should pull out something out tonight that shows a peppy side. Do Bad, Kris. Get down with your bad self.

Jorge Nunez - I see him doing a ballad. How about She's Out of My Life, if only to save Danny from doing it and enraging millions of people who think he's milking the death of his wife. (I don't think so, but still...)

Lil Rounds - Another really hard one. I wonder if she couldn't do justice to Black or White? That's a good song (and an awesome video).

Scott MacIntyre - He's absolutely going to do something slow that he can play the piano with. I think I Just Can't Stop Loving You.

Michael Sarver - I don't see him going very far, because I think he's mediocre at best. That said, I think he might do something like Billie Jean (which, in my opinion, David Cook owns on the Idol stage. I still get chills thinking about his performance of that song...). I predict whatever he does to be a vanilla version of it.

Danny Gokey - Oh, Danny. I have such high hopes for him. I hope that he picks something fun. I would love to see him rock out Thriller. Probably without the dance moves. They work better in a group setting. Solo, they just look like someone having some sort of seizure.

Anoop Desai - I think I really want him to do PYT. Justin Guarini murdered that song back in Season 1, and I wouldn't mind Anoop showing him how it's done. I have faith in Anoop's abilities.

Megan Corkrey - Megan is in trouble unless she pulls something totally unexpected out tonight. Her style is so contradictory to Michael Jackson... Maybe she could blues up Wanna Be Starting Something... I don't know.

Matt Giraud - He's been warned to stick with soulful songs, so... wonder if he could do something with The Girl is Mine? But it's tough to sing a duet solo, so the arrangement would have to be super tight.

Jasmine Murray - Jasmine is probably going to pick something foolish. It's just a feeling I have. Scream would be foolish. I'll go with that.

I am probably entirely wrong, and I don't know a whole lot of Michael Jackson songs other than the singles, even though we did have the poster of him in his yellow suit hanging in the bedroom when I was a child, and we kissed it every day (I was highly influenced by older sisters) and I went as a zombie a la the Thriller video for Halloween in Kindergarten, upon my own insistence... I'm sure there are a lot of great songs I have never heard. I hope to hear some great renditions tonight. Please, Idol Top 13, bring it on.