We're finally to the finals, and the first theme week was Michael Jackson songs. This was our first chance to really size up the Top 13, and we got some fascinating results. A few contestants I assumed would be tripped up by the MJ songs did beautifully, while others who should have taken to his catalogue naturally didn't do so well. But the real news is that out of 13 performances there were really no truly awful numbers, just a couple that were not-so-great. (OK, one was pretty bad.) Could it be the most talented group of finalists ever? Discuss.

Lil Rounds "The Way You Make Me Feel" I love Lil, but this...I did not love. The way Lil made me feel was disappointed. To be fair, it wasn't a bad performance, just not great, or really even memorable. I guess I just have higher expectations for her than I should. I don't think the song was a good fit for her bluesy r'n'b sound. I think it was probably her weakest vocal yet - she even sounded sharp in points. And she just seemed to lack the swagger that she's exhibited in the past. I think she'll be fine, but it wasn't a great way to start the night, or her competition.

Scott MacIntyre "Keep the Faith" Never heard the song, and it's easy to see why: what a lame, Up With People-type ditty. The lyrics, the melody, it was practically New Age-y. Hated the song. But! Loved Scott's performance. A great vocal from him - best since the initial auditions, I think - and it was especially good when he went into his higher register, which is where I previously felt he was at his weakest. I think the key here is he was allowed to perform with his piano, which I'm sure makes him feel much, much more comfortable on stage. With that instrument (which he plays well) he is deadly in this competition. Although if he keeps picking these dork-ass songs he's going to do himself a disservice.

Danny Gokey "Pretty Young Thing" At first Gokey started out with this somber, hymn-like introduction, and it sounded terrible. I couldn't even tell what song it was. Then, out of nowhere, he popped into "PYT," and it was...kind of awesome? Did not expect that. I thought this night would be a real struggle for him, but the guy is funkier than I imagined. Aside from the totally indulgent intro, it was pretty great. He owned that stage, and he had a ton of energy. It was shouty in parts, but he made the song work for his grittier pop/rock voice.

Michael Sarver "You Are Not Alone" My first thought: "Oh, fuck." Isn't this the video where Michael and Lisa Marie Presley were all naked and up on each other? Shudder. Actually, Sarver really wasn't bad. I think he's worked on his vocals considerably since skating through on semi-finals, but I also have pretty low expectations for him. My brother said it sounded like an airport lounge act, and I can't disagree with that. My best friend complained about the serious facial tics while singing. But he connected with the song, and it was at least competently sung. For a country/blues guy, who I thought would terrible tonight, I think he did a commendable.

Jasmine Murray "I'll Be There" I pegged Jasmine as the first to get the boot, but she fought to stay alive. She looked cute, and somewhat surprisingly, sounded good. I think it was a perfect song choice for her, since Michael himself sang it as a young kid. There's an innocence to it that suited her well. She was a little flat on the high parts, but she is remarkably possessed for someone her age. She totally went for the big notes, and she hit most of them. When your weakest contestant turns in a performance like that, you've got to be hopeful for the season.

Kris Allen "Remember the Time" Totally great. Kris put a different, almost street-busker spin on the song that called to mind early Jason Mraz, and he looked totally swoon-worthy while doing it. He busted out the guitar, which I thought was totally extraneous (the judges thought it added to his performance, but I felt like he was hiding behind it a bit). The voice, the confidence, the look - kid's got it. He lost it a bit when he broke it down, but overall I was thrilled. Simon's big critique, referencing Kris' intro vid: "I'm not sure I would have brought the wife out so early." HA!

Allison Iraheta "Give in to Me" Not a song I'm familiar with, or at least, I didn't recognize Allison's spin on it. I would never in a million years have figured this girl is 16. That's not strictly a compliment. She had a lot of power, and didn't seem at all shy on that stage. But it was also a very old, and - dare I say it? -- trashy performance. She could have been opening for Motley Crue in the 80's and it wouldn't have been surprising. I appreciate that she put everything she had into it, but I didn't find it enjoyable to listen to or watch. It was a lot of screaming and growling and...I guess it just wasn't my thing. It was overdone, basically. I think the judges were way too kind to her.

Anoop Desai "Beat It" Worst performance of the night, by a mile. I like Anoop and I think he can sing, but between this and his Wild Card performance he is clearly focusing less on his vocals and more on being "cool" and appealing to the college crowd by acting an irony-soaked fool. This was bland. There was no attitude. The whole thing just felt neutered, and it's a song about street fighting. You cannot be neutered when you are street fighting! It's important to point out that it's not really a "singer" song, but Anoop wasn't even really hitting the power notes that were there. Who's bad, Michael? Anoop.

Jorge Nunez "Never Can Say Goodbye" From my notes: "Oh, what is with this gay-ass version?" What a TERRIBLE arrangement of a great song. If I was a conspiracy theorist I would totally say this was deliberate sabotage. It was cheesy 70's, like, porno soundtrack. Yuck. If you're not going to do the Jackson 5 take, why not just do the disco version? That was fierce. Jorge sounded OK, but it was his weakest performance by a mile. Simon called it corny, and that's exactly right.

Megan Corkrey "Rockin' Robin" Speaking of corny. Megan tarted it up last night, and I feel bad saying that after watching her sob story. But ultimately it's irrelevant, because this was so cheesy she might as well have been wearing a dress made out of Velveeta. And yet, oddly enough, I found it to be her least annoying performance to date - she seemed to have gotten her bizarre flailing under control, or at least focused into dorky smiles and prancing for the camera. My viewing party simply said "outclassed." Amen. I would also add "dippy."

Adam Lambert "Black or White" I feel like I'm going to have a really hard time writing about Adam this season, and I also feel like he's going to be here quite a while. I guess I just don't get it with him, because the judges were practically soiling themselves about how amazing he was, while I found the whole thing shrieky and oddly disquieting. I agree that he really does own the stage when he's on it, but he's been on Broadway for years. This is nothing for him. My issue is with the voice itself, which is like a squealy Meat Loaf. I just don't like the tone of it at all, and his look is so My Chemical Romance castoff that I can't help but think he's a gigantic poseur. Remember when the judges told him to stop sounding so Broadway and start sounding more rock? Well, he did that, but he didn't have to come off so contrived about it. Blech. All the judges blew smoke up his ass, and Paula nearly went crazy.

Matt Giraud "Human Nature" For some reason I thought Matt might have trouble with this assignment, but in hindsight, that was stupid of me. Matt Giraud :: Justin Timberlake as Justin Timberlake :: Michael Jackson. Therefore, by the transitive property, Matt Giraud is like a fifth-rate (at least) version of MJ. This song was totally in his wheelhouse, and he did a good job with it, keeping his vocal gymnastic bullshit to a minimum. He also can play the piano like a motherfucker.

Alexis Grace "Dirty Diana" Wasn't sold in the beginning, but by the end, I liked it. It was well sung and, I think, very controlled for most of the song. Alexis if full of soul. She also sexed up this performance to the hilt, which totally worked. When she looked into the camera at the end I thought, This girl could be a star, for real. Since there was like no time left after the Adam Lambert Handjob Hour, the judges could only give short, clipped takes, the consensus being that it was over the top. How was that more over-the-top than Adam Lambert or Allison Iraheta? Whom you all praised? Baffling.

All in all, a pretty satisfying start to the finals. We were at least six singers in when I realized that none of the performances had been bad. How often can you say that at this stage of an "Idol" season? Based strictly on performance I would put Anoop, Megan, and probably Jorge in the Bottom 3. Maybe Jasmine, who was decent but forgettable. But I think Anoop has a strong fan base, and I think Allison has a pretty weak one, so those two could be swapped. Alexis could also get screwed due to the weird number situation that popped up (they don't have an "IDOLS13" so they had to give her "IDOLS36").

More interesting is the change in format Ryan and Simon alluded to, with the suggestion that the judges will be more involved in elimination. I immediately wondered if they're going to make it more like "So You Think You Can Dance," where America picks the Bottom 3, and then the judges actually decide who goes home (and tomorrow, two will go home). If that's the case you can expect that America will be furious, and certain performers who the judges keep shoving down our throat for absolutely no reason (MEGAN) will stick around waaaaaaay longer than they have any right to. � � � �