American Idol Does Michael Jackson. Will He Reciprocate?

Top 13 contestants will tackle Jacko tunes next week, but so far Gloved One has no plans on attending

By Breanne L. Heldman Mar 06, 2009 9:56 PMTags
E! Placeholder Image

When American Idol's newly minted Top 13 take the stage on Tuesday, they'll be performing songs by a former American idol.

No, not Kelly Clarkson—although she'll be performing on Wednesday's show along with Kanye West.

The thrilling 13 will get to take on Michael Jackson's songbook, E! News confirms. Of course, this isn't the King of Pop's first reference on the reality juggernaut. Most Idol fans will remember David Cook's stripped-down rendition of "Billie Jean."

Finalist Matt Giraud teased us about next week's theme last night at the AI party at Area nightclub in Los Angeles. "I think that Michael Jackson theme night is coming up, so I'm excited about that," he said. "I love the Jackson 5 stuff too, but I'm not sure what song to sing yet."

As far as the Gloved One—who announced on Thursday that he'll do his last 10 concerts in London in July—making an appearance on the show, Fox reps claim it's a no-go. However, with Jackson, you never really know.

—Additional reporting by Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna

Poll

The Michael Jackson-Idol Poll

Are you holding on to hope that the King of Pop will appear on next week's American Idol and show those kids how it's done?
Yes, please, Icon on Idol!
48.2%
Kelly & Kanye will be just fine, thanks
34.2%
It'll take more than M.J. for me to watch televised karaoke
17.5%