The X Factor: Live Show #6

I don't know how I would be able to hold it together if I were to sing in front of a late living legend's family. Tonight's theme was a tribute to Michael Jackson--a theme that singing competitions have done before--but never with the presence of three Jackson brothers, Michael Jackson's mother Katherine (who is a huge X Factor fan, and his three children. I doubt that anyone expected how big this would be--so big that it left the judges as starstruck as the audience! And it definitely heightened both the pressure and the stakes of the competition, with their effects clearly visible and heard throughout the night (and not always positively either).

Here are my fine-tuned viewing notes:

• Josh Krajcik sported a tight perm, had one of his worst and most forgettable performances, and was surrounded by a cage and scantily-clad women. I guess this is suitable for "Dirty Diana".
• Astro had lyrics wise beyond his years for "Black or White". I was not a fan of his dancers' costumes though, which featured Russian fur hats, Afghan military jackets (?), and long Scottish kilts.
• Drew was back to her amazing self with an original and stirring rendition of "Billie Jean". I had goosebumps! When she transforms songs like this, it makes me forget wanting to see her sing something more up-tempo. 
• Rachel Crow had one of her first lacklustre performances ever. She could have done with a much better song choice than "Can You Feel It", which is a pity since she has a lot of potential with this genre of music.
• Marcus Canty also fell victim to poor song choice with "P.Y.T" (and staging, vocals...and general stage presence). I'm guessing L.A. thought sexing up his act with lots of female dancers would get Marcus more votes, but for me it was another one of his worst performances. I really hope he bounces back from his current two-week slump. His hunchbackedness was quite distracting. He can do a back-flip though!
• Chris Rene brought a bit of reggae to "I'll Be There". Nothing particularly special or noteworthy to say. His grandfather wrote one of Michael Jackson's songs.
• Melanie Amaro was the surprise of the night. Since the beginning I have been waiting for her to emote and come out of her shell. I guess that she was tired of hiding (as was seen with the sudden emergence of her Virgin Islands accent last week) and that her outburst at the results show opened the floodgates to her finally feeling comfortable to really be herself. Wonderful song choice with "Earth Song"; spell-binding performance to say the least. This shows that having the golden voice is one thing but having the confidence and stage presence as well truly takes a performer to a whole new level. Incredible.

My Final Thoughts

Weakest: Josh Krajcik, Rachel Crow, Marcus Canty (just to think that last week, the first two on this list were the best!)

Best: Drew, Melanie Amaro

Bottom three: Marcus Canty, Chris Rene, Josh Krajcik (watch out, L.A. Reid!)

With another double elimination this week, it's going to be tough. I'm hoping that the right people are sent through to next week. It really gets hard to decide once you get rid of the Dexters, LeRoys, and groups.

PS. Paris Jackson is beautiful. And was anyone else a bit creeped out by Blanket? I won't elaborate as it would be disrespectful of me (more so than I have been already), but he was quite distracting.

PPS. I'm anticipating a huge and unforgettable Michael Jackson medley group performance tomorrow. Don't disappoint me, top 7!