Darren Criss Is King On The First “Glee” Michael Jackson Leaks

Posted by Emily Exton on 01/24/2012 at 4:08 PM News

The Popdust Files: covers, darren criss, glee, michael jackson

We’ve had a taste at what Glee can do with a few infamous Michael Jackson tunes reimagined for a high school auditorium setting, but the largest test—in the form of an hour-long celebration honoring the King of Pop—still looms. With Glee‘s MJ-inspired episode slated for next week, songs from the reportedly 10-track episode have already begun to leak. Below is “Wanna Be Startin’ Something’,” Blaine’s attempt at conjuring up the necessary spirit to lead his fellow New Directions members to a Regionals win, likely accompanied by what Darren Criss himself has modestly described as a Mars Trip. The song gets a bigger, bolder production with Criss growling his way through an adjusted take on Jackson’s higher register, backed by groupmates whose “Ma Ma Se, Ma Ma Sa, Ma Ma Coo Sa” could have worked better with Liza Minnelli. Naya Rivera joins Criss and Kevin McHale on the lead for “Bad,” celebrating her largely misunderstood personality that comes from her penchant for verbal assault. Haters will inevitably hate solely because the words “Glee” and “Michael Jackson” are used the same sentence. Yet from these two previews, it’s clear the vocals are there, as the group stays true to Jackson’s legacy while reconfiguring an arrangement to best fit their skill set. Whether or not the reason they’ve decided to revisit the King has more to do with one of Brittany’s most recent alien invasion or a quest to figure out their futures, remains to be seen.

Go ahead and take a listen, spoiler-phobes. There’s no Glee on tonight—but there is Idol, again. Besides, what else are you going to do now that Criss has wrapped his first Broadway run?

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