I ask you, WHAT was President Bush doing on "American Idol" tonight? On a night when the six remaining finalists dug deep and did their best, it was an unwelcome sight to see the commander-in-chief who today was marking the fourth anniversary of mission un-accomplished. It is simply too late for the Bush's to appear on a show like this - something that so many Americans can enjoy on a non-partisan basis - and try and charm us and appear sincere about people and their plights. All I can say is: actions speak louder than words.
OK, on to the show...
What a GREAT show tonight! Was Jon Bon Jovi the best mentor all season or what? He was so inspiring, so enthusiastic and helpful that it made me resent Gwen Stefani all the more for how useless she was when she had the same opportunity.
I missed the first 15 minutes so I only saw recaps of Phil and Jordin (that HAIR!) so I can't comment on those performances although I've read the judges did not like Jordin's "Livin' On a Prayer" much and that Phil's "Blaze of Glory," while good, might not be enough to keep him around another week.
But of the remaining four, I was absolutely blown away by Lakisha, Blake and Melinda. I mean it: blown away. Goose bumps. Lakisha looked terrific and came on with good humor ("I want the camera to get my slim side"). She told Seacrest (who had some serious stubble going on) that she had no formal training but was "just a church girl singing in church."

Then she sings "This Aint A Love Song" and builds up to this unbelievable finish and it was just so fantastic. Randy said she "blew it out of the box" and Paula agreed but Simon was the big surprise saying to Lakisha, who he has been so hard on in the past: "I actually could kiss you after that. You were so good." So Seacrest walks Lakisha to the judges table and Simon gives her a kiss and says: "You rose to the challenge. You absolutely nailed it and I'm so glad that you're back. And nice lips!"

She is followed by Blake who does a very unique version of "You Give Love a Bad Name" doing all kinds of beatboxing Blake-isms and moves and it was just so exciting. I loved it! He owned the stage and showed such confidence and talent. Randy said he'd give him the award for the most original version of a song EVER on "American Idol." Paula: "Amazing." 'This is your night." (how much does Paula get paid to just agree with Randy? What a great gig!) then Simon tells Blake 'I think you are a very brave young man. You took a massive risk and this is what's going to keep you in the competition next week."
Before I get into Chris Richardson, gotta talk about Melinda and her rocking rendition of a newer Bon Jovi song "Have A Nice Day." I think whether she wins "Idol" or not, she should record it and release it as a single. It would be number one. After she sang it, really sold it, both Randy and Simon remarked that she was very Tina Turner-like and that's exactly what I was feeling. She was awesome! I think Melinda reaffirmed her front-runner status in a very impressive way. Simon said her vocals were "in a completely different league" than anyone else.
And Chris. He did "Wanted Dead or Alive" and it was good! I have no problems with it and I think any other time he'd be safe. But two contestants will be voted off tomorrow night and I think Chris is going to be one of them and while I missed his performance, I think Phil should go just based on what I hard from the others. He could not have possibly been better than Lakisha, Blake or Melinda.
We shall see...
Wouldn't it be cool if we just voted off one contestant tomorrow night and vote out President Bush. Oh yeah, we already had that chance.