When I heard that Jon Bon Jovi was going to be a guest star this season of American Idol, I was a little concerned.  There were, after all, no real rockers to grace this season like they had the two seasons prior. 



There were no Daughtry/Bo/Constantine contestants to pull off the kind of rock and roll folks like me happened to grow up on. 



Instead we have three divas, two boy band wannabees and a partridge in a pear tree.



To say I was a little wary of who would sing what, is putting it mildly.



For those of you new to my Idol Season Six critique, here's how it breaks down.



I love Melinda.  Love Blake.  LaKisha was an early front runner but I've since been disappointed in her performances (pretty much since she blew us all away with "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going").  I'm ambivilant towards Jordin, even though she has a mega cool last name.  Chris and Phil both drive me up a tree.  I don't like the nasally singing "style" of our Justin Timberlake wannabe, and Phil left me cold for much of the season by murdering notes found on his very weak lower register, and then belting out a couple of power notes to save him week after week.



And if you're curious, I didn't hate Sanjaya.  I didn't think that he was the worst singer on this show by far, and didn't really deserve the vehement anger and hatred that centered around his presence on the show.



He wasn't good enough to win, necessarily (obviously), but he certainly made Idol fun to watch.



If not just for his crazy hairstyles but by the asinine backlash that followed.



A hunger strike?  Really?



I grew up on Bon Jovi, like I said, so I wasn't too sure what his music would sound like in the hands of the least talented group of singers I've seen in the past three years.



Melinda and Blake are in a league all their own.



The rest?  With the exception maybe for Jordin, are damn lucky that the talent pool was so shallow this year.



Phil started off the night in a "Blaze of Glory".  Though it pains me to say it, I've had little to critique about him the past three weeks.  He's turned in some solid performances, and last night was no exception.  Maybe it was because country/country rock and rock gave him the edge he needed, but he's really showing some personality and having fun.  Like Blake, this is key to connecting with your audience.  If you have a good time, so will they.



Jordin came next and "sang", for lack of a better word, "Livin on a Prayer".  I had a feeling our plucky teenager would find a song to rock out to and have fun with, unfortunately Jordin is no rocker.  She was way out of her comfort zone and it showed.  I think she should have taken a page from LaKisha's book and chosen a ballad.



If nothing else, Jordin definitely shows us she's unafraid of trying new things, even if she crashes and burns.



Double kudos for knowing that's exactly what she did.  She took her lumps accordingly, even when her biggest fans Randy and Paula were loathe to give her performance the critique it deserved.



LaKisha, in a rare shrewd song choice, picked a bluesy ballad that did fit her voice and managed to come back from a disappointing couple of weeks.  I don't know if it's enough to save her, especially since two heads will be on the chopping block tonight.



Blake.  Blake, Blake, Blake.



I haven't decided whether or not I liked his performance of "You Give Love a Bad Name". 



I agree wholeheartedly it was a definite risk, but it seemed to work out in his favor according to the audience and judge reaction.  My husband even watched it twice.



I, on the other hand, was praying my wonderful friend Victoria wasn't watching.  As a tried and true Bon Jovi enthusiast, I didn't figure his beat box/scat style would go over too well for my heavy metal horns throwing sister.



She hasn't said anything.  Yet.  She either didn't watch it or is still in shock, one of the two.



Chris sang "Wanted Dead or Alive".  Again, an Idol hopeful had to pick a song that a previous contestant rocked (Chris Daughtry).  Kellie Pickler did this last year with Bohemian Rhapsody, riding on the coattails of one Constantine Maroulis the year before. 



This season has been rife full of these kinds of missteps... and they are, indeed, missteps.



Wanted Dead or Alive was never meant to fall out of the lips of Justin Timberlake.  You can't sing this song with a voice that makes it sound like your balls haven't dropped. 



It's a dirty, gritty rock song.



Or at least... it was.



I gritted my teeth through the entire performance, and prayed Victoria had gone to the kitchen for a snack or something so she didn't have to endure it. 



Please don't pimp this boy and his "style" to me.  I never bought it, never will. 



Finally there was my girl Melinda Doolittle.  I fell in love with this sweet soul during the auditions because she happens to represent any of us who were too insecure to follow our dreams.  She made a living as a backup singer, when God had given her the pipes to be in the spotlight. 



This show has been her attempt to step out of the shadows and get that well deserved recognition.



Of all the contestants, she should win.  She's a professional who shows each and every one of us each and every week what it's like to be true to one's own self. 



This performance was no different.  She sheepishly told Jon that she didn't rock, and he told her to "take it to church."  When she was done, even Jon said she was part of the band.



Why?



Because she's freaking Melinda Doolittle, that's why!  The clear winner of this season no matter where she happens to land.



What I loved best about her performance of "Have a Nice Day", was the way she managed to channel that other ebony rock goddess Tina Turner.  For someone who was unsure of her rock roots, she gave us sass, spunk and cool rocker chick attitude.



By far the best performance of the night, with Blake following a close second.



The two weakest performances came from Chris and Jordin, but I doubt very sincerely that Jordin will find herself out.



Since they took last week's votes and added it to this week, I think her blow-out performance will save her.



That, and she's a fan favorite.



Phil had two solid weeks in a row, so I think even he will be safe.



That leaves Chris and probably LaKisha.



Although, given that Blake stumbled a bit last week singing John Lennon's "Imagine" in addition to taking a popular song and giving it a completely different spin - he could also find himself out of the competition in a Wednesday shocker.



But my prediction is it'll be Chris and LaKisha.



At this point, though, it's anyone's guess.