'American Idol 6' - The Final Six "Idol Gives Back"

Tomorrow night is the big two-hour results show and star-studded concert night for "Idol Gives Back." But the voting tonight is what counts, not only for the contestant of your choice, but for the cause. Several corporations have joined in to support the event and News Corporation is giving 10 cents for each vote up to 50 million votes.

Each contestant has two phone lines tonight and the time you can vote has doubled to four hours after the show. They've also formed a MySpace page for the event.

The contestants were asked to choose a song which fits the theme of helping others and inspire folks. I thought that, overall, they all made good song choices and tonight the performances came across as professional.

Here's the skinny:
Chris Richardson was the first to perform, singing Eric Clapton's "If I Could Change the World." While I thought it was a good performance for him, no way could he have come close to how I feel about the original version. He was less nasally than in previous weeks, I'll give him that much. I don't think the song needed his little Chris Richardson hand jive bit.

But the judges liked it. Randy said he was in it to win it. (I beg to differ!) Paula is proud of him and said it was exciting and fantastic. Simon said it was a good vocal and a good start to the night. Um. Okay.

Melinda Doolittle was up next with Faith Hill's "There Will Come a Day." It's actually not my favorite song choice for the night, but she sang in true Doolittle Style. Not a missed note, not a missed emote.

The judges felt the same way as I did. Randy started with "Yo, yo, yo... check it out." Anytime he leads with three yo's, he likes the performance. He called her the "resident pro" again. Paula told her, "There's no one like you. It was magical." Simon loved it, said it wasn't a copycat performance and it was a vocal master class.

Blake Lewis sang John Lennon's "Imagine." Even more than the Clapton song, I find it hard to "imagine" anyone singing it other than the original artist. I thought he was a bit off at times and it definitely wasn't his best performance. Blake is more of a faster-paced song kind of guy. I hope it doesn't hurt him in the long run as he's my favorite male contestant left at this point.

Randy seemed to think along the same lines as I did. He thought it was a good song choice, but it just ended up being "all right" and "okay." Paula thought it was sensitive and emotional. Simon thought it was sincere.

LaKisha Jones chose Fantasia's "I Believe." Mistake number one in song choice. I was a big LaKisha supporter but I think she's fallen off her game the last few weeks. I think she's a lot more talented than others we've seen on the show, but she seems to be growing weary... or something. She hit a few bad notes here and there and I just wasn't feeling the song.

Again, the judges reacted as I did. Randy mentioned pitch problems, said he liked it but it wasn't her best. Paula said she was a powerhouse, but it's hard to sing a Fantasia song. Simon all but came out and said he preferred Fantasia's version. He mentioned the shouting again, too.

Phil Stacey chose Garth Brook's "The Change." It's a bit of a draggy kind of song, but I think he may have sang his best performance ever on the show. I didn't care for Phil some weeks back, but he seems to have gained confidence.

When he's on his game, I think he has the best voice (richest and most versatile) of the remaining guys. It's just that he's often been not on his game and I think he's got one of those heads that probably looks best with something on it. But kudos to him -- he did very well tonight.

The judges were also impressed. Randy thought it was his second strong performance in a row. Paula thought it was his best performance. Simon would have liked a bit more "country" in the song as now he's decided country is Phil's genre. He says he now has the confidence; if he could connect the two elements, it would be great. "People like you."

Jordin Sparks closed out the show tonight with "You'll Never Walk Alone."

Magnificent. She also looked very pretty once again this week. She sang the song like a seasoned pro -- adding her own personality to it and making it amazing.

The judges loved it, too. Randy once again mentioned her age and followed it with "this was one of the best vocals ever on the show." Paula said it was amazing and lovely. Simon thought it was fantastic. "That song is about 60 years old. You could have a hit record with it today."

And, there you go. Once again, I think Melinda and Jordin were in a class of their own and those two deserve to battle it out at the end... in my opinion, at least. I think Phil outsang Blake and Chris tonight, but I would like to see Blake stay on the show. I think LaKisha should really worry this week.

How about you?