Wow, Rock Night! on "American Idol" was the most entertaining episode of the post-Sanjaya era. Not only did the theme inspire charmingly out-of-their-comfort-zone performances from many of the frontrunners, but the words of wisdom from guest coach Jon Bon Jovi were perfectly formed airhead non sequiturs. Whether Jon Bon was describing the necessity of locating the "blue note" to sing the blues or being openly baffled by Blake Lewis, he rated even higher on the out-to-lunch meter than previous celebrity guest Gwen Stefani. I can't believe they let this man buy an arena football team!

Phil Stacey A starstruck Phil testified to the "Idol" cameras that he'd "practiced this song for 15 years," but he probably should have given the lyrics another pass before picking it to sing on what will almost certainly be his last week in the competition. You're goin' down indeed, Phil. Not a bad vocal from the suddenly-country Stacey, with the harebrained lyrics rather playing into Phil's sophistication-free interpretation. I don't think that Phil is now showing us the kind of quality worthy of an "Idol" winner. I haven't really ever seen it from him, although his solid technical work got him much farther than anyone might have expected. I think we got the best out of Phil's limited potential we were ever likely to see. The results from this week combine with the out-of-control vote totals from the charity event last time, so the quality of the performances last night are sort of meaningless. Either way, this is it for Phil. 7

Jordin Sparks Jordin's enthusiasm, and ability to really let it blast, marked her as a good sleeper candidate for Bon Jovi week. Not so much. "Livin' on a Prayer" didn't have a melody that lent itself particularly to Sparks' skills, and the man himself didn't help things any by suggesting an alternate line that Sparks couldn't sing either. She must have felt compelled by the force of his rock star power to plow ahead and try it anyway. LaKisha and Melinda, a little surprisingly, adapted better to this week than Sparks did. Still, I rather liked her Tina Turner-meets-Bride of Frankenstein look even if the judges didn't. She's managing to work in even at this late hour personality traits besides her extreme youth, and good for her. I'm coming around on her as the alternative-to-Melinda favorite, although consider also: Blake. 8

LaKisha Jones LaKisha was right up front with Bon Jovi about never having heard any of his music before this week, and good for her. It's hard to see how any life deprived of Bon Jovi would be prevented from being still a rich and vigorous existence. While Jones seemed like she was rushing on the verses of "This Ain't a Love Song," ("See, it ain't a love song... but it is," Jon Bon pronounced in hushed tones) she really quite pulled it together for the choruses. LaKisha has been in disconnect from her real powerhouse quality for some weeks now and she really located it Tuesday night, in a surprising context. It was more like she found a song that allowed her to be herself than revealed an entirely new aspect of her style, but holding her own for rock week showed more range than I saw coming. I wonder, though, if a relatively lackluster performance last time during the tribute show might lead to a shocker exit. 9

Blake Lewis No other way of saying it, Blake "went for it" with his radical rearrangement of "You Give Love a Bad Name." After weeks of playing the "Idol" game their way, doing his best to coast through several different uncomplimentary styles, Lewis seized the moment with the competition really becoming airtight and brought back all of the bold wrinkles that made him stand out in the early rounds. He beatboxed. He sang backwards. He opened the song with a vocal impression of a record arm swinging out and dropping onto a disc. Bon Jovi didn't know what to make of it (celebrity cruise director Ryan Seacrest implied he was sandbagging us, but that suggests an intelligence far beyond that of most steel horse-ridin' cowboys) but it worked for the judges, and for me. There's no way Blake is going to suddenly start outsinging Melinda, Jordin, and LaKisha so it's high time for him to reclaim his strengths. At the outset I thought his complete-with-drum-and-beatbox-duet remix was too bold an assertion of Blake's style given that if anything he's been losing momentum the last several times out, but after absorbing the whole performance I have to concede that he did the right thing at the right time. At this late hour, he who hesitates is lost. 8

Chris Richardson Ah, a match made in heaven: Jon Bon Jovi, successful veteran music industry dimwit, and Richardson, rising new music industry dimwit. Richardson seemed really overexcited explaining his logic behind selecting "Wanted Dead or Alive," but that inspiration did not extend into his shouty, uneven performance of the song. Without the instrument to artificially invest stupid Bon Jovi lyrics with portent the way the talented female contestants did, Richardson like Phil Stacey tried to sing with more power than control. It didn't suit him. Rolling your eyes at this material the way Lewis seemed to do with his deconstruction (chopping Bon Jovi lyrics into gibberish cut-and-scratch fodder seems only too appropriate) was a much better way of getting a personal angle on rock week. Singing these songs with conviction when your major musical weapon is your not-completely-appalling smarm level? Not so much. Combine this with an uninspiring inspirational song and I think Chris is the surest bet to get the hook tonight. 6

Melinda Doolittle I would have expected Doolittle to struggle more with the Bon Jovi theme, but she gamely took on "Have a Nice Day" and kept herself in fine condition. She wasn't exactly convincing, and her slight shimmying next to the house band's guitar player didn't look at all like it was supposed to, but Doolittle is always on target technically and she really did more than she possibly could have been expected to do with yet another crummy song. She trusted her instincts and really ran with the line that best showed off her voice. What a voice, as I think many have said before. She's still in good shape but at this point a single slipup can mean doom. It speaks well to Melinda's chances that she didn't slip up this week, which provided the most obvious opportunity for her to do so. 9

Stiffer on-camera presence: Bon Jovi, ejected former contestant Gina Glocksen, or President Bush?

The picks:

Homes: Chris Richardson, Phil Stacey
Lobes: Melinda Doolittle, LaKisha Jones
6-Sided Die: LaKisha Jones, Blake Lewis