Usher to the Rescue

      Take that, rewind it back!

      Ursher got the voice to make your booty go *SMACK!*

Ego boost. That's what Usher delivered to our top ten contestants as this week's American Idol mentor. Like a beautifully, hand wrapped Christmas present adorned with sparkly wrapping paper and a big silver bow, the R&B singer handed each contestant a slice of confidence. He told the wannabe Idols that...guess what...they can sing. Hey! Who woulda thunk it?! Idol contestants? Singing? No way!

My hopes were high that Usher would have a positive impact on our lackluster contestants (no comment on last week's mentor *coughmileycyrussuckscough*). Thankfully, I was correct. If nothing else, Usher convinced the Idols that they deserve to be where they are. Lee came out of his shell and actually made a fan out of me (despite his raspy, Nickelback-esque voice that typically makes my skin crawl). Andrew finally impressed the judges for the first time since Hollywood week with a clever spin on Chris Brown's Doublemint gum song. Casey dazzled more so than ever before.

There were still a few downfalls. For instance, that little doodle, Aaron, tried to top Kris Allen's version of "Ain't No Sunshine." Not happening. Thanks, but no thanks, doodle. And my girl, Siobhan...sista friend, don't make me retract my earlier post about you being as awesome as Hayley Williams. My advice: Start singing in tune. Stop screaming. It's scaring Simon.

For the most part, this week's R&B themed ep was a gazillion times better than previous weeks. Like a breath of fresh air, American Idol actually seemed like American Idol instead of a freaking disaster. I would like to take this moment to say thank you, Usher. Thanks for reminding our misguided contestants where they are and what competition they are somehow competing in! Yes, guys, Usher was impressed. Usher thinks you can maybe be successful recording artists someday! Maybe! His approach and critiques were, in my opinion, among the best of any mentor in past Idol seasons. He knew what he was doing and he did it well. I hope the Idols mind their manors and send him a few much deserved thank-you cards.