One of the biggest stars of daytime is coming back to the tube. Genie Francis, the Emmy-award winning actress who created the role of Laura -- as in Luke and Laura -- will return to General Hospital on August 26 for a brief guest stint. This will be a very interesting return, too, because her last tenure on the show in 2007 was not only award-worthy, it also ended with her character resuming the catatonia in which she's been trapped for the past few years.

So how can she return to General Hospital? There's a hint in Genie's quotes to the Associated Press. "This is a short visit. It's a mother-daughter story. Years ago when I started playing the character as a 14-year-old girl, it was a mother-daughter story, only I was the daughter. So it's kinda cool this is full circle."

(S06E23) So, 30 million votes were cast last night. And here's what we're told:

• Phil, Melinda, and Blake ARE NOT the bottom three.
• Chris S, LaKisha, Jordin ARE also NOT in the bottom three.
• Sanjaya, Haley, Gina? Nope, NOT the bottom three.

Which only means one thing:

• Chris R and Stephanie ARE the bottom two.

It also means that Sanjaya IS in the Top 10 and will join the Idols on tour. Is this a victory for Vote for the Worst and Howard Stern? Or is it really a victory for the Idol producers who can now count on Sanjaya's teenybopper fans shelling out loads of cash to see him live and in concert?

(S06E22) Tonight was an important night for the remaining 11 Idol finalists. The Top 10 get to go on the Idol Tour all summer. The guy (or girl) who is voted off tomorrow only gets to go back to their boring job or school. So, there's a lot at stake.

Before things get started, Randy says he's expecting the contestants to "bring their game" tonight. Paula advises them to "shake out their nerves . . . have fun . . . and picture Simon not dressed." Simon has only one question for Paula: "Is that what you think about?" Yeah, is it, Paula?

Did the contestants bring it tonight? The judges and Ryan sure think so. They love just about everyone and they give out lots of heaping praise. I'm not as overwhelmed as the judges, mostly because I find these two-hour shows to be brutally long. I swear that by the second half of the show, I've pretty much forgotten who's already performed. Good thing I take such meticulous notes.

The boys didn't do too well with the music of Diana Ross on this week's Idol. Perhaps, next week they'll do better when they sing hit songs from the 1960s British pop invasion.

Special guests Lulu and Peter Noone will prepare the remaining 11 contestants for Tuesday's show (March 20) and then perform live on Wednesday (March 21). Lulu is scheduled to sing "To Sir With Love," while Noone will sing "There's a Kind of Hush."

Peter Noone (whom I really want to call "Herman") writes about his upcoming guest appearance on his blog, saying "I am getting excited about my coaching job on American Idol. I get to hang with my really good friend Lulu who was my teenage heartthrob and we once had a date."

Vincent the Dog had better not run afoul of the law anytime soon, because another dog has been added to the Lost cast. Lulu, an Airedale terrier mix, is an adopted pet of Jack Bender, an executive producer and director on the show. The dog, who was adopted locally from the Hawaiian Humane Society, has quickly become regarded as the show's mascot due to her frequent visits to the set.

Lulu's addition to the Lost cast came about through a technicality. Since animals are not normally allowed on set, Bender "cast" Lulu in an upcoming episode so she could come to work with him. Bender did not reveal the episode in which Lulu will make her acting debut. Vincent, however, will be seen in this week's 'Tricia Tanaka Is Dead.' Rumor has it that Vincent will reappear on the beach with an unusual surprise for Hurley.

Related:
Lost gets a "new" theme song - VIDEO

American Idol has an impressive guest list of artists for the rest of this season. Guests include Tony Bennett, Bon Jovi, Barry Gibb, Jennifer Lopez, Lulu, Martina McBride, Peter Noone, Diana Ross, and Gwen Stefani. Looking at that list, it's pretty obvious there will be themes including disco, rock, pop, '50s, country, and lounge.

First of all, I'd love to see Diana Ross be a guest judge. I think her zanyness could rival Paula's and maybe even make Paula look sober.

I think the biggest 'get' is Gwen Stefani, who is on top of her game right now. I guess she knows where her fans are. There's no doubt (har, har) that Gwen's young fans are the same people who watch Idol.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look as though any of these celebrities will actually perform. Idol's press release lists the celebs as "coaches" and "guests". So... they'll be helping performers choose and prepare songs and probably also be guest judges. Performers scheduled for this season are former Idol contestants Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler.