'Idols' Meet President Bush

President Bush with nine of the top 10 "American Idol" finalists. Back row, from left: Ace Young, winner Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee and Bucky Covington. Front, from left: Kellie Pickler, Paris Bennett, Lisa Tucker, Mandisa and Chris Daughtry. (By Pablo Martinez Monsivais -- Associated Press)

Putting a Lid on 'Idol' Chatter

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An afternoon at the White House: first up, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, to talk trouble spots with President Bush, who in his opening remarks at their joint news conference said the two were so close that "you let me know when the microphone is on ." Ba-da-boom!

Next up, in the Oval Office, the top 10 "American Idol" finalists. Just to make sure any executive remarks at that event did not upstage the Bush and Blair meeting, no microphones there, or reporters, either.

In town for tomorrow's Verizon Center concert, the Idol singers got their 15 minutes yesterday with the president -- and a group shot and individual shots with Bush. Winner Taylor Hicks had the audacity to give the leader of the free world one of his fan club T-shirts. Like the president is going mountain-biking in that!

Bush also discussed his job and encouraged the finalists "to hold strong to their beliefs," according to White House aide Emily Lawrimore. The event being closed to reporters did not prevent some merry Friday afternoon e-mailing from the office of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), suggesting a song list for Bush should he choose to go trolling for votes on next year's "Idol" competition -- which included Bryan Adams 's "Everything I Do, I Do It for You," dedicated to corporate America, and Billy Joel 's "She's Always a Woman to Me," dedicated to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Not gonna happen, of course. The president "hasn't watched" Idol, said Lawrimore, "but like all Americans, he's very aware of the show."

A Category 5 Response

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Well, take that , Brownie!

Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) has fired back at Michael Brown after the ex-FEMA chief called him a "little twerp" in a Playboy magazine interview. Brown lashed out against Taylor in his interview for pressing him during a hearing on the government's slow response in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina last year.

"Brown is an incompetent fool and everybody in South Mississippi knows it," Taylor said in a statement. And he didn't stop there: "Brown should consider himself a lucky man. Had I known before the hearing that he was up in Baton Rouge ordering steaks on his government credit card at the same time the people of South Mississippi were resorting to police-sanctioned looting to feed themselves, I would have done more than just verbally kick his butt."

Chewed Out by the Boss

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Ooh, Lindsay! You're in trou -ble!

Lindsay Lohan has received a letter, hand-delivered to her tony hotel room in Hollywood, from none other than James G. Robinson , CEO of Morgan Creek Productions, who is unhappy with the starlet's frequent "discourteous, irresponsible and unprofessional" absences from the set of "Georgia Rule."

The letter was posted on The Smoking Gun yesterday; an aide for Robinson confirmed its authenticity.

More: "We are well aware that your ongoing all night heavy partying is the real reason for your so called 'exhaustion.' We refuse to accept bogus excuses for your behavior . . . You have acted like a spoiled child and in so doing have alienated many of your co-workers and endangered the quality of this picture." The letter followed Lohan's ER visit for "overheating and dehydration" Tuesday. Her publicist, who did not respond to queries yesterday, had blamed the 105-degree weather.

End Note

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· Mel Gibson was arrested early yesterday in Malibu, Calif., for suspicion of driving under the influence, a Sheriff's Department spokesman said. Gibson's vehicle was speeding eastbound on the Pacific Coast Highway when officers stopped him at 2:36 a.m., the Associated Press reported. The actor, 50, was cited and released.

-- Korin Miller