Idol's Melinda Doolittle Joins First Lady in Special Mission

American Idol may be over but Idol Gives Back is still going strong. In an exclusive interview with TV Guide, Melinda Doolittle revealed she's traveling to Africa this week with First Lady Laura Bush. The top 10 finalist will represent the reality show in an awareness campaign to help curtail the spread of malaria. "We're giving out half a million bed nets," says the former backup singer, who will spend a week on the trip. "Mosquitoes normally bite between 10 pm and 4 am. So the best-case scenario is to have this net, which is interwoven with insecticides. Not only do they land on it, but they die, so they don't spread it to other people." Doolittle will also perform "Amazing Grace" with a children's choir, which she calls "a lifelong dream." "We think it is terrific that Melinda Doolittle is joining Mrs. Bush in Zambia," says Sally McDonough, Mrs. Bush's spokesperson. "Viewers of one of America's favorite television programs donated millions of dollars to help children and families in Africa fight malaria, and having Ms. Doolittle participate in this lifesaving indoor residual spraying and in the distribution of mosquito nets is a wonderful illustration of American generosity." - Reporting by Dana Meltzer Zepeda