Things to do in Sacramento and Beyond: Idol Chatter: Another 'Ticket To Ride'

Fox

I can't wait to see who smashes it (one of Randy Jackson's new lines) and who butchers it tonight on "American Idol." The Final 11 (pictured) get another crack at the Lennon/McCartney songbook. That's because so many viewers e-mailed/text-messaged/called/begged for another week of the oldies, but goodies.

It's a good test to see who can once again make the right song choice (and make it their own) and who crashes and burns.

This is one of those pivotal weeks in the competition because it gets narrowed to the Top 10 - who get to do the exhaustive summer tour and get even more noticed and interviewed.

Note to Kristy Lee Cook: The clock is ticking, hon. And you're doing yourself no favors with videos out there of you performing in tight, white pants and then riding a tiger.

Her singing stock dropped off the charts last week with that awful country-crooning "Eight Days a Week."

Anyway, I expect David Archuleta to rebound - and remember his lyrics. I'd like to hear something more up-tempo from Jason Castro (one of my favorites). And pleeeeease let Amanda Overmyer perform something that I can remotely understand.

And perhaps this will be the week that Aussie Michael Johns finds that one perfect song Simon Cowell keeps hoping he'll hear. I'm not worried about Brooke White or Carly Smithson. And, unless David Cook wears a goofy fedora, he'll be fine, too.

Syesha Mercado, who was in the bottom three last week, needs a strong performance. Where's the "Wow" factor gone? I still haven't forgiven Ramiele Malubay for torching "In My Life," which I found out last week was a song played at my editor's wedding. See, it has special meaning for a lot of people.

Chikezie's hopes still ride on picking another great song and going for broke on the arrangement. He had stage presence, too, so bring the whole package, dude.

The Final 11 perform at 8 tonight (on Channel 40), with the live results show at 9 p.m. Wednesday. Wonder which "Idol" also-ran will perform. The Katharine McPhee song-that-wouldn't-end left America in a nationwide coma. And "Something" wasn't even a Lennon/McCartney song. George Harrison wrote it.