A pleasant night of Lennon-McCartney followed by the shock of Michael Lynche's near-elimination  last week's Idol will be tough to beat. But we can hope that Adam Lambert's mentoring produces an evening of unpredictable entertainment from these sometimes-too-unimaginative contestants. It will be interesting to see the effects on these contenders:

Crystal Bowersox: The consensus choice Despite an earthy, rocker-like persona that is most un-Idol-like, Crystal has yet to misstep and may just mow down the competition the rest of the way. In the first four weeks, she has racked up four consecutive 80+ ratings on  authoritative tally of performance reviews  and her average score is the highest in Idol history.

She hasn't really stepped out of her blues-rock comfort zone (Midnight Train to Georgia was only a slight departure), but she may not need to. At this stage, nobody looks better. Michael Lynche: The mystery man Why did it take a (most welcome) judges' save to keep the most creative and, seemingly, personable guy in the running?

Among the theories: Aaron and Andrew fans sensed danger and voted like crazy, while Michael fans assumed he'd be safe. Or Michael made a mistake by choosing Eleanor Rigby, performed more memorably by David Cook. Could it be relevant that last time a black male contestant finished in Idol's top half was six years ago? Michael has performed like a final four contestant, but odds aren't good he'll get there.

Casey James: The gear-shifter Casey seemed as firmly locked in his comfort zone as Crystal, and while the results for his roadhouse blues-rock outings were not as spectacular, his obvious assurance and ability got the necessary votes.

Last week, he made an Apolo Ohno-like move, going acoustic with a sensitive reading of John Lennon's Jealous Guy  and it propelled him to the top of Idol Meter and, more important, to the enviable position of leading man in the contest. He'll need to build on that success, but he hasn't made a mistake yet and seems headed for the final two.