Tuesday night, that is. American Idol night.

Let us take a break from Nittany Lion incarcerations, injuries, and insipidness over the Paterno situation; a break from the politics of Pennsylvania and the nation; a break from all else that is pressing on our cerebral cortices; and let’s get down to what is truly important: American Idol taking place at the iconic TD Garden!

OK, I’m over the top there. ????? ???? ???? But I just got done paying some bills and I’ve got heartburn. But to compensate that, I’d gotten a mail from the people I asked to compose some custom songs. I was glad that I’d be getting them later this week and was excited.

With the painful elimination of lovely Kristy Lee Cook last week, this Turkey lost his favored eye candy. Not that she was going to get much farther—no way in hell would she have—but she was still nice to look at and each week of watching her was like a dividend. ???? ??? ?????? For her swan song, she splayed herself out on the judges’ desk and sang to Simon, torch song style. It was perhaps her best performance of the whole competition. Too bad it had to be her last.

I’ll get over it.

Tonight is Andrew Lloyd Webber night. ???365 Accordingly, we’ll be hearing some old, overplayed, obnoxious Broadway music. The Rt. Hon. Lord Lloyd-Webber, Baron of Sydmonton, has dominated musical theater for much of the 1980s and 1990s. We’ll get songs from Cats, Jesus Christ, Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita, and Phantom of the Opera.

The only thing I can think of that might redeem the evening will be seeing how David Cook manages to pull something out of this collection of smarmy show music and do a rock rendition. Everyone else will probably do a straight take on the material.