BEST BETS FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 07, 2008

	AMERICAN IDOL Fox, 9 p.m. ET Last night’s show was a fun one to watch, because it had some of the promising highs and dreadful lows of the early audition rounds. On the plus side, I really liked David Archuleta’s “Stand By Me” and David Cook’s “Baba O’Riley,” and was much more taken by Syesha Mercado’s Tina Turner homage on “Proud Mary” than was Simon Cowell. Mercado’s “A Change is Gonna Come” was unexpectedly, emotionally powerful, and her tears, as well as her vocals, should earn her another week, easy. As to who should go? Jason Castro. Forgetting the lyrics to Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man”? That’s a major sin, man.
	AMERICAN MASTERS: "MARVIN GAYE: WHAT'S GOING ON" PBS, 9 p.m. ET (Check local listings) This study of Marvin Gaye ought to be quite surprising to those who don’t know the dramatics highs and lows of his personal story – much less the depth and range of such vocal performances as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” the title song and several other hits, including ones with Tammi Terrell, his one-time vocal partner who had her own share of drama and trauma.
	TOP CHEF: CHICAGO Bravo, 10 p.m. ET Another pair of intense competitions is featured in tonight’s show, and there’s only one part of this series I don’t like. It’s the part where they’re in the kitchen’s rear waiting area, worrying about whether their dishes are going to be cheered or booed – and they’re seated in front of enough stacks and shelves of Glad Cling Wrap to preserve the leftovers of an entire emerging nation. Product placement is one thing, but building a Stonehenge monument wall out of them is going a bit too far.
	AUDITION: BARBARA WALTERS' JOURNEY ABC, 10 p.m. ET With colleague Charles Gibson doing the interviewing here, don’t expect too many hardballs. But this special, tied to Walters’ new memoir, recounts a career that, at this point, is one of the most durable and impressive TV journalism ones around. One of my favorite Walters moments: Her joint interview with King Hussein of Jordan and his gorgeous wife, Queen Noor, whose unspoken subtext in her replies to Walters’ questions spoke volumes.
	UFO HUNTERS History Channel , 10 p.m. ET This ought to be a fun edition. This week’s show looks at actual NASA footage and reports of unidentified flying objects, including this one from Apollo 16. Can they be explained? Well, if they are, then they become IFOs – and a lot less interesting.
	THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART Comedy Central, 11 p.m. ET I don’t know if John McCain is superstitious, but tonight’s scheduled appearance will make his 13th visit to The Daily Show. (The photo is from his appearance just before announcing his candidacy.) This is his first visit, though, since becoming the presumptive Republican nominee for president, so let’s see if his demeanor, or Stewart’s, changes at all. My guess: Nah.