A plea for Jason Castro. Version 2.0

A week after Jason Castro proved to America and the judges that he deserved a spot in the top 3 of American Idol 7, it's now do or die time for Jason and his fans.

I'm thoroughly convinced that some of these guest mentors on Idol this season have serious dirt against the Idol producers [who will be hereby referred to as The Powers That Be, or TPTB], because these have to be some of the most narrow theme weeks they've ever done. Dolly Parton? Mariah Carey? Neil Diamond? [in a week] And this week, Andrew Lloyd Webber? Why not just do a simple "country", "90s" or hell, even just a "Broadway" theme? They say the idea is to ensure that the winner can be as musically diverse as possible, but this is just ridiculous. Anyway...

The buzz all week was that Jason got his number one pick for the theme this week, beating out two or three others who wanted it. There was also buzz that this weekend he got rather sick and was resting as much as possible and was also on antibiotics. In prior weeks this season they made a note of contestants who were sick and not performing up to par [Ramiele, Kristy Lee, Carly] but surprisingly tonight there was no mention. Of course, no one knows whether that was at the discretion of Jason or if TPTB are beginning their bus-throwing-under mechanisms, but I'm willing to lean toward the latter.

So the song he chose was Memory from Cats, probably one of the most overwrought diva Broadway ballads in existence. I had faith in him that he could pull it off with his capability to believe every word he sings and project that onto people watching. As he sang, it was clear that he was still feeling under the weather. It was also not his best performance, though his face made it so incredibly clear how he did feel the lyrics, as heartbreaking as they are. In my opinion, he showed that he didn't need to have the glory-noting voice to pull the song off. His voice wasn't as strong as it's been, but he made up for it in his delivery.

Based on the reactions from Randy and Simon, you'd have thought that Jason took a hacksaw and dismembered the song and walked off the stage waving both middle fingers. Randy seemed all too pleased to deliver his review, which he considered a "trainwreck". Simon compared it to a child whose parents make him sing for them. Of course, when Brooke stops singing in the middle of her second lyric and then starts shaking more than a chihuahua in 30 degree weather, they write it off and call it a "brave" move because she forgot her lyrics. Hint: it's not "brave" to forget your lyrics on national television, it's horribly unprofessional.

With six Idols left and a pattern of males and females leaving one after the other [leaving an even ratio of guys to girls], the general consensus on the wonderful world of the Internet is that Jason could leave tomorrow. Which, in all honesty, would be a terrible disservice to what he's accomplished on the show. He's risen from unseen cannon fodder to become a contestant who, through sheer growth, smart song choices and emotional connection, has become an ideal for the top 3 this year. And I think that scares the hell of TPTB. It's been whitewashed all over every square inch of the media that this is to be the Year of the Davids and the finale would not be the same without both Davids in it. At this point the remaining females are expendable - but Jason in the top 3, with his fanbase and his uncanny ability to pick songs that people admire, could give either of them a run for their money if they have an off night.

So despite the momentum Jason has built since his bottom 3 appearance several weeks ago, once again we the "get rid of Jason" bus backing up, gears grinding with Randy Jackson behind the wheel. TPTB don't like contestants who throw a wrench in their master plan; they made damn sure Elliott Yamin stayed out of the finals when he hit top 3 in his season, and now he's one of best-selling Idol also-rans. Instead of the producers seeing their errors in losing grasp of a versatile and talented contestant, they're repeating old mistakes and doing their best to alienate a contestant who truly deserves to be there. They're looking to oust him in favor of someone who can belt glory notes, someone who thinks loud is the new good. The only person remaining who I think would equal Jason in album sales is David Cook - he's charismatic and relevant. David Archuleta and his "Up With People" inspirational wheelhouse is not relevant unless you listen to Christian rock - which is why I can't figure out why they want this kid to win so badly.

Everything we saw tonight points to TPTB trying to get rid of Jason now in a weak moment before he pulls out another Over the Rainbow or Hallelujah. They know that when he's on, he is most definitely on. It's not a coincidence that both Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah and Brotha Iz's Over the Rainbow shot up the iTunes charts after Jason performed them. He's smart and he has a gift in the way he takes the songs he sings and conveys them to the general populace. Tonight, there was no mention of his illness, no attempt [other than from Paula] to give him some sort of constructive criticism regarding his vocals. It was simply seen as a "trainwreck" - when in all actuality, Brooke's performance after him was so unprofessional that she should be removed on merit of her false start alone. Simon doesn't have any mercy for singers who forget their lyrics at the Hollywood or semi-final level, yet he forgives it at this stage in the game. They want Jason out of there, and they weren't about to let Brooke's error clear the way for him to get through to another week where he could outperform most of the remaining Idols.

Touch me, it's so easy to leave me,
All alone with the memory of my days in the sun
If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is
Look... a new day has begun.