Pop Stand

9:59 p.m.: Jason says, partially audibly, "Three songs next week! I don't know what I would have done!" and then launches into some weird version of "I Shot the Sheriff," doing lots of hair-primping while singing. Goodbye, dopey boy! You made Paula look like a Rhodes scholar!

9:56 p.m.: Syesha stays. Justice is so rare! We get a look back at Jason from the beginning, and I had totally forgotten that guy in the all-white outfit with the cape! We see several duh Jason moments, and Dolly Parton grabbing his hair and saying, "I would dread to have to do those locks!"

9:54 p.m.: Jason gets re-ripped in Ryan's recap: "You sang most of Mr. Tambourine Man." He did pack his bags. Jason thinks this is just too hard for him, learning all these songs, even the ones he already knew. Syesha says she cried because she is living her dream.

9:53 p.m.: OK -- I, for one, would like to know who's going home. Does Jason have his suitcase packed, I wonder? Hey, Ace Young is on "Bones"!

9:44 p.m.: Bo Bice sings "Witness." Behind him, the contestants clap, while Ryan, seated between the "safe" and the "one of these two is going home" quadrants, does not clap. He's Ryan freaking Seacrest! Hey, Bo Bice watches the show! He comments on the contestants' use of instruments, and gives them directions to Carnegie Hall: "Practice, practice, practice!" Well, he doesn't mention Carnegie Hall.

9:39 p.m.: LOVE Adam Levine. He says about the Maroon 5 tour: "We're going to go to Europe and .. San Antonio ..." He tells the contestants, "Get ready to work, baby. You're going to work a lot. ... And then you're going to get jaded and you're going to say 'God I hate this,' but you really love it, so just try to remember that!"

9:34 p.m.: Next caller, a 45-year-old woman, says Simon should be the next James Bond. "I have to say, I really like the questions this week!" he says.

9:31 p.m.: A 14-year-old asks what their biggest challenges were and they mostly say Duh. Next caller wants to know why Simon has not been knighted by the queen, and he replies. "It's something I ask myself on a daily basis!" Little Mara, age 13, wants to know how Syesha feels being the only girl in the top 4, and she feels fine. Paula, on the other hand, says she feels "FAN-tastic" being the only woman on the judges' panel.

9:29 p.m.: Ford commercial has them all dressed as matadors. I like that. Oh, here's the dreadful "phone calls" part. Emily asks David Cook on a date -- way to put the pressure on, desperate lady! "Uh, what do you like to do?" he asks, then says, "We'll see," which means "Not in a million, billion years."

9:24 p.m.: Either Syesha or Jason is leaving.Ryan calls them out and pretends to be about to announce it, but they have watches just like anybody else and aren't fooled.

9:22 p.m.: Next up to be tortured is David Cook. My guess is that he's safe but they might draw it out to frighten us. Nope -- he's safe.

9:20 p.m.: Idol took the four remaining contestants to Las Vegas to see the Beatles show. After years of being restricted, Idol sure is riding that Beatles horse hard this season. They all got makeovers, and the two Davids come out of it with spiky hair in the front. I wish they'd tried to do that to Jason.

9:12 p.m.: Sofa awaits the top three. First up is Little David. He is so safe. Ryan asks him if he'd like to be the next American Idol, and he sort of looks away and giggles .. yeah, sure, OK, whatever! David is safe. Put your feet up, Dave, get used to the sofa of safety.

9:10 p.m.: Recaps from last night.This time they show Jason from the front as he forgets the words and he delivers his "hum-hum-hum-hum whatever" with a big smile.

9:02 p.m.: Ryan calls Randy "Simon." Maybe they're putting dumb drugs into the ventilation system? Randy denies being tough on Sayesha. He lies, and he knows it. Uh-oh -- I like "Reeling in the Years." At least I used to. David Cook looks awkward and ridiculous doing that little two-step.

9:00 p.m.: Highest vote this season -- 51 million votes. The top three all had within one million votes of each other, Ryan says. Howie Mandel in the house! What the HECK is Paula wearing?

8:58 p.m.: Tonight's performances will be by Maroon 5 and "Idol favorite" Bo Bice. Plus the inevitable medley, I suppose. The vast majority of the voters on the blog poll want to say bye-bye to Jason Castro tonight. Will it happen?

-- Anne Neville