mr. magic will not decide for me

When Dorothy unveiled the man behind the curtain, there ensued the necessary chiding. “Oh,” she began, with her friends rallying behind her. “You are a very bad man!”

When Patrick found the real Mr. Magic behind a curtain talking into a machine that projects a bigger and more imposing image of himself, Spongebob yelled at him for ruining his faith in magic.

Similar, aren’t they?

Well, the similarities end there. Unlike the great Wizard of Oz who felt bad and helped Dorothy and her friends, Mr. Magic had Spongebob and Patrick thrown out of his castle.

Color me obvious, but I have been feeling a lot like Spongebob and Patrick since Tuesday night – disappointed, deceived, manipulated, confused, and possible fractured after being thrown out of the castle (or under the bus, whichever you prefer).

Let’s roll the tape:

"Jason, the first song, I loved hearing your lower register which we never really hear. The second song, I felt like your usual charm wasn't... it was missing for me. It kind of left me a little empty. And the two songs made me feel like you're not fighting hard enough to get into the top four."

I know, I know. You can say I am one of those who hold on to things for far too long… you can say a lot of things about me, and I couldn’t agree more.

Maybe I am holding on to the issue for too long. Maybe I am looking too much into things. Maybe I am blowing it out of proportion. Maybe I am being too critical of Paula. Maybe I am being too ambivalent towards Simon. Maybe I am being too disapproving of Randy. Maybe I am being too nitpicky at the producers’ attempts to break Jason’s spirits and kick him out of the competition.

Maybe now you’re going to raise an eyebrow at me and ask, in the most sarcastic fashion, “Then why are you doing this?”

I say: Why not?

(At this point, you are either shaking your head incredulously or letting out a small laugh for the droll reply.)

To be perfectly honest, I had every intention of making this entire entry about what happened last week in American Idol: how they handled the press, how they tried to spin the whole situation to their advantage, how their version of damage control only gave rise to more loopholes, how they did not offer the slightest trace of an apology, how their stories and excuses don’t match, how the elephant in the room was not addressed, how the show is not exclusively aiming for the best vocals (which, after six seasons, you’d think they would be aware of already), how dress rehearsals should not have a bearing on judging, how even Quasimodo deserves an apology, and the list goes on and on...

Despite having the energy and train of thought to fuel an entire article tackling those written above, I won’t go around doing so. Given the flub last week, my faith may have been shaken, but unlike Spongebob, it is far from ruined.

Criticize him, badmouth him, quote him out of context, edit his clips in such a way that he will look like a villain or a slacker. Crucify him even! True fans will not stray; fans will remain fans come what may. The unwavering love and support of Jason’s fans have showed me that much. (Fans: admittedly the overused word in this paragraph and beyond)

Even if it’s true that the show is rigged, or that the producers manipulate the voting process (and eventually, the winner of American Idol), fans will continue to vote for their favorites. And if their favorite happens to be Jason Castro, they will continue to vote for him too. After all, Ryan Seacrest says “vote for your favorite”, not “vote for your favorite who is not Jason Castro”.

Mr. Magic – the man behind the curtain, the man who cons you into believing a whole lot of things, the man who kicks out your favorite because he’s becoming such a favorite – will not decide for you.

And yes, Mr. Magic will not decide for me too.

Today is when I draw the line between reality TV and reality… my reality. Even if Jason Castro and American Idol seem to have been testing my loyalties – our loyalties – a lot lately, my support [for Jason’s artistry] will not falter. The life he breathes into every lyric will remain real to me.

For this Tuesday, I pray his spirit be lifted and his hyperactive self be rejuvenated. Even if he delivers a Grammy-worthy performance and the judges give him rave reviews, I hope the voting public, his voting public, will not be complacent. They have been throwing him under the bus for at least two weeks now, so we should not let them deceive us.

Let’s take it one week at a time. I hope his lovers, supporters and believers will go over the rainbow and bring him to the top three.

I look forward to all his success in the future, hoping it will be success defined in his own terms.

Whoop!