Though the girls screamed for Michael Johns, they were just getting warmed up for the Big Three Cute Boys, beginning with ukulele man Jason Castro. As on the show, Castro delighted fans when he was in folkie mode...

Castro's sharp set was a reminder of what made his so charming during the first few weeks of Idol competition. He plucked his ukulele during Somewhere Over the Rainbow and energized the crowd with a terrific take on Gnarls Barkley's oft-covered Crazy.

"When you haven't been here in a few months, you don't get a lot of sleep when you have a lot of friends in Texas," Castro, a former Texas A&M University student, said behind a sly smile.

Q: Since you really are more interested in the music than the interviews and the fame, how are you doing with that?

A: (Laughs) With fame is supposed to come fortune, and we've gotten the short end of the stick on that, with the fortune part. (Smiles). I feel like I'm already further along with the fame part than I'd like. It's weird to say I feel famous, but I just wanted to make a living in (music), to be comfortable.

After an intermission, chilled-out Jason Castro continued the hippie vibe strumming Israel Kamakawiwoole's dreamy "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." I'm not sure why no one (but maybe me) has ever remarked on how much he sounds like a folkie Babyface, but his pleasantly wavery tenor is warm and sweet. He probably got as far as he should have on the show, but he was far more solid live than he was on TV.

Jason Castro, a fan favorite of some, is the wild card. His laid-back beach bum vocals and choice of instrument (a ukulele, for goodness sakes) paint him as a novelty act. But after the disappointing first half, his simple three-song set, which included a decent pass at Gnarls Barkley's Crazy and the '60s ditty, Daydream, proved rather endearing. While the others play to pre-fab pop music characters, Castro could claim credit as the night's true original.