Jason Castro clearly wanted to go home.
It seemed "American Idol" had stopped being fun for him and, let's face it, he wasn't going to win. He didn't really apply himself for a few weeks, no longer trying to come up with ways to showcase his talent as he did with "Hallelujah" or "Over the Rainbow."
So America gave him his wish. They voted for someone else -- apparently Syesha Mercado, since Ryan Seacrest said that only a million votes separated the Top 3.
There's a growing anti-Davids movement, but an Archuleta vs. Cook showdown seems inevitable, no matter what happens next week.
Will Castro have a great post-Idol career? Hard to say. The Jack Johnson model may look laid back, but it really does involve a lot of work. At this point, it's not clear that Castro wants to put in all that work.
Comments (1)
Jason did not want to go home (he was misquoted in EW) -- and he will not be released to go home until after the tour ends(like....September!!) -- anyway, IMO he is way, way too original and talented for this schlocky sham of a "reality" show. We all know Jason got more votes than Syesha (seriously? who votes for her? did you see her pathetic homecoming celebration with the granny crowd in Florida?? LOL) -- but his exodus is a blessing in disguise. He escaped further humiliation at the hands of the AI producers -- can you imagine what horrible songs would have been chosen for Jason to perform???
Anyway, bore me big time!! What a snoozefest the show is without him. So predictable. Syesha could never stand a chance against either David, but Castro actually posed a threat. Yes, he had a disastrous night when he performed ISTS and MTM. Yes, he was the weakest performer that nite. Maybe he did deserve to go. BUT -- he most definitely did not get less votes than Syesha. AND -- Ryan never actually said Jason got the least amount of votes. It was only implied, never stated. So, the producers saw their chance to toss him, and that they did. (According to the show's fine print, they reserve the right to determine the final outcome of the results. Look into that, please. You will see that I am correct.)
Jason LOVES music and performing -- what he did not like was the excruciatingly difficult PR schedule AI was putting the contestants thru. Being a perfectionist and original artist, he found it nearly impossible to practice and rehearse the songs to his liking under the restrictive schedule AI permits. Being the least experienced of the remaining four, his achilles heel was exposed and the lack of performing experience did him in. BTW, the studio release of MTM is exquisite. As with all of Jason Castro's studio releases (with the exception of OTR, which was much better LIVE), his voice is clear and distinctive and infectious.
Being a native New Yorker, my tastes are perhaps more sophisticated than the average American Idol yahoo viewer. I find the only worthy contestants Jason Castro and David Cook. Both men are unique and what I would consider "musical artists" rather than just performers like Archuleta or Syesha. David Cook has more recording and performing experience (he has a previous album, now sold out on Amazon) and is more suited to be the Idol winner than Castro. That I won't dispute. But I don't FEEL anything when David Cook sings. My heart doesn't pound, my insides don't get all mushy. Jason Castro does that to me