So is That Why Mario Left American Idol Position in the First Place?

So is That Why Mario Left American Idol Position in the First Place? by Roxanne McDonald

With the latest tittle-tattle come the questions about why Mario Vazquez left his spot in the final twelve on season, and so come the implications and concerns.

Several times I have looked into why Mario Vazquez left his coveted spot in the top twelve of American Idol, season four. Before this week, whenever I Googled his name, I came up with obscure references and vague allusions to his being gay. These notes left me unsatisfied, however, for as we know (or think we know or whatever) Mario would not have been alone in his sexual orientation nor would he have been challenged legally later in the final stages of the competition. In fact, it would have been one of those firsts, or two of those firsts—Mario Vazquez first gay Hispanic-American to win American Idol.

What beauty and charisma he had. What a following he was building. Some of my buddies were already poised to start making those phone calls to vote to keep him in the competition.

Evidently, according to those in the reality TV loop—such as Laura Belle [Tucker], whose work I love to follow on her site/blog and on Reality Shack—Mario’s reasons for leaving American Idol were well-guarded secrets (though his public

reason was the vague “for personal/family reasons”). The speculation ran the gamut from how he was being courted by better producers for better opportunities to how he was protecting his sexual identity to how, writes Tucker, “he quit because of a need for creative control, or in order to no be labeled.”
Anyway, this week of March, 2007 brings alleged news, alleged scandal, and attempted lawsuits [though I can’t figure how a person can opt out of a contract with a monolith and years later the monolith can be held accountable…other than obvious greed is at work here, greedy and litigious demands for compensation for seeing a penis?]

Okay, I prefer not to go into what are still alleged details, and I prefer not to speculate further on why Mario left Idol, what happened to his arrangements with Clive Davis (which, also according to Tucker raise more curiosities and considerations), and what happened that Vazquez’s albums sold fewer copies than the William Hung catastrophes turned gold.

Vazquez had publicly stated he left Idol for more creative control and for fear of being restricted by labels (not record labels but naming labels, those which would pigeonhole him as an American Idol baby and not as a solo talent).
Vazquez the former contestant has as of yet to publicly state his part in the showing of his pee-pee to an accountant who is also a former Idol participant of sorts, a former production company accountant.

What I will address is how we will be stuck with more than a juicy scandal and an urge to Google for Vazquez penis pics: we are American Idol, as we have the voting power. We are also America, and if a lawsuit ensues, guess who foots the bill for a lawsuit that is now retrospective, five years old, and very sketchy and therefore time/court-consuming?

So while the final speculation is that maybe Vazquez was asked to leave American Idol and was offered a record deal as consolation/hush compensation, whatever, the ultimate concern for us should be how every Idol sponsor product we buy could now cost more, every Idol moment could

have a kind of text-message fee or call-in fee, or every Idol moment will have a hidden price tag.
Think about it in terms of money, folks. When a Starbucks employee sues for unfair tip-sharing policies, we pay more for Starbucks foods and coffee drinks. When a woman sues Sears for discrimination, we pay more for Sears lawnmowers and sheets. When an American Idol ex-employee sues for a past account of a past activity, we pay…somehow, we pay.

Besides, it’s a dull enough tale out of turn, now. Oooh, homosexuality in the lives of our celebrities. LOL. George Michael and Pee Wee Herman will tell you that the most scandalous of activities have all been done. Now if Mario and Ryan had had a thing, well….

SirLinksAlot American Idol links

SirLinksAlot Mario Vazquez links

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