Mario Vazquez

[LiVvV]

Originally Posted by Kariann1

LiVvV, I don't think this is the right decision to make for any of the contestants. It puts a damper on the next couple of shows. He has disappointed his fans and if he left for selfish reasons, many fans WILL rebel, IMO.

What is Ross' reaction to all of this? Did he know what rules were involved in the contract? Just interested in anything you have heard!

This is sort of out of topic, but even Ross who didn't make it to top 24, he is still NOW in contract with AMERICAN IDOL until September. Which means that he can't sign any recording contract with any other recording company until September. He was made it to top 75 and he is in contract without pay until September since last October. So, it's almost a year contract. Just imagine if you are in the top 12 and how many years that you need to sign for. :rolleyes

[Google]

 

[Kariann1]

Thanks, LiVvV for this information! Just think of how much conversation this topic has generated. If the producers are geniunely wishing him the best - it may be something more personal. Geez...I am sick of all this speculating! Mario, just tell it like it is unless there are legal matters which prevent you from doing so! Egads!

[Sigang Noypi]

I was in shock when I heard the news...Damn it!...Why did he have to go?!...There's no reason for me to watch the frickin' show anymore!...(except for Lindsey,of course)...Still!...It's a really bad top 12 without him...It should have been him and Nikko in...Not him and Scott...Scott sucked that night big time...

Now there's nothing interesting about AI4...Obviously,the girls aren't too talented...I seriously think that Mario would have won the competition...Now, the show has suddenly ended for me...I wonder what the judges think about Mario leaving?...

[suncat7]

Just saw Mario on David Letterman, doing the Top Ten list.
He was hatless, and wearing a sweater with an "M" on it.
Here's how it went...

Top Ten Reasons I Quit American Idol
10. Well, for starters, I was really, really drunk.
9. I've got my eye on the ultimate prize.."Belgium Idol"
8. Yeah, my career is over, but I just saved a bundle on my car insurance.
7. After seeing Michael Jackson, maybe I don't want to be a pop star.
6. Ryan Seacrest is all hands.
5. I started liking when Ryan Seacrest was all hands.
4. Screw it, I'm quitting this too.

And that's it. He was giggling like a loon the whole time.

[soybean]

That top 10 list was funny. Especially number 6.

[Silverback]

Maybe I'm way off base on this, but here's my theory on why Mario is gone...

Look at the facts:

-He left, for "personal reasons" that he wanted kept private.
-Fox stated that they agreed to keep his reasons private.
-There was no big deal made about his leaving on the show, which is unusual since there was a huge deal made about the one girl who decided to leave after she made it Hollywood (I don't remember her name).
-One of Marios greatest moments was working with Michael Jackson
-There's a huge lawsuit right now against Michael Jackson regarding charges of ALLEGED illicit behavior with young boys.
-Mario is from the ghetto, like many of the young boys that visit Neverland.
-The guy who was brought back in Mario's place, Nikko, sang a Jackson song, and afterwards Ryan Seacrest made a comment about it being a joke or something (I forget exactly what was said, if someone has it on tape, you could verify that).

From this I would conclude that Mario may somehow end up in court regarding the Michael Jackson case, whether for the defense or prosecution.
At this point, according to one source, Mario's name is not on the witness list of either side, but that could change in a blink. As a huge speculation, perhaps something "less than wonderful" took place at Neverland ranch, and those are the personal demons that are haunting him now that the whole Jackson thing is in the forfront of the media...

I'm not saying any of this is true, but it sort of falls into place nicely, doesn't it?

[eny]

LOS ANGELES — Mario Vazquez withdrew from "American Idol" over the weekend, but the 27-year-old singer is under contract with the show's entertainment company until three months after the current season ends.

In a press conference Tuesday (March 15) in the famous Coca-Cola Red Room where contestants wait to perform during tapings, co-executive producers Ken Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe confirmed Vazquez quit for personal reasons and squashed rumors surrounding his departure, including that he had been offered a better record deal than the winner receives (see "Mario Vazquez Quits 'Idol' — 'It Wasn't Right For Me' ")."He is not free to sign [with anyone]; he signed that contract two weeks ago," Lythgoe said, noting that all 24 semi-finalists signed the same contact at the same time.

Lythgoe and Warwick said they were not privy to the entire contract, but Jason Rich, editor of American Idol: The Magazine and author of "The American Idol Season Four All Access" book, said it includes a management and record deal, as well as a release to be on the show. Past contracts have also included deals for merchandising, touring, sponsorship and movies, which "Idol" franchise creator Simon Fuller (under his 19 Entertainment) has called "one-stop shopping."

"It's a lot of paperwork, but it's not like they have to handle it themselves," Rich said. "They have an attorney who works for the contestants, and then some have their own attorneys."

Fuller has said in the past that he takes about 50 percent of his artists' earnings, compared to the 10 to 20 percent industry standard.

Regardless, "Singers have never come to us with issues in the contract — never," Warwick said. And that includes Vazquez.

"You are going to hear a whole host of 'This is what really happened' on the Internet and wherever else, and all I have to say is don't believe everything you read or see," Warwick said. "Did you hear the one about him testifying at the Michael Jackson trial?" he added, as if telling a joke. (Vazquez is not listed as a possible witness for either the defense or prosecution in Jackson's molestation trial, but he did sing backup on "Whatever Happens" from Jackson's 2001 album, Invincible.)

"We know what the personal reasons are and we've made him a promise not to reveal what they are," added Lythgoe, a bit shocked by the hubbub surrounding Vazquez quitting. "Don't forget this isn't the first time someone has left the show. Marlea Stroman this year actually got through and decided the pressure was too strong, and she missed her son. It does happen. You're taking ordinary people and putting them under an enormous strain and the strain of the media."

Vazquez informed Warwick and Lythgoe of his decision on Friday, less than 48 hours after proclaiming his excitement for making the final 12 (see "The 'American Idol' Final-12 Party: Nerves, Shock And ... Justin Guarini?"). "He had his mind made up," Warwick said. "We think he hung on for a couple days just to see that he made it to the top 12."

Still, the producers waited another day before telling anyone to "try to figure out if we could help him in any way," Lythgoe said. "But you don't want to push these people to [unhealthy stress] levels. It's only a television show."

At 2:30 a.m. St. Louis time, the producers called Nikko Smith, asking him to get on the first flight that morning.

"Then we brought Mario up here to tell the kids Saturday afternoon," Lythgoe said, describing the contestants' reaction as shocked and tearful. "And because they were down, we energized them again by bringing Nikko in the room shortly afterwards."

Vazquez was apparently upbeat with the other contestants, but he also left them wondering what his personal reasons were for leaving.

"Everyone was totally confused," Rich said. "Within an hour, I heard five different rumors. I know for a fact that all of them are false. And if you actually think them through, they don't make sense."

Warwick and Lythgoe had nothing but kind works for Vazquez. "He's an extremely talented kid," Lythgoe said. "His musicality was amazing. He could take a song he'd never heard before and instantly make it beautiful. We think he's going to be extremely successful." However, the producers questioned journalists calling him a frontrunner. (He was second to Carrie Underwood on MTVNews.com's poll of which singer was projected to win.)

"The public make the favorites, not the media," Warwick said. "And the only people who know the votes are us, the standards and practices [at FOX] and the watchdogs from the telephone company."

As for Smith, the son of baseball star Ozzie Smith, he was told he could skip filming a Ford commercial on Sunday since he was a day behind in rehearsing for the first week of the finals, but he picked a song Saturday, rehearsed it that night and still made the commercial.

"I think his line was, 'God works in mysterious ways,' " Lythgoe said.

The Tuesday night performance shows are typically taped live (for East Coast broadcast), but because the contestants moved into a new, much larger venue this week, the show taped Monday.

"It was a tough show last night," Lythgoe said of the '60s-themed program. "Randy was really tough on them, but he did like Nikko. ... It's very nerve-wracking walking out on a set that big. It's very intimidating."

When asked if he thought the Vazquez situation might affect ratings, Lythgoe smiled. "Yes, they'll probably go up," he said.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/149...headlines=true

[LiVvV]

I miss Mario without him the competition seems blah for me. Nothing special :|

[mariovasqueznme]

i love mario vasquez but i am kinda mad that he dropped out of the competition. a lot of people was counting on him to win. when he first auditioned i became a fan of his. what do u all think about him dropping out? i actually cried but he said it's not the last we'll be hering from him and hopefully he's gonna get record deal some where else after he deal with the problems he's going through.

[tmlw1971]

This is the strangest thing I've ever seen. The guy who most folks had picked to win it walks away and everyone's smiling about it. Have we fallen thru the Rabbit hole into Wonderland. I want answers and I hope somebody gives them soon.