We are days away from another round of American Idol. The last two years Vicki and I have gotten into the show. Last year with David Cook from our community of Blue Springs making it all the way to the top resulted in American Idol becoming a part of our weekly schedule. Come on, you gotta have some diversion.
Anyway, one of the participants that I enjoyed last year was Jason Castro. I just thought he was a
fun and likeable guy with some talent - I don’t know, I just really liked him. Several people gave me a hard time for being a Jason cheerleader. One person told me, “he’s just a stoner who has a happy high.” “No he’s not.” I just thought he was a decent likeable guy.
Then Jason sang the song Hallelujah, which was quite a surprise. Rufus Wainwright, Damien Rice, and Jeff Buckley have all done amazing renditions of the song Hallelujah written by Leonard Cohen who also performed it in a transcendent manner. But Jason did this song major justice in front of millions of people and wowed all the judges, even Simon.
I liked Jason even more as the competition went on. It wasn’t that I was pulling for him to win. In fact, I was surprised that he got as far as he did based on pure talent. I guess the adolescent girls kept him in. I liked the fact that both him and David Cook cooperated with the cheesy choreographed musical numbers because they had to, but they did it in such a way that screamed, “I know this is cheesy and I can’t believe I’m doing it so don’t make too much fun of me.”
I also loved the growing ambivalence that Jason displayed as the finals approached. It was obvious that he really didn’t want to be a part of the show anymore. He had reached his limit, which came across as very cool to me.
Last night I watched the video below for the first time and it put a whole lot of my thoughts about Jason Castro into context. I like this guy even more now. Very cool
I agree. Way cool.
Posted by: Jeff King | January 07, 2009 at 05:32 PM
If there was a show called "Christian Idol", he would definitely have won the whole thing.
Posted by: Grant W. | January 08, 2009 at 11:19 AM
Hey Grant,
Have you seen the video's on facebook of you playing your saxophone in Brazil, etc. Too funny...
Posted by: Mike King | January 08, 2009 at 03:18 PM
Yes, I saw the videos. It's too bad there wasn't any american idol back then :) How did I ever freestyle rap like that with those massive braces? Regardless, it's cool to remember the impact that trip had on my life. Glad you were there with me.
Posted by: Grant W. | January 08, 2009 at 07:37 PM
Mike, you and I are on the same page regarding Jason Castro...really a cool, talented guy with a big heart. Hopefully, his 'I am second' video will help show the doubters who he really is.
And yeah, his singout will go down as the best in AI history. Can't wait for his cd.
Posted by: jean | January 08, 2009 at 11:17 PM
I'm so glad people are seeing Jason for the talented, introspective person he truly is, not what American Idol made him out to be. Actually the average age of his fans who participate on his fan forums is close to 40, so it was more than teeny boppers who kept him on AI that long. :)
Posted by: Hanna | January 08, 2009 at 11:39 PM
You are full of awsum you know that? So glad you got Jason. Everything you said about him is right on.
Posted by: Winnie | January 10, 2009 at 10:15 PM
When I saw Jason sing Hallelujah for the first time on AI, and his left hand rose up during one emotional moment, I knew God was shining right through Jason Castro. He shone for millions to see.
Posted by: Flying | January 10, 2009 at 11:17 PM
I'm so glad you "get" Jason. So many do not. From the time I heard "Daydream" I was hooked on his voice and vibe. He sings with such emotion that it goes straight to my heart and soul. His "I Am Second" video was so touching and inspirational. Hopefully lots and lots of of people will see it.
Posted by: suekropp | January 11, 2009 at 12:07 AM
I really liked your blog about Jason Castro. I know for a fact that when a poll was taken, the age of Jason's fans ran the gammit and the majority were over 40 so there were a lot more than just the adolescent girls keeping him on AI--besides the major reason being God's plan.
Jason just performed at the International Music Festival and premier for Amar a Morir for which he sang Hallelujah for the soundtrack. He has a lot of new songs already recorded and in the works so keep your eyes and ears open :)
Cathy Anne
http://heart-throscopy.blogspot.com
Posted by: Cathy Anne | January 25, 2009 at 01:53 PM