American Idol: Go Home, Jason Castro!

Last night on American Idol, the contestants received coaching from the great Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber. This man is a legend, revolutionizing the American musical. His songs are challenging and musical, giving the singer a chance to shine and really show what they're capable of. During last night's performance, most of the American Idol contestants were up to the task...except Jason Castro.

I'm not going to lie; I have never been a fan of Jason Castro. There have been very few times I even enjoyed his performance, and I've never been wowed by him. I definitely never thought he had a chance of winning. Jason did nothing to change my mind last night.

On the April 22nd episode of American Idol, Jason Castro sang "Memory" from Cats. Memory is sung by the character Grisabella De Glamourkat, a cat, while she (yes, a female) is passing from the earthly plane to the heavenly one. She is reminiscing about her life during her last breaths.

"Memory" is a song that is normally sung by a woman with a huge voice (a diva, as Lord Webber noted), not a dopey-faced boy with dreadlocks. Barbra Streisand recorded it...that should have given Jason a clue that it might not be the best song choice. Jason set himself up for failure from the very beginning with this song, picking such a well-known song that is always sung in a way he could never match (which he apparently didn't know, as he said later, he "didn't know it was sung by a cat." Perhaps some research before you pick a song would be a good idea, Jason.). Then, he went on to completely biff it. I don't think Lord Webber knew quite what to do with him, and I wouldn't have, either.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: it's time for Jason Castro to leave the American Idol stage. Will he go home this week? My guess is no, because the teeny bopper Hannah Montana fans love him. Why they're so drawn to the dreadlocks and dopey expression, I don't know, but they just keep on voting for him. Unfortunately, Brooke Smith, who's a better performer in general (when she doesn't forget her lyrics and stop to start over) doesn't have the fan base he does, so she may go home first. That's the down side to this competition: it's a popularity contest more than a singing competition.

Jason Castro does not have what it takes to be an American Idol. He does not have what it takes to be any kind of singing star. Putting him on the stage with Carly Smithson, David Archuleta, David Cook, Brooke Smith and Syesha Mercado is just ridiculous-he's completely out of his league, a la last year's teen phenomenon, Sanjaya. Stop voting for him, America.