The problem for me is that Mario only sang well in the upper registers, and doesn't have a low end warmth to his voice, (much like a Justin Timberlake, who isn't my cup of tea either), so it doesn't matter to me if he stayed or went.

IMHO, Mario was the best in the competition. I stated about a month ago or so that he would make it to the final five. He just seemed head-and-shoulders above the rest. In the meantime others gained some ground on him... no doubt. I would have to agree with you now and say that Bo, Anwar and Nadia - and also Carrie - are the best remaining. But if Mario were still in this he'd still be my favorite, and I think the favorite in general.

Mario was the next Justin Guarini

There goes my pick.

IMO, the contest is between the dudes...I think the girls are all just terrible.

Paula must be creaming her panties she loved Nikko.

Paula is looking smokin ' these days, who's the lucky guy?

He was one of the favorites out of the final 12 but saying that he was a sure lock to win it all is nonsense. Predicting the public votes in AI is hardly an exact science. People with more talent than him has been voted off from previous AI competitions.

I guess we will eventually find out his reason for pulling out of AI.

I don't think so.

I'm glad he's gone, he wouldn't have won anyway.
Every song he sang he would get the audience clapping and standing up to make it look like the audience loved him. Between that and the backup singers you couldn't hear he voice too well.
Last week when he sang a ballad you could just hear him and he sounded horrible.

Bo, Anwar or Carrie will win.

Yeah, a little bit of plastic surgery goes a long way.

Tony, I really think you overestimate the importance of any of these contestants. Mario is a NOBODY. Idol could have made him a star. The show doesn't need him. His loss means nothing to them. They will make millions on whoever wins whether its Mario or anybody else. Good singing voices are a dime a dozen. Its the show that makes stars, not the talent.

Trust me, nobody will remember Mario 6 weeks from now. This is one of the dumbest decisions he will ever make.

There are a few very talented singers who made it far in the competition that probably couldn't get a gig at your local state fair.

Tamara, LaToya...

Then....it seems like the radio waves are already overly saturated with the type of music Mario sings. Shucks, these artists are already cannabalizing themselves. Hardly enough room for the Beyonce's, Ashanti's, Usher's, Justin Timberlakes, Omarion's then the once-greats like Mariah, Whitney trying to make a comeback, the past winners Fantasia, Reuben trying to get a album sale and we're supposed to go out and buy Mario's album?!

He needed all of the publicity he could get with AI so we could remember him.

So this guy is out...



...and she is in?

Boy, I wish someone with the talent and heroin habit of Nico could make it on AI.

Do you really think he was gay?

Anyway, if you want to start a rumor, I like the one that Nikko's father, hall of famer Ozzie Smith, paid Mario $x million to drop out, giving Nikko another few weeks.*

* Just made it up of course, but it is plausible for people who love conspiracy theories. Also, there's no way that Nikko will be knocked out this week, I'll give him three more weeks (knocked out after two others are knocked out, probably a couple of the females).

AI did what it was intended to do in its first season -- find an ultra-talented diamond-in-the-rough in Kelly Clarkson. Someone who has gone on to great success and who, in my opinion, will continue to for years to come. But Ruben and Fanstasia are not stars and never will be. They are good singers, but that's it. After all, neither have yet to produce a hit. And I think the talent this season is even less appealing.

^sad, but true (about Ruben and Fantasia).

Kelly and Clay are clearly America's Idols so far.

I think Mario will be remembered as the one that "could have" won the competition. I still remember contestants from early on that were ousted in one manner or another. Frenchie Davis is the one i still miss.

Yep. He would have made it to the end because of teenaged girls endlessly calling in because he's "cute" (not IMO, but that teeny boppers seem to like that type) but when it comes down to it, he's not a great singer. Average at best.

I wish everyone had a great stereo system that played the contestants' singing through one channel, because then they would be able to tell which people actually are singing good, and which people sound moderately good because of their backup singers and band.

Plus he was an awful performer. He just ran left to right over and over again, so fast like he was on speed or crack or some sort of upper.

I'm glad he's gone. I don't care for Nikko, but Mario was annoying as Hell. Not him personally (meaning: from what I've seen during his interviews with Seacrest) just his performances were annoying.

And that will be to his benefit if he actually puts out an album. He wouldn't have had to go through the twelve weeks of singing different genres, which could potentially have proved to some people who like him now that he wasn't as great as they initially thought he was.

When you're picking songs from one genre that you know you're good at, of course you're going to do well. But doing different styles of music every week would have shown the weaknesses and limitations of his voice.

Nikko is the Bobby Brown lookalike? I don't remember.

its also speculated that since he has ties to micheal jackson.. he may be trying to keep some skeletons hidden.. or that he might get called to testify.

I just heard the same thing on the news (MJ connection). Supposedly he sang backup on one of MJ's recent albums.

I disagree with this statement (although the rest of your post is spot-on). I think this is the strongest final 12 the show has ever seen. Good variety, and a lot less "duds" than before. Although I'm not thrilled by the whole girl/boy thing, this new elimination process seemed to work.

Regarding Mario: if he did sing backup on a MJ album, wouldn't that alone be enough to eliminate him from the competition?

Do I really think he's gay? Hellz yeah. I don't know any one who doesn't.

For those who think he's just going to disappear, he's been all over the news the last 3 days. I've seen him as part of the lead stories on our news here in NYC as well as close to the front of the newspaper each day. That's publicity you can't buy. If he won AI, what would he have gotten? A recording contract? Bet you $10 he already has one and that's why he dropped out. Or he got some sort of better offer. It will be very interesting to see where he goes because I'm sure this kid isn't disappearing. If something is going on that even his mother doesn't know, it's got to be big. These things can happen overnight in Hollywood and considering if he was to sign the contract for being one of the final 12, he had to do the deal now or never. I wouldn't want to be stuck as the American Idol kid if I could branch out on my own before that bullshit happened. He milked it for all it was worth while it was happening and now he's moving on. Good for him.

Well he better drop the bomb album a.s.a.p.! You know how fickle America is about music. Heck, Justin T.'s next album is going to be labled a comeback since Usher's last drop was so popular.

If he doesn't strike it while it's hot, with some really good hits he's going to be yesterday's news.

While I thought Mario was the favorite from the beginning, the pack was gaining on him the last few weeks. He was the best performer, but clearly not the best singer.

Nikko will probably be around another couple weeks before any of the guys start getting eliminated. I like Nikko's voice, but it just doesn't work for everything.