American Idol: Is it possible Mario quit because of ‘Idol’ contract?

Nothing about Mario Vazquez's mysterious departure from "American Idol" makes a whole lot of sense — he first blamed family problems, which his mother denied; later, despite "personal reasons" for quitting, he appeared on David Letterman and other shows, so clearly those problems aren't too pressing.

One of the theories about Vasquez's departure involves the show's notoriously restrictive contract. While Mario himself has denied that the contract had anything to do with his departure, all 24 semifinalists, including Mario, signed a contract preventing them from signing with another label or company until three months after the "American Idol" winner is crowned. But last week, Mario hired the lawyer who helped rescue Clay Aiken from under its clutches.

So what exactly is in the American Idol contract, besides language preventing finalists from trying to get signed now? Not much is known about this season's document, but sometime MSNBC.com freelancer Eric Olsen examined the first season's contract in detail for Salon a few years ago. He found a "restrictive" document that makes contestants' "careers ... literally not their own." Read More...

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posted by ADMIN @ Monday, March 21, 2005