Television

ROCKWALL – The crowd that gathers on most Tuesday nights at the new Hilton Hotel in Rockwall is on a mission.

Sure, they're surrounded by balloons, large TV screens and much laughter, but this is serious business. The 350 or so people are there to watch local Jason Castro perform on American Idol – and then to get him through to the next round.

"Everybody gets on their phones like crazy at the end of the show," says Jennifer Wasserman, the hotel's sales and marketing director. "There are people who have two phones going at once."

Rockwall has become the center of Castromania as its native son has made it into the final six on America's most-watched television show, which airs tonight at 7 and Wednesday night at 8 on Fox (Channel 4). And with his puppy-dog eyes, distinctive dreadlocks and laid-back demeanor, there are high hopes that he could become North Texas' second American Idol champion, following in the footsteps of Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson of Burleson.

Rockwall Mayor Bill Cecil may not be double-dialing himself, but he's definitely become a fan. Ms. Wasserman says he stopped by a recent watching party because he happened to be in the hotel.

"He watched the show, and at the end it was so cute – he had a little Jason Castro shirt on," she says. Since then, the city has put up a large banner at a major intersection, and the Chamber of Commerce has begun putting up its own posters. Carol McMillan, who helps organize the watch parties, says the singer has earned his hometown support "just because of the kind of person he is. There are enough people in the area that know him and know the family, and they all say positive, good things."

That positive vibe helps, but the fact that he's made it this far on the show is almost inexplicable. He wasn't featured during the audition rounds; nobody in the TV audience heard him sing until after the top 24 had been announced. And the Rowlett High grad doesn't have the typical bombastic, showy Idol voice of past winners. He doesn't even have much singing experience: Mr. Castro, 21, started pursuing his talent just last year, while working on a construction science degree at Texas A&M.

NATHAN HUNSINGER/DMN

On Tuesday nights, it's not just Jason Castro whose lungs get a workout. While he's singing on American Idol, fans in Rockwall are rooting him on.

"He'd just go and hang out in the park and sing by himself, because he didn't want to embarrass himself," said Laura Allen, a close friend.

Now, his audience is in the tens of millions. Total strangers show up at the Rockwall parties to watch him on TV. And in Los Angeles, getting mobbed by screaming fans has become the norm.

Stephanie Baisey, whose daughter is a friend of Mr. Castro, recently flew out to Los Angeles to visit and saw firsthand the stir he's created.

"If people were constantly giving you expensive items and crying when you walk down the street – I couldn't do it," Ms. Baisey says. "I'd be way loving myself. But he's the opposite of that.

"He'll be the first person to tell you there's absolutely no reason for him to be here," Ms. Baisey says. "But he just knows this is in God's plan."

Mr. Castro has been on five mission trips to such places as Russia and South America, and he's an active member of Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall. He said in a February telephone interview that he let his faith guide his decision to drop out of college and pursue American Idol.

KEVIN WINTER/Getty Images

Jason Castro, who put his Texas A&M education on hold for American Idol, will tour with the Idol finalists this summer.

"I knew I wouldn't find out the results until after school had already started. It was kind of a tough decision, but I went on faith, and look at me now," he said with a laugh. Idol contestants are no longer available for interview requests while they are still on the show.

His Christian side has come as a surprise to some, including Idol judge Simon Cowell. During Dolly Parton week on the show, Mr. Castro chose her religious song "Travelin' Through" to perform.

Mr. Cowell didn't like it, claiming the song "doesn't suit you."

"We were all like, 'What?' " Ms. Allen recalls. "I felt that was really him. He was kind of passionate about that song."

So were the fans, says Ms. Baisey, who helps manage Mr. Castro's mail. "Something about 'Travelin' Through' really spoke to people," she says. "We really received a huge influx after he sang that one."

While he does get his share of "Will you marry me?" mail, the majority is much deeper.

"Sometimes, I don't feel worthy to read them, because they're so raw," Ms. Baisey says. One woman said the singer helped with her grief over losing her 15-year-old son to leukemia. Another had just left an abusive relationship, and Mr. Castro gave her hope.

After the show ends, Mr. Castro will tour with the top 10. After that, a move to Los Angeles to pursue his career might be in order, his friends say. Then what?

"I definitely see him getting married and having kids, for sure," Ms. Allen says.

Ryan Youngblood, who knows Mr. Castro through the Aggie Men's Club, agrees.

"He'll have a few kids," he says, "but he'll still have the dreadlocks, too."

Darla Atlas is a Fort Worth freelance writer.

darlajatlas@yahoo.com