Why Sanjaya Malakar is still on "American Idol"? · 2007-04-08 12:31
There's one every year: an "American Idol" contestant who dominates the show despite not really having a chance at the top prize.
Some, like William Hung, don't even get past the auditions. But when they do, they shake things up every week, exasperating fans and other contestants, spawning endless chatter about their perplexing ability to avoid the ax.
This year, it's the vocally suspect Sanjaya Malakar, who has turned into a media sensation mostly because of the vast media chatter ??“ including ours, admittedly ??“ about his suspect vocals.
Conspiracy theories explaining his popularity have credited everything from the VoteForTheWorst.com Web site and Howard Stern's lobbying efforts to phantom phone banks in his father's native India flooding the show with fake votes.
So instead of trying to think of more reasons why Sanjaya should be booted, MTV.com presents 10 reasons (besides Howard Stern) why he's gotten this far.
1. Every season has one: from Ryan Starr and Nikki McKibbin during season one to Julia DeMato (season two), John Stevens (season three), Mikalah Gordon (season four) and Kevin "Chicken Little" Covais (season five), it seems like every year, one marginally talented singer manages to make it to the finals.
2. The little girls (and Grandmas). Sanjaya has the breathless-tween-girl vote all wrapped up, which is a huge voting block for any "Idol." Combine that with pinchable cheeks, and you have the grandma and soccer-mom votes sewn up, too.
3. Stumbles by other contestants.
4. He's got style: he may not be the best singer, but between the pony-hawk hairdo and last week's cheeky dance with Paula, Sanjaya puts on an entertaining show while most of the other contestants primarily stand ??“ or sit ??“ around.
5. The media circus.
6. Burnout: after six seasons, it's possible that viewers are simply tired of watching the same predictable Whitney and Mariah-esque R&B throwdowns every Tuesday night. Maybe they see Sanjaya's wackiness as a welcome shot of life into an hour of, at times, numbingly similar performances.
7. The world loves a trainwreck: the only thing Americans like more than peeking into the lives of the fabulously wealthy and famous is ogling their car crashes and public flame-outs. Sanjaya's efforts to make lemonade out of lemons add a refreshing twist.
8. Pity, or contrariness: Given the beating he's taken in the press and from the judges, maybe people are voting for Sanjaya as a way to get back at Simon ??“ or just out of pure sympathy for the battered underdog with the 1,000-watt smile.
9. The coattail effect.
10. Sanjaya figured it out: like William Hung, Sanjaya seems to understand his place in the world of pop culture, and after looking like a deer in the headlights early on, he's begun to embrace his renegade popularity. Presumably resigned to his minimal chances of winning, he's having fun, seeing where it all can take him, and not worrying about what the haters say ??“ which is the best revenge. Plus, after that pony-hawk, he knows people can't wait to see what he’ll do next.
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