All good thing must come to an end. And so too, it seems, must all things that make our eardrums bleed.
Yes, Sanjaya Malakar has been voted off of American Idol.
A plethora of different emotions washed over me during this evening's American Idol. Crippling anxiety, for one, that either Blake or LaKisha (Sanjaya's two co-Bottom 3 companions) would get the boot. Sheer joy when it was announced that it was, in fact, Sanjaya who would be shown the door.
And then, surprisingly...sadness. And a bit of sympathy. And even respect.
Huh?
I wasn't sad that Sanjaya was sent home -- of course, it was way past his time to go. But within seconds of the big announcement, as tears streamed down the 17 year old's face, Sanjaya-the-punchline instantly turned into Sanjaya-the-sweet-kid who we saw in his initial audition. He didn't put himself where he is -- the judges and the voters did. He just did his best to make himelf interesting, and he held his head high in the face of adversity that most people twice his age would fold under. As much criticism as I (and most everyone else in America) has throw at him, he showed up, with a smile on his face, and gave us something to talk about. There is something very admirable about that.
As for the rest of the show, both Fergie and Martina McBride gave entertaining performances, and Simon was given the opportunity to clear up his eye-roll from last night's show. Melinda, meanwhile, handled the George Huff/Bo Bice/Taylor Hicks position of having to choose which group was the Top 3 with dignity and humor, simply sitting down in the middle of the stage. It was charming and totally appropriate.
So, Sanjaya is finally gone. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't slightly gleeful at this fact, as we now have a Top 6 who actually deserves to be there. Hopefully he can take some solace in the fact that he will not soon be forgotten.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
He Gave Us Something To Talk About: Sanjaya Voted Off American Idol
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2 comments:
Keeping Sanjaya on the show would have been cruel.
He seemed to think that people actually liked him; he didn't understand what a joke he'd become, so it was becoming painful to watch him become more and more full of himself each week.
He has a nice voice--just like lots of 17-year-olds in high schools all across America--but it's nothing special. If he'd worked on his vocals the way he'd worked on his look, he might have fared better, but he seemed a lazy performer with no work ethic. Look, for example, at Jordin, who's also 17. That girl works on her vocals.
Sanjaya may have a future as a new Leif Garrett, another weak singer who thrilled 11-year-old girls for a year or two. If you know who Leif Garrett is, you'll understand. If you don't know who Leif Garrett is, well, my point exactly...
I think there has been a universal assumption made about Sanjaya Malakar that is both unwarranted and unfair.
People did actually like him. Adults, included. Vote for the Worst does not have nearly the clout everybody has assumed that they do; their previous pets were Antonella Barber and Sundance Head. See how much good VFTW did those two?
I agree that he may end up being a modern day Leif Garrett, but even that modest accomplishment goes far beyond what most of his fellow cast members will manage. This was a highly undistinguished season and Sanjaya's spirited originality set him apart.
Sanjaya has a very pretty instrument he has not yet learned how to use. In a season where there were no truly distinguished male voices, his inexperience made him a scapegoat for a much wider problem. Sanjaya is a much better singer than he is generally given credit for being, but I think once the idea has been planted, it is hard to shake.
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