Sanjaya Malakar

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

Americans (or Estadophiles)! Tell me about Sanjaya Malakar, or tell me where people have been saying smart things? What I know:

• He is in the final 9 finalists
  
• He's not particularly technically good - or rather he seems to understand the shapes of the effects you want for rock/soul, but not what he has to sound like for them to traditionally 'work'
  
• He's survived six rounds against opposition from the judges, to the point where Simon Cowell's stated he's going to quit if Sanjaya wins.
  
• Some people, Howard Stern as an example, have been supporting a vote for him in order to, ahem, subvert the show into the tarmac.
  
• Dudes on MySpace be on hunger strike until he's voted off (apparently)
  

Sanjaya on "Ain't No Mountain High Enough":

Watch on YouTube

Sanjaya on "You Really Got Me":

Watch on YouTube

CNN on Sanjaya:

Watch on YouTube

(Should I really be shocked that I'm shocked by the homophobia on youtube comments? It seems so assumed, like a valid argument can be equal parts "he's technically deficient", "people are using him to game the system" and "he's gay", and all of the three parts are equally solid. I realise this is not officially a poptimists question.)