(AP)
60 years after Mohandas Gandhi's civil disobedience movement led to the end of British rule in India, the gentle Sanjaya is just as peacefully (if less than tunefully) bringing Viceroy Simon to heel.
American Idol is an institution built on an ideal: the most talented singer wins. In the end, all it has is its credibility. That's been crippled now, perhaps beyond all repair. And once the tipping point is reached (one week from now? Two?), HMS Idol will sink fast.
I've written extensively about the stunning parallels between Gandhi and Sanjaya. (Of course their hair is a contrast, though Sanjaya has at least one more week to debut a chrome dome. This I would not advise. Sanjaya's eyes are too closely set to pull off a bald look.)The parallels between the Brits of the 19th and early 20th centuries and Simon are worth examining. In both cases, it was the hubris of the otherwise ingenious Englishmen that did them in. The Brits in India with their oppressive Salt Taxes and brutal suppression of their Indian subjects; the imperious Simon with his gratuitous, sometimes cruel, insults of a young man with a real, if not enormous, fan base. (Simon overstepped with his colonialist hauteur. And now millions of families are paying a dear price as the sun sets on their favorite TV show.)
The implications are huge indeed. It's about more than a single show or a major network. The entire Reality Show Raj may already be teetering. Idol whetted our appetites for talent contests, by far the most enduring of the reality sub-genres. Without Idol, Heather Mills may as well hop back across the pond (where I suspect her countrymen will promptly trade her for the servicemen held in Iran).
And all because of one soft-spoken Indian.
****
UPDATE: So it's the end of the road for Chris Sligh. A sign that the influence of the Christian Right is waning? With his dismissal and the survival of Sanjaya, one thing is clear: This is a new America.
P.S. What was up with Chris Richardson totally hogging air time during that Ford commercial? Not cool!
*RELATED ARTICLE: IS IT RANDY'S FAULT?
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 13)
1. this is fixed another person got f@@@22 over tonight
john at 9:42PM on Mar 28th 2007
2. Man, American Idol is one of my favorite shows but I swear Im about to stop watching because this is truly ridiculous. Sure Chris Sligh couldnt keep a beat but 2 other idols seriously need to go home. Sanjaya, omg. Even Randy Jackson said last night on his Craig Ferguson appearance that he doesnt know whats going on with Sanjaya. Sanjaya was good in the audition room, but thats been about it. Sanjaya's stay at American Idol is just ridiculous.....I want to see who will be the next "Idol" but Im just over this every week. And Haley is truly beautiful and she can sing but she seems more broadway to me. So between the two of them Id rather see Sanjaya leave first but please just vote them two off.
Mrs.DouglasWilson at 10:19PM on Mar 28th 2007
3. Man, American Idol is one of my favorite shows but I swear Im about to stop watching because this is truly ridiculous. Sure Chris Sligh couldnt keep a beat but 2 other idols seriously need to go home. Sanjaya, omg. Even Randy Jackson said last night on his Craig Ferguson appearance that he doesnt know whats going on with Sanjaya. Sanjaya was good in the audition room, but thats been about it. Sanjaya's stay at American Idol is just ridiculous.....I want to see who will be the next "Idol" but Im just over this every week. And Haley is truly beautiful and she can sing but she seems more broadway to me. So between the two of them Id rather see Sanjaya leave first but please just vote them two off.
Mrs.DouglasWilson at 10:20PM on Mar 28th 2007
4. Mo, I thought you were supposed to be funny.
The only people that are bent out of shape by Sanjaya are people who have trouble accepting what is. These folks would rather dwell on their own preconceived notion of things; rather than, trying to understand what is going on and why it is happening.
It is hard when you have already formed a hard and fast conclusion to understand things that don't fit. For the more open minded, accepting and understanding things that are happening comes easier.
This is America and Sanjaya is proving what we learned in 2000, you don't need to have the most votes to win. And hey, if you can rig an election all the better. It is the new American way.
BD
Robert T DeMarco at 8:50AM on Mar 29th 2007
5. Oh, Mo... you make comments about how it's just a TV show, and then you go make comparisons like that. Interesting and somewhat compelling intellectual comparisons, yes, but still. I guess I'm also curious what you're going to blog about multiple times a day with this season of AI is all over.
Becca at 10:55PM on Mar 28th 2007
6. I wish someone would pluck Sanjaya's eyebrows. They look like Groucho Marx's eyebrows, except those were fake.
Kent at 11:48PM on Mar 28th 2007
7. This whole Sanjaya situation is so wrong. I am aw wife and mother of four kids. They range in age from 3 to 9. We look forward to American Idol because it is family programming. The whole family can enjoy it and root for their favorite contestant. However, with the emergence of the Howard Stern Power and Popularity Check, my family's favorite show is ruined. Doesn't Howard Stern have enough things keeping him up at night? Really, does he need "ruining yet another family's evening" to add to his list of conscience naggers? In my humble opinion, Sanjaya should politely resign from the competition. It would be a win/win situation. I'm sure good ol' Howard would offer him a job, plus he wouldn't have to face the devastation of not a single American buying his album. If Sanjaya wins American Idol, pop culture will never be the same. We might as well just elect Howard Stern to be President, for God's sakes, and be done with it. And that's all I have to say.
sommer at 11:14AM on Mar 30th 2007
8. One phone... one vote! AI opened a can of worms (or was that Sanjaya's hair) when they allowed unlimited voting per phone. Where is the worst singer to make the top ten getting his votes? Young teenie bopper girls with "Daddy paid" text messaging as fast as their chubby little fingers can redial and redial and redial and redial. Get my point! One phone... one vote would end all this B.S.
Dale Lacina at 4:34PM on Mar 29th 2007
9. Mo, what is up next for you after American Idol???
MrsMoRocca at 3:19AM on Mar 29th 2007
10. Mo what is next for you after American Idol??
MrsMoRocca at 3:18AM on Mar 29th 2007
11. Chris Sligh should have never left american idol!!! He was the most talented male vocalist in that competition!! American Idol will loose it's pizaz and viewers at home if Sanjaya does not get voted off immediately!!! He doesn't contain half the talent Chris has!! IF Sanjaya wins American Idol, then the producers can kiss their rating goodbye because nobody will want to watch any of the seasons to follow!
StarryEyes952 at 4:19AM on Mar 29th 2007
12. Chris Sligh should have never left american idol!!! He was the most talented male vocalist in that competition!! American Idol will loose it's pizaz and viewers at home if Sanjaya does not get voted off immediately!!! He doesn't contain half the talent Chris has!! IF Sanjaya wins American Idol, then the producers can kiss their ratings goodbye because nobody will want to watch any of the seasons to follow! That can be guaranteed!!!
Isn't it supposed to be a singing competition!?!? If half the stupid people that watch the show even cared about the fact you actually have to be able to sing to win, then they would know Sanjaya is in the wrong competition. Perhaps he would benefit on Queer eye for the straight guy.
Sarah at 11:19PM on Mar 31st 2007
13. This is suppose to be all about talent, but we know it is not. It happens every year, that some of the most talented get voted off. We are then left with ones like Sanjaya. He should not be in with the top idol contestants. Someone said there should be one vote per household. Would it help, I don't know. Maybe!! I am guilty too. I did not vote the past two weeks - losing interest!! I have always loved Idol but this year I am finding myself turning the channel. This is true with alot of my friends and my kids. The excitement is not there. What has happened? Did the judges pick the wrong idols to be?
Debbie at 7:50AM on Mar 29th 2007
14. Mo, I like the fact that many of your responders like their comment so much they put it in twice.
BD
Robert T DeMarco at 8:37AM on Mar 29th 2007
15. See, isnt this fun.
BD
Robert T DeMarco at 8:51AM on Mar 29th 2007