(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 3 of 13)
31. More recap news to amuse (and the pics are hilarious)
http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com
Rebecca at 9:45AM on Mar 29th 2007
32. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO WATCH IDOL TURN THE CHANNEL BUTTON, I ENJOY IT MYSELF, EVEN THO I DON'T LIKE SOME OF SIMON'S COMMENTS. VAN PARKES
evan at 12:48PM on Mar 29th 2007
33. It is very sad that people watch a mean spirited show like this. THe worst people stay and the talentd ones go???It is very sad indeed.
Patricia Barbaro at 9:50AM on Mar 29th 2007
34. This is outright shameful, The Show needs to do something to get rid of Sanjaya - otherwise there is no point in watching the show anymore.
He is just awful and the whole scene is disrespectful. Sanjaya must go now !
How did he get on in the first place ?
Frostie at 10:34AM on Mar 29th 2007
35. Sanjaya is terrible!
He seems like a nice kid, but wasn't this a singing competition?
Let's get real.
He needs to go before the show loses what credibility it still has.
mark at 9:55AM on Mar 29th 2007
36. Sanjaya shouldn't win. His parents or somebody messed this nice looking young man up. He doesn't seems to know whether he's a man or a woman - he needs help and American Idol can't help him and it is not the place for mixed up people. It's one of the only decent family shows left. Good-bye American Idol.
sally at 9:58AM on Mar 29th 2007
37. Sanjaya must go !
Frostie at 10:00AM on Mar 29th 2007
38. i have watched american idol since the very beginning, but as of today i am sick of the way things are going. why sanjaya is still there has baffled me as well as all others i'm sure. ever dently there is a phone somewhere stuck on redial, because he is as bad as it gets.
linda at 12:23PM on Mar 29th 2007
39. If I were in Sanjaya's shoes, I'd drop out of the competition, and he'd do the same if he has any scruples whatsover. What's transpiring now isn't fair to the really talented singers. There are some really sick people voting.
Sally at 10:22AM on Mar 29th 2007
40. I think AI is going downhill. Like everyone else, I used to look forward to the show because of all the talent. I have to re-evalutate my thoughts now. I can't believe that they let Chris go last night and yet Sanjaya is still there. I was watching "The View" yesterday and Howard Stern's girlfriend said that Howard is having all his listeners vote for Sanjaya. Where's the fairness? I guess I need to petition my city to vote for everyone BUT him in order to get him off the show so that the other talented singers will have a chance. I feel like we're dealing with another "William Hung" here. That's just my opinion.
Sherry at 10:40AM on Mar 29th 2007
41. I will never watch American Idol again - it is so rotten, stupid and getting worse every week - More of a Circus now than a talent show. Producers better find a way to get that freakin Sanyaya off - he is just a attention-hungry clown and it's the stupid 12 year olds who are sitting on their phones dialing over and over to vote this ass in. That's it - Only one I'll miss is Simon - he tells it like it is but usually gets smacked by his co-workers.
Meeche at 10:30AM on Mar 29th 2007
42. I tend to agree with your comments. American Idol is a singing competition, but most of us Americans can't carry a tune in a bucket and neither can Sanjaya. My belief is that the show should have created a way that only people 18 and older could vote. Not these pre-teen little girls who are speed dialing their votes for this Idiot. He needs to go away and never be heard again trying to be a Michael Jackson with his childish voice impersonation.
SANJAYA MUST GO! SEND HIM TO STERNS HOUSE TO CROON HIS TUNES, MAYBE THEN STERN CAN GO TO THE FUNNY FARM WHERE HIS FILTHY SELF BELONGS!
Mike B. at 10:35AM on Mar 29th 2007
43. FIRST OF ALL THE VIEWERS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO VOTE FOR THE SINGERS THIS IS A SINGING COMPETITION WHICH SHOULD ONLY BE JUDGED BY PROFFESIONALS. THE VIEWER HAS NO IDEA OF PITCH, TONE, CLARITY AND MUSICAL ABILITY. LETS BRING IDOL BACK TO A SERIOUS COMPETITION.
SAMMY at 10:39AM on Mar 29th 2007
44. By now Sanjaya must know that this whole thing is a joke about keeping the worst singer on for however long...He should be the better person and withdrawal from the competition and stop this insanity. It is so clear that more talented people are being cut. You can see it in the surprice on his face every week that he knows It should have been him leaving the show.
kelly stolt at 10:42AM on Mar 29th 2007
45. Sanjaya should have beed voted off long ago. What is perculiar is the way this AI is being scripted and manipulated bt the producers. I do not believe that Sanjaya's fan base is bigger than Chris Sligh, I believe AI wants those voting to believe that. The reason Antonella left as swiftly as she did is because AI knew of the controversy and double standards used for Antonella staying and Frenchie ( former AI contestant ) being asked to leave. Antonella's a attractive italian, Frenchie a large african american female not viewed as the future American Idol. This AI is a joke the only reason I watch is Melinda Doolittle, I am not naive to believe she will win she won't,or Lakisha ( she's like Fantasia, AI's been there before ) but they both clearly have the best vocals and talent. I think AI will give it to Blake or Chris, they're both good, Gina's different and could pull it off because of her look. I don't think she's that great. Phil isn't unique he's just a good singer. Jordin could win she's someone different, a biracial 17 year old who's a good singer. Haley is forgetable. As soon as my girl Melinda is voted off I am officially done with AI.
What I am seeing is American Idol is clearly forgettable! Simon Fuller the show is exposing it's undergarments!
Denise at 11:15AM on Mar 29th 2007