(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.
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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 4 of 13)
46. American Idol should be about "who do you think is the best singer / performer" and NOT, who is your favorite person. How on earth can you possibly call American Idol the best TV show? OMG, that is an insult to my intelligence!
David at 2:58PM on Mar 29th 2007
47. WHY HAVE QUALIFIED JUDGES -- IF YOUR GOING TO
LET A JILLION 13 YEAR OLD "CALL INS" DECIDE
THE WINNERS ??????
SANJAYA SHOULD HAVE BEEN SENT BACK TO SEATTLE
TWO WEEKS AGO.
SIMON ---- " hope you don't have to leave the
show "
CONRAD MORRIS at 1:58PM on Mar 29th 2007
48. SANJAYA SHOULD JUST STEP DOWN. HE'S BEEN TALK ABOUT REALLY BAD. HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY SHOULD TELL HIM THE TRUTH. HE CANT SING. AMERICAN IDOL WAS A GREAT SHOW, NOW SANJAYA BEING ON MAKE ME WANT TO CHANGE THE CHANNEL.
Arlean Milian at 11:54AM on Mar 29th 2007
49. There is an answer to this nonsense. For the sake of your own life, that of your family, and the future of this society: unplug your TV. Disconnect from the media. Go seek something of truth and substance.
JJM at 11:39AM on Mar 29th 2007
50. okay hold up all of u. first of all, u need to back off Sanjaya. he is just a young man doing what he is suppose to do on the show. If u want to bad mouth someone it should be the all the other viewers. they are the ones keeping him on the show. that poor kid hasnt done anything wrong, so just back off him.
liriel at 11:57AM on Mar 29th 2007
51. TV "hits" can't go on indefinitely without becoming stale. There's a reason Sangina remains in the contest. I think the producers want the show to fail this year. There will be a season's hiatus then AI will come back and be bigger than ever. Follow the money folks!
Bob Lieberman at 12:22PM on Mar 29th 2007
52. why dont you people leave the kid alone if he couldnt sing he would not be there in the first place,you all are acting like the kid comitted a crime isnt there enough things in the world to worry about?
modzzy at 9:12PM on Mar 29th 2007
53. People,this show is a rating for the tv channel networks,Simon is the money man,they keep so many and then they omit the ones who draw the least network ratings,this india clown is a joke and doesn't know it.
Darby at 11:59AM on Mar 29th 2007
54. Sanjaya needs to go already. He's just horrible.
FL Belle at 12:00PM on Mar 29th 2007
55. NETWORK RATINGS,THIS UNTALENTED INDIA CLOWN IS BEING USED BY SIMON COWELL,he can't sing,comparing him to the great Ghandi is a insult to the people of this country.The winn er will be the young black girl,Jordan,she is most talented and marketable for the music industry.
Darby at 12:17PM on Mar 29th 2007
56. chris s. didnt know how to dress---------------------nonone likes to see idols with torn ,baggy jeans,t-shirt,etc.he wasnt that great of a singer.
DEBBIE at 12:49PM on Mar 29th 2007
57. Sanjaya should withdraw. He's spoiling the chances for people who are really talented. Whoever started this "vote for the worst" should be penalized somehow for spoiling what a lot of us really enjoyed and looked forward to. Not any more. It may have started out as a "joke", now it's a disgrace.
Carolyn at 12:06PM on Mar 29th 2007
58. What show is this everyone is posting about? American Idol? I've never heard of it and from what I read here, I wouldn't want to watch it. Sounds as though shows like this are a terrible waste of our electricity. All these people who watch this trash would scream like mad if they lost power suddenly because of the 'overload' on our grids. I wouldn't be happy either. Shut off your TVs!!!
Vivi at 12:08PM on Mar 29th 2007
59. This has made a farse of the whole premise of AI. If the tone deaf teenies and the proud Kwiki Mart workers would stop voting for the talentless, we would have a better show...1 more week and I will quit watching this show forever.
gary at 12:34PM on Mar 29th 2007
60. Just like the president elections if you don't vote for your favorite then don't complain.
Karen Johnson at 12:20PM on Mar 29th 2007