SANJAYA: Whither his career

I saw Sanjaya Malakar's final go of it on Tuesday - he sang Bonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About" - and didn't think it was as bad as the judges said. But it wasn't terribly surprising when I heard he'd been axed, the next day (a show I didn't catch).  Now, I suspect the show has lost some considerable firepower and I'll be interested to see how the ratings play out in the next couple weeks, although as the season draws to a climactic end it'll probably steady itself.

So, the Associated Press, asks, what now? Sanjaya says he's a better man/boy for having competed on the show, that he's considering hiring a bodyguard, and that he wants to go to the Berklee College of Music. He's also looking for an entertainment career. And he's hoping for some "meaningful" endorsements.

"It's not about money, it's about having an image and really putting your true self out there.

Also, Simon Cowell told Oprah he'll miss Sanjaya.

USA Today has a piece about Sanjaya's future, and talks to some entertainment experts about the prospects:

• "Broadway? Not a chance, says Craig Marks, editor in chief at Blender. 'His voice is too whispery.' "A novelty recording 'aimed at tween girls may possibly sell.'"
• "'A quickie recording and a funny, self-referential clip for YouTube seem like naturals,' suggests music executive Gene Sculatti, a member of USA TODAY's Idol coaching panel."
• "How about High School Musical 3? [Variety editor Phil] Gallo suggests. 'If he was surrounded by a lot of other singers, maybe he wouldn't embarrass himself.'"
• "Playing the 'wacky foreign exchange student' or the 'sensitive, but misunderstood' type in a high school sitcom," Idol coach panelist Don Waller says.

And here's Reuters on the big bucks ($15 million??) in his future, and how he can land a lifetime's supply of KFC chicken.

The Associated Press also has this report about the supposed relief in India that Sanjaya's finally gone (it's by Sam Dolnick, who I think is the newest member of AP's expanded India bureau). The article is more about the lack of interest Indians have for American Idol, and it makes you wonder why this didn't get as much play as the call center conspiracy, early on. Something that's beyond the scope of this article but deserves some examination is the vastly different trajectories of mediocre talents in the U.S. versus in India: here, we presume that mediocrity has a shelf life for its own, ironic sake whereas in India the concept of So-Bad-its-Good doesn't quite hold.

I consider this one of the funnier little bits to have emerged, in the context of his ethnicity:

Sanjaya, who got a GED to focus on his career (and, he says, because he didn't do his homework), considers Idol an education, a junior and senior year of high school.

It's interesting to consider what one person/slacker can do for the image of an entire community, that too a so-called model minority. If you're desi and you've lived in the U.S. long enough, you've probably heard something along these lines a few times: "Indian, huh? Hey, do you know a Dr. Patel? Smart people, Indians."

A couple days ago, I sensed a bit of a paradigm shift. An elderly woman asked me, "Say, you know you look a lot like that boy, Sanjaya? I guess you get that a lot!"

Well, actually, I don't, at least not yet. But what I found funniest about the whole episode is that it came from a black woman, and her friend, at the National Action Network's (as in, Al Sharpton's) annual convention, where, in between the speeches from assorted presidential contenders, one of the big topics of discussion was the media (ie, Imus) and its treatment of minorities. And if I sound like I'm trying to make an actual point here, I think it is that activism and media activism often operate on a completely different level from where a lot of people are. Activists try to undo the "You people all look alike" notion, and at an official/media level, there's something to be said for that. But actual people, even activists at their most unguarded, have reference points that often emerge, naturally enough, from popular culture. We shouldn't let it slide simply because the speaker is black (or white, or older, or whatever), but because better race relations depend on a certain looseness between well-intentioned people.

That said, I'm glad she didn't tell me I sound like Apu.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elsewhere... Britney to collaborate with Sanjaya??

Idol theorist says Sanjaya didn't get the least votes! (via Maariya)

Comments

[Maariya]

Here's the first published article about the voting controversy:

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_21276496.shtml