Will Sanjaya save or destroy ‘American Idol’?

Most of the conversation during “American Idol” has not been about its group of mostly so-so singers who have flat personalities. Instead, the nation’s “Idol” focus has shifted from one “Idol” cast member to the next, and our biggest obsession of all is named Sanjaya.

Before he captured the nation's attention, there was Paula Abdul, swaying and slurring her way through a series of satellite interviews with local Fox affiliates. As she’s done in the past, Paula said things that made absolutely no sense, and she bobbed in and out of the frame as bewildered anchors tried to engage her in conversation.

Paula addressed her behavior and speculation that she was intoxicated or otherwise impaired by telling The New York Times, “I’ve never been drunk. I’m not under the influence of anything.”

She blamed her behavior on audio problems, although at least one critic who interviewed her in person said she was similarly weird. Paula’s strategy, it seemed, was simply denial.

Then there was Antonella Barba, a semifinalist who shot to the top of search-engine rankings after photographs of her partially clothed found their way online. While the world talked about her photographs, she and “American Idol” basically ignored the controversy. Her friends spoke for her, but on TV, she was silent.

The series addressed the photos only when Simon Cowell said, “I feel for you, ’cause you’ve taken a lot of stick in the media. I think you’ve handled yourself well throughout, and I don’t think anyone should be put in that situation.” The strategy with Antonella was to pretend that all of the attention was so prurient and beneath the show that it didn’t even deserve a direct reference.

Sanjaya's the most interesting thing about ‘Idol’
And now we have Sanjaya.

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Viewers first met Sanjaya Malakar when he auditioned with his sister. He was shy and demure, but the judges liked his singing better than his sister’s. A kind brother, he didn’t tell her that they’d praised his singing relative to hers. That empathy continued when she got cut during the Hollywood round; instead of celebrating his own victory, he cried for her.

Once he found his way into the top 24, Sanjaya seemed out of his league. Even his fans have to admit that his voice is not the strongest in the competition, and at this point, it’s pretty much the weakest. Because he’s still around, though, other “American Idol” fans have begun to resent him, while others mock him.

Unlike Paula and Antonella before him, Sanjaya seems to be taking a different approach to all of the negative attention. At first he seemed a little embarrassed that he had fans or was even on the show, and that, of course, made those people love him even more.

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But having obsessive fans isn't enough to keep one around or in the national conversation week after week. His continued presence on the show has been attributed to multiple sources, some of which are just conspiracy theories: Howard Stern’s discussion about Sanjaya has mobilized his listeners. People are actually listening to Vote for the Worst and voting for the worst instead of just laughing at the site’s jokes. Call centers in India are jamming the phones. Hawaii is once again banding together to keep a young, talent-challenged contestant with connections to the state on the show, like the state did with Jasmine Trias.

Whatever effects these things have, if any, Sanjaya is now officially the most interesting thing about “American Idol 6.” He is not the best singer, the best dancer, or the most engaging personality. But Sanjaya has in some ways begun to embrace those things that people ridicule, and that makes him far more remarkable than the assortment of cardboard cutouts alongside him.

He’s even begun to show that he can laugh at and mock himself.

How else to explain the seven-ponytail faux-hawk he wore during last week’s performance episode? His hair had previously been the subject of conversation both on and off the show, as he changed it every week, from straight to Paula Abdulish. The ponytail faux-hawk was the ultimate “See? I get it” statement.

Also last week, Sanjaya fought back against Simon Cowell for the first time. After Sanjaya’s performance with the faux-hawk, the judge said bluntly, “I presume there was no mirror in your dressing room tonight.” Instead of just smiling awkwardly, Sanjaya told Simon, “You’re just jealous that you couldn’t pull it off.”

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